I recently saw this movie, and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. The film covers the time when Jesus spent 40 nights in the desert after he was baptized. In the desert, Jesus is tempted three times by the devil.
The filmmakers used Jesus's time in the desert as an opportunity to flash back to other times in Jesus's life. The flashbacks are some of my favorite moments in the film. I also really enjoyed the conversations between Jesus and the devil.
In this era of faith-based films, I was relieved to find that this film does not serve as a revisionist version of the Bible. I felt this was an extremely honest version of the story and represented a theologically sound story. This was what caused my pleasant sense of surprise.
I am someone who very much enjoyed watching "The Passion of the Christ," but that is also a movie that I have only watched one time, due to the nature of some of the scenes. This is a similar type of movie in terms of its portrayal of Jesus, except that I can see myself watching this movie on a regular basis. The themes of faith and fear are inspiring, and I actually look forward to seeing this movie again. The movie leaves on a high note, and is quite uplifting.
The film looks beautiful overall. Some of the desert shots are gorgeous.
In total, I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys faith-based movies but also to anyone who is looking for an inspirational movie that will capture your attention.
