I wanted to love this movie. Seriouslyโthe trailer looked amazing. I was so excited, I even brought my whole family and my grandparents to see it on Easter. But we all walked out feeling pretty disappointed.
Letโs start with the portrayal of the disciples. They looked way older than Jesusโsome looked like they couldโve been his dad. Historically, the disciples were teenagers (and those that were a bit older would have still been younger than 25), and it wouldโve been so powerful to actually show that. Imagine how much more relatable it could have been for kids and teens watching. You missed a huge opportunity there.
Then there was Jesus himself. He feltโฆ flat. Unemotional. And honestly, not like the Jesus I know from the Bible. Maybe the creators were scared to make Him too human, worried that showing His emotions would somehow take away from His holinessโbut that couldnโt be more wrong. One of the most moving parts of the Gospels is when Jesus weeps at Lazarusโ death. And they just skipped it. That momentโwhere Jesus grieves with usโis one of the most relatable, human, and beautiful things about Him. I was so upset it wasnโt included. And can we take a moment and think about the BibleโฆJesus was a child loving, party loving, people loving person. He was known for loving to party and drink with sinners (in an appropriate manner ofc). He was known for having this lighthearted sense of character. He especially adored children. We saw NONE of this side of Jesus in this movie. A seriously missed opportunity!
And can we talk about the Last Supper scene? Their feet were way too clean. Like, pristine. But in reality, their feet wouldโve been disgustingโcovered in dust, animal poop, and filth from the streets. Thatโs the whole point! That Jesus, the King of Kings, got down and washed those feet. Itโs a huge act of humility and love. It wouldโve hit so much harder for kids if that detail was accurate.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, againโit felt totally unemotional. In the Bible, Jesus is in agony, praying so intensely that He sweats blood. Itโs raw. Itโs deep. Itโs real. But in the movie? He just prays for a minute, no urgency, no anguish, and then itโs over. That scene needed way more weight.
And the last 3 minutes? Way too rushed. Jesus dies, and boomโHeโs back. All we see is Him appearing in front of the main child. Thatโs it. No showing how He brought the Holy Spirit to the disciples, no real sense of what comes next. It left us with so many unanswered questions.
And the storyline about the boy? The trailer made it seem like it was going to be about forgivenessโmaybe the dad apologizing for how he yelled, or the boy realizing how selfish he was. But nothing gets resolved. The story just ends. What did the boy even learn? All we really get is, โJesus is cooler than King Arthur.โ That canโt be the takeaway.
I wanted this to be amazing. I wanted it to stir my heart and leave an impression on the next generation. But instead, it missed the mark emotionally, spiritually, and even biblically. There were moments where it couldโve gone so deepโand just didnโt.
This couldโve been something special. But in the end, it was more of a missed opportunity than a masterpiece.