The Gospel of John (2003)

An epic in the spirit of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, this widely acclaimed motion picture is a meticulous recreation of the turbulent era of Jesus and the events that changed the course of history! Narrated by Golden Globe nominee Christopher Plummer (Best Supporting Actor, AMERICAN TRAGEDY, 2000), it’s the bold and powerful story of Jesus as told by his disciple John. The best-loved but least understood of the gospels, John presents a uniquely human portrait of courage and passion encompassing Jesus' entire three-year ministry, the final years of his life. Intimate and reflective, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience the incomparable life and times of Jesus Christ.

Absolutely Fantastic

This was outstanding! It followed the Bible; verse, by verse. Depending on which translation you read, I read NKJV. However, this tranalation was not used. If you have ever read the Gospel of John and tried to imagine it, this is what you would see. I was inspired and overwhelmed at the same time. This is the most accurate portrayel I have ever seen. Everything was superb. I am very leary of anything relating to the Bible, because most times it is inaccurate. This was not the case with this movie. July 2, 2008

A must for new believers!

Beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted, this set of 3 dvd's is an awesome introduction to the word. It brings the Gospel of John to life and tells the story of the ministry of Jesus Christ. This would make a terrific gift for a new believer or just for your own library. Highly recommended. June 13, 2008

Great with 1 exception

The 3 hour version of this film is perfectly in accordance with the Gospel of John. I was able to follow the movie almost word for word in my bible (as least in context/spirit). The times I didn't read along, I found myself asking (more than once) "The bible doesn't say that, does it?", and sure enough, it did - and I had read John a couple of times!! The acting was more than adequate with some irritating exceptions (noted below), but overall I enjoyed the enthusiasm and fire that the actor brought to this Jesus. Mostly, I enjoyed the accuracy and the different perspective compared with reading in regards to when narration was taking place vs. Jesus speaking and to whom.

So, what's the exception? Well...where my bible would quote Jesus as saying "I solemnly tell you" or "I assure you", this movie each and every time translated all of those types of statements into "I tell you the truth!!" - but the actor did it in a way that sounded argumentative, annoyed and/or whiney, not in a reassuring or confident way or making a statement as fact, but rather as he was trying too hard to convince his listener. And other parts he seemed almost arrogant, condescending and smug. Assuredly, this is not the type of feeling I get in my heart when Jesus comes to me personally! If this is not your introduction to Jesus and you can get past these flaws, you'll totally love this.




June 8, 2008

The Gospel of John - Fantastic Representation

The Gospel of John

I found this movie to be a spot on representation of the Book of John. Masterfully done in cinematic format. Not OVER done, but quite adequate in its approach. May 22, 2008

Overall Thumbs Up

The box included a 2 hour cut version and a 3 hour full Gospel version.
I recommend the 3 hour version as being the more complete rendering.

Over all excellent, good cinematography and excellent costumes.
I had some issues with the rendetion especially the part where Jesus is depicted as stripping off to his underwear in front of a woman and his overall demonstration of chest throughout the production . I understand the producers did this due to the number of pieces of clothing the soldiers threw lots for but they have numbered incorrectly. Their depicted Jesus should have had one more piece of clothing.

Also the movie introduction states that these events were recorded two generations after the fact which is an easily disputable stance, they are known to have been documented well within 37 years of the death of Jesus and this is sufficiently supported by much evidence.
There are some translational issues like where Jesus is depicted as lying about going to the Passover in Jerusalem, (my 9 year old noticed this one straight off) the correct translation should be that Jesus was not "yet" to go up to the feast.

Overall it's really good, my 9 year old has sat down and watched this and chosen to re-watch it several times from a selection of DVD's. Likewise my 13 & 15 year olds have choosen to watch it at least twice.
With a little homework and guidance this is an excellent Bible study resource as well as being very watchable just as a movie. May 12, 2008

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