The Life of Brian is the best comedy movie that I have ever seen as of now. It's not THE funniest-that would go to Blazing Saddles-but the poignancy, jokes, and songs make it the best.
Not The Messiah..., which I will just call "Messiah" for brevity's sake, is an aria of Life of Brian, meaning it's an opera that re-tells the story with just a few actors.
In case you haven't seen LOB, Brian is the neighbor of Jesus, and he is mistaken for Him, and many people follow Brian believing HE will save the world from sin. The moral of the story is to think for yourself on what you believe, whether it be religious or other kind of ideology.
Since 97% of this movie is singing, that is what holds the movie together, and that's the biggest problem. Most of the songs are forgettable, and I can't even really recall any names, let alone lyrics.
That said, there are some good songs. Near the end, the iconic Always Look On The Bright Side of Life is sung. However, another song follows, which is uncalled for. The song We Love Sheep was good and had a couple of chuckles-that's one of the best Python-related things ever right there. There were a couple other songs that were decent too, but most are meh and forgettable.
Some of the jokes flowed better in the original movie as well. For example, the scene where Eric Idle says he gets freedom, not crucifixion, has better flow in the actual movie and has less power when you know how the joke ends.
Also, for a PG rating, some of the best jokes are toned down, making it less funny. For example, when Brian's Mom originally told Brian that his father is a Roman, Brian asks: "You mean, you were RAPED?" She responds: "Well, at first...yes." Meaning she liked how the sex felt and just went with it. In this version, Brian just has shock that he has centurion blood in his DNA and that's pretty much it.
Also, when Brian tells people that he is The Messiah so they leave him alone, they praise Brain and bow, to which Brain replies, "Now f**k off!" And John Cleese responds: "How shall we off, Oh Lord?" To make it PG, they say "p*ss off" instead, which has less of an effect, honestly.
I could give other examples, but this gives you a basic idea of how I feel about Messiah. If you are a die hard Monty Python fan, this is worth a watch and that's it. Others will want to pass, and would be better off for it. Messiah is not bad, but not great either, and a bit uneven.
All things said and done, this is a decent one time watch for Python fans with some laughs and catchy tunes. If you feel the need for something completely different, this isn't the worst choice to make.
Note: I will not be doing my Christmas marathon that I started anymore, I got too busy. I apologize but it's better for me to discontinue it. Maybe next year. :(
