'Risen' a breath of fresh air

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First off, as I write what is officially my first movie review blog post, I want to put the disclaimer out that I will in no way spoil any scenes in the movie, nor will I even share the general plots of the movies I review.  When I read movie reviews, I don't read them to find out about the movie, but only whether the critic enjoyed it or not.  For that purpose, I'll often read the first paragraph and quickly scroll to the last.  If you're like me and don't want ANYTHING spoiled, fear not.  I'll only share my thoughts on the film.
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Just came back home from watching "Risen".  Wonderful movie.

There's alot of things I appreciate about it.  I'll just be analyzing elements of the film here so let's just get down to the nitty gritty.

First off, the witty screenplay.  Director Kevin Reynolds and screen writer Paul Aiello did a heck of a job in coming up with a screenplay that stays true to the Spirit of what Christians believe, while at the same time making it appealable and winsome even to unbelievers.  There are so many concepts communicated in this film that could have been done in the typical eye-roll fashion that dooms most Christian films.  But give major credit to a screen play that's able to communicate Truth and do it in a witty way with more than a dash of panache.  It's inspiring- not corny.  And there were several moments I laughed out loud, and didn't have to force myself to have a good time while watching a Christian film.  (Ever been there before?)  Don't worry- Risen is for the most part, an enjoyable and entertaining film.

On that note of the screenplay, Risen does a fantastic job of educating audiences to the Greco-roman culture of the time and the Judaic understanding of the Messiah as a soon coming liberating conqueror. We preachers always preach on that, and if anything this movie is a super helpful teaching tool to see it played out in real life, in a cogent and convincing way.  Risen does a fabulous job of transporting people to the worldview of the time.   I could totally see myself in future sermons cutting short my illustrations and saying, "Just go watch Risen".  Just kidding.  Well, maybe.  But my point is- Risen is realistic, accurate and surprisingly educational compared to the content of past Jesus films.

Second, as a musician I'm always interested in the score/sound design of a film and for Risen I though the musical score was great.  It was grand, orchestral, dramatic- and when critics refer to this movie as a throw back to the days of Ben hur, I'm betting that the music had alot to do with it.  Yet, it was never over done- it was subtle enough to highlight moments and points that it enhanced the scenes as opposed to taking away from it.  And they used a real live Orchestra and not a software program.  Major points with me for that.  Production value is pretty top notch.  It ain't no Ridley Scott, but it isn't what you would expect from a typical Christian production either.

Third, the movie was well acted.  Joseph Fiennes is wonderful in this movie and his acting chops surely haven't degraded since his last appearances in main stage cinema.  He really acts well his part, his lines are delivered with such experience and veteran savvy as a serious actor.   Stuff that any other amateur actor would screw up, Fiennes makes believable.  Despite my doubts at first, he really carried the film well.   Cliff Curtis is also great as a Middle Eastern Jesus.  A very endearing, natural and connectable portrayal of Christ.  There were many moments in the film done so beautifully that I was on the verge of choking up here and there.  Cliff Curtis is legit.  Apart from these leads, the supporting roles are also laudable, especially Tom Felton who does a decent job as Fienne's sidekick.

Flaws?

There are some slow moments here and there but never enough to be bored.  As a filmmaker myself, I bring to the table of critique the way I would have done things, or had the actors say their lines in a certain way- but what do I know?  The film is solid in the directing when you take into account the forward moving momentum and flow of the film.  In regards to the portrayal of Biblical content, they DID take some scriptural liberties, but honestly, as a believer you'll find it easier to brush over the discrepancies because it's really never in doubt that the film strives to be faithful to scripture.  You totally could not say the same thing over Noah and Exodus, where at best, you felt that the purity of scripture was sacrificed on the altar of being edgy and unique and at worst, the knowledge of God being contaminated by liberal conjecture.

Concluding Thoughts. 

As of my last Facebook post, Risen had 6 positive reviews and 100%,  many from secular sources. Alas with the release of more reviews the percentage has fallen now to 61%.  Yea, you'll have "those" critics, but if you look on a bit more, it's a testament to a film of it's genre that you won't be hard pressed to also see reviews of liberal critics giving rare acclaim to a Biblical film true to the roots of Christianity.

And the reason is that in the end Risen is like a well preached sermon.  The goal of a sermon is to move the heart- no matter where people are at.  Risen plays out like a well preached sermon on that note with a rare ability to communicate with everyone and in particular, teach heavy handed things in a very appealable or at worst, understandable way even to most skeptics.  It is a triumph in it's execution on that note, compared to other Christian films from the Bible belt plagued by a lack of creativity and over sanguine, syrupy, uninspiring portrayals of Gospel truth.  Am I being too harsh? That's just me.  Others love those types of films.  However, I can say for sure Risen has won me over and gives a good name to Biblical cinema that can be done effectively while at the same time staying true to scripture.

It's not a perfect film- but perhaps the mere fact we're talking about it in those terms is a victory for a film like this, while in the past we had to settle for scraping the bottom of the barrel to get anything spiritually palatable from any film, from any director.  Risen is definitely a satisfying breath of fresh air, and to me easily the most well done Bible film since the Passion of the Christ.  Go get it!

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For me, Risen JUST makes it to the category of 4 out of 5 stars.