Son of God: Their Empire, His Kingdom, reviewed by Kevin Williams
That said, Nicodemus is perhaps the one person in the movie with the most character development, going from antagonist, to curious, to empathetic, to defender of Jesus before the Sanhedrin.
For those who saw the History Channel’s The Bible series in 2013, Diogo Morgado once again plays Jesus, and does so wonderfully. Morgado is entirely believable in the role, with a warm smile, compassionate eyes, and a piercing stare. The miracles are carried out without special affects and seem quite natural, which I appreciated.
There is editorializing in the film. For instance the people seem entirely subject to thinking on Jesus for patriotic, nationalistic reasons only, with no clue to his spiritual cause. No doubt some of that was evident at the time, but in The Son of God, that seems to be the only reason to follow Jesus.
Matthew writes that the wife of Pontius Pilate had a dream, and that too is portrayed in the movie. For me, one of the finest moments is when Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane praying for the cup to pass, as Caiaphas prays confidently in the temple assuming he has handled the Jesus affair righteously. Meanwhile Pilate’s wife prays to her idol. The juxtaposition of the three divergent prayers strikes a chord.
Someone who reveres the Word of God or has some knowledge of Jewish culture in the biblical age, will find much wrong with The Son of God. I could go at length with the many inaccuracies. But for people like my parents who have almost no church upbringing or discipleship, this film will touch them, and I will share it with them hoping it opens up a dialogue to share the true Messiah of Scripture. If we can all approach it with that attitude, then this film can do much good.
Reviewed by Kevin M. Williams
Category: Living the Faith, Spring 2014
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