The first time I watched it I didn’t really fancy it all that much. But I went in there with expectations; when I let go of those I became far more receptive of its message. I’ve never felt very much sympathy for Jesus but this film made me empathize with him. Making Jesus just a man, with no accepted myth, humanized him.
As for Judas, I’ve always felt that his character to be a victim of fate. I’m amused and delighted to find the film presents his desperation. He’s so dire and conflicted, that he deludes himself into believing that his actions are what Jesus wants.
And were they?
Truthfully, I don’t know. A question that I, at least, have posed to myself and others. If Jesus is god, then the answer is clear; but if he’s man, then, what part did Jesus really play in his own story?