Fantastic!

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Jesus Christ (H. B. Warner) faces religious and political oppression during his ministry and in the days before his death and resurrection.While this was not the first telling of the Jesus story on film, it was probably the first epic telling, or at least the first really good epic telling. The film is now 90 years old but could still be shown in theaters today and appreciated by audiences, whether they happen to be Christian or not. It is just fine film-making.The film is the second in Cecil DeMille's biblical trilogy, preceded by "The Ten Commandments" (1923) and followed by "The Sign of the Cross" (1932). Perhaps more people should be watching these films than the far more popular Charlton Heston version.

I was truly amazed by this film! I thought that I had seen a computer colorized version of the film at first. It turns out that it was actually originally like that! I can't believe they actually came up with color on film before actual talking! Granted, this was released just a few months before the first talkie, "The Jazz Singer", but you get the idea. I was surprised that this didn't tell the whole story of Jesus. I mean, it's two and a half hours long. I would think they would have time to show his whole life. Instead, half of this movie was the crucifixion. That didn't bother me, because I still loved this film. I admit to having some bias seeing as how it's the earliest time I saw color in any movie.I don't know, because anybody simply has to see that! This movie instead starts roughly when Mary Madgelene appears in the Bible. Now that I think about it, the Bible barely talks about Jesus' early life at all. I thought they'd at least show his birth. It's simply amazing to see these dazzling special effects. Most of the scenes do not in fact have color, but it's still gorgeous to look at. The best part is probably near the end when the ground is literally collapsing. That's just such a wonderful series of shots to look at.The thing that really made this probably the best Jesus movie I've ever seen (he wasn't in "Intolerance" that much) was how they used scripture. The Bible itself could be considered something like "Rashomon" in that the story of Jesus in told in different perspectives. So what did these people do? They didn't follow what one of the Gospels said. Instead, they actually chronologically show them by events and used all four Gospels! I had no idea anyone had done that. Seeing as how this movie is nearly a century old, I guess it's been around a lot longer than I thought! I simply have to recommend this to anyone who doesn't understand the Gospels because it's probably the most comprehensible use of them. Granted, they still use lines that aren't in the Bible, but definitely a unique and bold move.The actors are all great in this and the pacing is wonderful. I truly believe this to be the best Jesus film I've ever seen and it's sad so few people have heard of it. Please don't miss this under-appreciated masterpiece, regardless of what your religious beliefs are! Perfect ****.

The silent movie from Cecil B. DeMille opens with courtesan Mary Magdalene searching for Judas. She is angry to learn that Judas is hanging out with a carpenter named Jesus. She confronts Jesus but is immediately spellbound. Jesus drives the 7 deadly sins from her. It is interesting that the film begins with the comely Magdalene. Magdalene is played by Jacqueline Logan. Judas is a weasel from the beginning. Jesus heals and quotes himself from The Bible. Silent movies are easy to follow as the text is written on the screen. I watched this on you tube and was surprised that the first part was in color. I did not know that color existed in movies in 1927.

For a silent religious film this is quite good. H.B. Warner plays Jesus. He looks about twenty years too old for the part (didn't Jesus die when he was 33?) and spends too much of his time looking pious while holding his hands out the way Jesus does in the drawings. His beard looks false, and you can almost imagine the make-up guy standing just off camera sweating over whether a corner is about to detach itself from Warner's face.The film doesn't follow Jesus's early life. He's already causing quite a stir in the Holy Land by the time we catch up with him, and almost half of the film takes place after Judas has betrayed him, probably because Hollywood felt it needed to add some kind of suspense to the story to sell it to the great unwashed. For a DeMille film the excesses are mostly reined in apart from a couple of huge sets. There's a lot of dialogue, and most of it is comprised of sound-bites from the Bible that are still instantly recognisable. You know the sort of thing: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Maybe this was also an attempt to keep the masses involved because I remember thinking as I watched that it was strange that all the catchy lines appear in the second half of the Bible. Perhaps there was some judicious shifting around of the good book's catchiest phrases. Not being a religious man, I wouldn't know.While the pace is fairly slow by today's standards, the last reel, which follows the resurrection of Christ, still retains some of its power and must have been really impressive in its day. There's even a couple of colour scenes to emphasise the miracle we are witnessing.