Let's talk Son of God!
We went to the theater a couple weeks ago,
when this movie opened.
Have you gone yet?
I waited a couple weeks to review it,
to give you a chance to see it
as I don't want to spoil it for you here.
I've heard a lot of negative comments about the movie,
mainly involving Roma Downey and her husband being New Age with their faith.
(they are the producers of this movie)
This movie is not chronologically correct,
although, it tries to follow the Gospel of John,
it skips a lot.
There is so much in the movie, yet so much left out.
That's why The Passion of the Christ was such a huge hit,
it focused on one area, the passion.
(Ironically, this is what Mel Gibson was criticized for)
To try to get the life of Christ into a 2 hour movie, well, it's impossible,
without leaving things out.
Those little things start to bug me, being left out though.
But
as I was watching,
I had to keep telling myself,
"I'm thinking about Jesus"
"People watching this are thinking about Jesus"
It was very hard to not compare this movie to
The Passion of the Christ
(because nothing can compare to it)
SO
overall, it was a wonderful movie, with many good things in it.
I'll try to go over some of my favorite things and not-so-favorite things.
I liked who they picked to play Jesus.
He's gentle in nature and on the eyes.
In other words, he looks like Jesus.
I liked that Mary, played by Roma Downey, herself, was always pictured in blue.
She did a wonderful job playing Mary.
They did a wonderful job of showing the excitement of Mary,
seeing Jesus after he'd been away, proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
We (I) tend to forget that part, that she missed Him so very much.
I like that they showed that.
Mary Magdalen.
I did not care for the way they portrayed her at all.
They pictured her going everywhere the apostles did
except the last supper (which was good)
But I just do not think that a woman would have been
allowed to go with the men everywhere.
(Again, I like how they showed Mary Magdalen in The Passion,
she was with Mother Mary)
But I just do not think that a woman would have been
allowed to go with the men everywhere.
(Again, I like how they showed Mary Magdalen in The Passion,
she was with Mother Mary)
I loved the walk on water part.
They did an awesome job
showing how Peter trusted and then took his eyes off Jesus
for a second
and fell.
Like us.
A very good visual of it though now.
I loved that part where they show
Jesus in the boat with Peter,
Jesus in the boat with Peter,
fishing.
Jesus leans over the boat, puts his hands in the water,
the camera goes underneath, so you are looking up at Jesus,
through the water, like God gathering the fish...it was a powerful image.
I like how they showed Jesus, while hugging Peter,
all in the same moment, saw, that he'd deny him 3 times.
I did not like the part when the soldier pierced the side of Christ,
he pierced it and nothing happened.
I expected blood and water to come gushing out
like in The Passion of the Christ.
(my very favorite part of that movie)
But nothing happened.
Pierced.
Done.
Nothing.
Here's the thing, as I said in the beginning of this post,
there was so much left out, yet so much included.
overall, it was a wonderful movie.
Especially when you compare it to all other movies out there today.
I took the 2 youngest girls to The Lego Movie!
I thought I'd sit there and kind of veg out and think about things and pray...
What was I thinking?
That didn't happen, so I decided to just enjoy the movie
and my review of this movie is:
EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!
There was a lot of adult humor, but clean, funny adult humor.
It was pretty dang good.
Movies are expensive and although we go to the matinee times,
and on 5 buck Tuesdays, it still costs a ton.
(the big kids went to The Son of God with Tom and I)
SO the big kids will have to wait for this one to come in video.
Onto Netflix
We got this one last weekend.
Wow.
Very good. Very graphic.
I wish it were not so graphic
There were a few things I did not understand.
Graphic things
Too graphic for kids
(too graphic for adults)
This was based on a true story and I love stories from that era of time.
I cried through the whole dang movie.
It's the true story of Solomon Northup.
He's a free man, a citizen of New York, and
is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south.
(for 12 years)
Oh, my gosh. I just am sick to my stomach still,
thinking about the harsh and disgusting treatment of other human beings
See Brad Pitt there?
He's in it.
(not much though)
I like Brad Pitt
(you know that right?)
Well, I won't give away his part,
but let's just say,
what kind of man do you think he plays?
More Netflix:
Tom and I are enjoying this show!!
We just finished the first season
and are waiting for the 2nd season to arrive.
It took a few episodes, but I love how the characters have developed
and the cliffhangers they are leaving at the end now
(and I hate cliffhangers)
Thanks for the movie reviews. We haven't seen any of them yet. I was wondering about the first two especially. My husband was worried Son of God would have too much of a protestant twist to it, but even though it sounds like it leaves some things out, it still sounds like a good film.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about the Lego movie too, Jessica had wrote a little something about it: "The Lego Movie was fun and entertaining, and it definitely had me laughing at times. However, just like pretty much every Hollywood movie anymore, it included some bad humor, language, and unnecessary scenes that we would have skipped had we watched it at home. We only took our oldest three (ages 10-13) to see the movie and the four younger children had fun with their cousin and aunt during the movie."
So after reading her review, I was unsure about it, what ages do you feel it's appropriate for?
Oh, gosh, I don't know what scenes Jessica is talking about. Maybe the Batman ones, he refers to the Star Wars ship as a "party ship"--goes on and comes back and says there were only men on it or something like that...that was the only time I remember raising an eyebrow.... I totally agree with this site which we always check, I re-read their review and agree. They give it a age 7--Kids gave it a 6.
Deletehttp://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-lego-movie
That being said, I brought my 4 year old, long story, she has never gone to the movies and I really wanted to take her to Frozen, my 7 year old had already seen it and was begging for The Lego Movie. My 4 year old didn't care what she saw, just so she could go. She ate popcorn and drank a root beer (which we brought from home) the whole time, throwing it up (the root beer) before we left. (she has a tiny tummy) She sat on my lap, back on the chair, back on my lap like 20 times maybe....
On Facebook, many of my good Catholic/christian friends have brought their kids....
Anyone else out there? What do you think?
The Son of God was a little protestant, like Veronica wiping the face of Jesus, in The Passion, they showed Veronica holding the cloth and His Holy Face...but in The Son of God, she just wadded it up...like not a big deal. I was thinking during that part, don't protestants know about the veil and the Holy Image? I'd place it inbetween Jesus of Nazareth and The Passion....
Read Billie Jo's comment below this one, she says it right, disjointed....things skipped...like they had to cut scenes. It was good though...
Thank you, Jamie Jo! We had brought our two oldest to see Frozen. There were some scenes in that I didn't care for (like the parts with the trolls... just weird), but Lucia in particular loved it, I think mostly because it was a princess movie. I've looked at pluggedin.com and kidsinmind.com for movie reviews in the past, but haven't looked at them lately. I'll have to look at the one you mentioned.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear she got sick for her first movie. Sweet baby...she must have a tiny tummy! I got sick like that a lot when I was younger, I think I mostly had a nervous stomach and couldn't handle sweets well. Maybe she got too excited and with the sweets combined...it was just a bad match for her tummy?
Now, I need to go into way too much detail....She used to when she was like 2, if we were out to eat and she'd drink Chocolate milk, she'd drink as much as she could and then throw up all the choco milk, right there...all over the table...we learned, switched to white milk if we went out and she never did that again. That's what happened here, she kept drinking that root beer. We went to the bathroom on the way out and I said, "B--your coat is all wet, did you spill your pop?" she said nonchalantly, "No, I pooked" "What?" "When?" "At the end" like it was no big deal. Hopefully no one saw her...I think it all went on her coat. (have to laugh at moments like that!)
DeleteThanks for posting! I saw Son of God and loved it for the same reasons you did...The actor as Jesus was gentle indeed...just as I picture Him to be. I too noticed Mary always in Blue! And I loved it!!!
ReplyDeleteThe cramming Jesus' whole life into 2 hours was a tough one for me. I felt as if they picked a few events and filmed them all separately, then put them together into one movie. Kind of disjointed, maybe?
But as you said, I was thankful to see this movie offered to us in theatres. Most of Hollywood is just yuck. : )
I agree Billie Jo!! Yes, like they maybe had to delete scenes and then it was disjointed. I thought maybe they used parts from that miniseries that made on the Bible and put that into a movie....Tom said he didn't think so.
DeleteJim Caviezel is awesome in any movie or TV show. My hubby and son are huge fans of Person of Interest.
ReplyDeleteWe are too now!!
DeleteWe are HUGE person of interest fans and still enjoying it as much, or even more in the third season, than the first season. That never happens.It is very well done. We can honestly say there are only 1- 2 episodes we wish they hadn't done...
ReplyDeleteOh, no....I keep not wanting John to fall in love with anyone....is it something like that?
DeleteGreat reviews. We did see 12 Years... and although I resisted seeing it at first, I was glad we went. Haven't seen the Son of God yet, so I'm glad I read your review. I still think Passion of the Christ is going to go down as the best ever depiction.
ReplyDeleteI agree Shelly. Mel Gibson did such a good job. You can tell he put a lot of money into it too, compared to The Son of God. I really think it's because of focusing on one area of Christ's life. Jesus of Nazareth was also good, but put into a 2 or 3 day mini-series, wasn't it? (I used to watch it every year when I was a kid) If they re-did that movie, maybe with all the special effects we have now, it could be done...but, at the same time, classic movies like those can never be done justice when re-done!
DeleteOh, and 12 Years....I am also glad I saw it, but had to watch happy things afterward, I could not go to sleep after watching that!!
Delete12 years a slave was a lot for me to experience. a lot. It was funny, I didn't want to go see it, because I was worried it would be too much. I didn't move through the whole movie, and honestly, I didn't even cry. I held my husband's hand. After I sobbed so hard I couldn't catch my breath. My husband I were very well aware that this history is part of his history, which was a bit overwhelming as well. it was a lot.
ReplyDeleteOh, gosh, Mary. SO hard. I sobbed outloud. SOBBED. Good thing I watched in video. (at home) Just awful the way people were treated. It actually made me think that people are still treated that way through the nasty people in the world. It made me not ever want to ever go to the south..Louisiana (sorry Kari) or Mississippi, or Georgia. All the bad that went on down there.
DeleteThe Color Purple was another movie like that...but that had such an awesome ending....I wonder your thoughts on that one?
OH, yeah, and one of the parts I did not understand was the lady having tea, not being treated like a slave...I didn't get that part at all. I thought that maybe Patsey, because she became the psycho slave owner's mistress, she'd get to sit and have tea and not be treated like a slave, but no, that did NOT happen. SO I didn't get the tea lady.
DeleteLouisiana isn't like that now, our area is actually very faith based and Louisiana is going on five years of being the Number 1 pro-life state. Please don't let the past sins of others keep you from visiting. In history, bad things have happened all over the world.
DeleteI know Kari, just had to give you a hard time!! It did make me think that during the movie though..I wouldn't mind if no one wanted to visit our liberal MN!! If you live in Louisiana, it HAS to be awesome!
Deletedang it...Just wrote a long long comment and it just disappeared.
ReplyDeletewell...I want to see that Lego movie because Zach said it was good. Like the best movie he ever saw.
I don't think I would do well with the Son of God movie...just cause I would focus on all that was missing.(I am just horrible that way)
that slave movie sounds hard to watch. There are so many people that have been persecuted through out our world.
thanks for doing these movie reviews. I like reading them and other peoples comments too!
Well, The Lego Movie was not the best I've ever seen, but it was really Awesome! (they sing a song through the whole movie, "Everything is Awesome!" Bridget sang it all the way home with me!! :)
DeleteThe Son of God:
Yes, you would pick the movie apart....I tried not to. I wanted to say I hated it, at first when I came home, but I tried to look for the good and write all the good things down. AND the biggest thing is that all those people going to see this movie, will be thinking about Jesus. It was a good movie. (just not as good as The Passion!)
I'm wondering if you have seen the Mary of Nazareth movie? I was scared to say anything about it to anyone, because I didn't like it. That's not to say it's not a good movie; but I found it to be overly-romantic, slow, boring...but everyone else seemed to love it so I never voiced my thoughts. (Until now!)
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the actor that played "Jesus" either. He was short and blond and he looked older than Mary. It just didn't work. I saw a lot of extras in the backround that would've made good Jesus's though....
But like you said, we have to focus on the positive, and what I tried to focus on was the film was about, which was Mary's perspective. I did like how they showed her "humanness" and how she surrendered often. I felt they fell short in a lot of scenes; they could have done so much more but I tend to be a snob sometimes about stuff like that. I guess all in all, I had a really hard time with the movie. But I respected that others seemed to like it. Makes me wonder what I missed that they apparently loved?
Oh yes, I just thought of an example! The scene when the shephards came to adore Jesus...it is one of my favorites scenes of the Bible. I was disappointed though; they made the Shephards seem so crass and vulgar that Joseph immediately pulled out his knife. A knife! Joseph?! I understand they were trying to show Joseph as the protector of the family, but I always think of him as gentle and humble. I cannot imagine him ever pulling a knife out on shephards. There was so much over-done in the movie, so exaggerated to make a point. To make the shepherds look like poor, ordinary men, they made them seem scary and crass, to make Joseph look protective, they had him carry a knife. There are so many other ways to show a story!
DeleteAnd then (ok, now I'm ranting, this is why I don't bother talking about the movie!) instead of wrapping Jesus in swaddling clothes and laying him in the manger, they passed him around! Again, symbolism that was over done. I much prefer the scene created in the Bible:" that the shepherds prostrated themselves and they adored him." And Mary never would've passed Jesus around; she didn't even hold him for herself. She put him in the manger to signify and show that he didn't belong to her, but to the world.
I did not see that movie Becky!! I wondered though, if it was good or not. I can already tell, I would not like it. Can't beat The Passion of the Christ. Period.
DeleteThanks for reviewing it here though!
I must stress to others, you are talking about Mary of Nazareth, NOT The Son of God.
Again, it's my own opinion. A lot of people (including my mom) loved it. I look at details like that though, so I can be a snob though. Yes, this is Mary of Nazareth I'm talking about, not the Son of God.
DeleteI really want to see Son of God. I have heard good and bad but overall more good than bad. Thanks for your reviews. I love reading what you think about different movies.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd say more good and nothing really bad, necessarily, just not as good as The Passion--hahah!!
DeleteThank you Deb!
Love that you take the time to do reviews. It helps me out so much in choosing movies for our family. Thank you! You are an encouragement! God bless, trish
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope I never steer you wrong!! Thank you, God bless you and your family also!
DeleteI have been really curious about The Son of God. I have wanted to see it and despite the things I heard as far as the New Age thing goes, I was skeptical, because it is going to get people to know God and that is always a good thing!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit the number one thing that puts me off on this movie is Roma Downey. She just looks so made up and not at all like a middle eastern woman of the time period. Every image I see of her really puts me off, since she just is so.... big hair and such. Terrible of me, sigh.
I do want to see it though!
I appreciate your doing this so much. There are movies I think I might like to see and you really help me figure it all out!
I agree with you about Roma Downey...I actually didn't like her as Mary more because she is well known, I think it would have been better if they'd chosen an unknown...but I just thought, SHE made the movie, of course she'd want to be Mary!! hahah! I would if I made the movie!! hahah!
DeleteI don't really know if any New Age stuff was in the movie, except the Mary Magdalen part of her being with the apostles all. the. time. SO it was good.
Maybe if you go in knowing some of the things that are not right, you will like it more?
Love you Amy!
Just thought I'd chime in to say I really liked "Mary of Nazareth." (It’s OK if you didn’t. I just wanted to present another side, in case some readers want to see it.) I thought the actress who portrayed Mary did one of the best jobs of all time. The way Our Blessed Mother’s love for the Lord, her obedience, her pondering, her faith and trust was illustrated was so beautiful. She had a way of drawing people in, like in her wedding scene and when she was sharing old stories about Jesus with the apostles. The Mary in "The Passion" was incredible, too, but in "Mary of Nazareth," you get to see her at so many stages of her life, including as a young girl ... I loved the part with Simeon, and I won't give it away, just in case some see it ... I did not mind the part with the shepherds. I think they were a little rough around the edges anyway, which was how they were depicted in the movie. And I think Joseph and Mary's understanding of everything that was happening to them was still unfolding, so they were only trying to protect Jesus. I really liked Joseph in this movie. He was depicted very, very well. Best ever. And his role in the Holy Family was very prominent, which I loved. I actually wasn’t a fan of the actor who played Jesus, though; although I loved, loved, loved the way the relationship between Jesus and Mary was portrayed! That was the entire point of the movie for me. To show the world how much Jesus loves His mother! How essential she is to God's plan for salvation! And how important she is to Jesus ... and should be to us. This movie nails it!
ReplyDeleteIn “Mary of Nazareth,” if it seemed cut and pasted, that’s because it was. Ignatius Press purchased the already-made movie and cut it in half! No, not everything was accurate. Why do these movies always seem to get Mary Magdalene wrong? And in any movie about the life of Jesus, they have to leave some things out. They can’t possibly put in everything! They have to pick a sampling of the Gospels and convey the stories to the viewers.
I haven’t seen “Man of God.” I don’t know if I will ... or just wait until DVD. I like the old “Jesus of Nazareth” made-for-TV movie. I like that I can watch (most of) it with my children now.
With any of these movies, if it opens a door for someone to go further in their faith, they are good ... as long as they aren’t doing anything to hurt the person of Christ or lead someone astray. So many people in this world don’t have a relationship with the Lord. If a movie provides an opportunity for conversion, that is a good thing. (I seem to recall Roma Downey and her husband on a past cover of "The Catholic Digest." I think she is Catholic??? I haven't heard about New Age reports, but I don't like the sound of that ... Will have to investigate a bit more.)
P.S. We really enjoyed "The Lego Movie." I brought all my children 11-3! I don't know what was offensive ... Maybe the Star Wars ship, like you said, but that would have gone over their heads. Oh well, we thought it was fun, and the message was good, too.
Thanks for the reviews, Jamie!
Wow, Sarah! I can't wait to watch Mary of Nazareth now!! Hmmmmm....I'll come up with a review in the middle of you two! I wonder if I can get it via Netflix...I'll have to check it out!
DeleteI agree about opening the door. All these people thinking about Jesus.
I wondered if Roma Downey was Catholic...saw a pic of her and her husband leaving Mass or something. The stuff I read about her was that she uses a psychic to talk to her mother who has passed away...things like that. None of that kind of thing was in the movie, I think they did a pretty good job.
On the P.S.--I wonder what scene in The Lego Movie was questionable...maybe it went over my head too?
Thanks so much for another opinion/review of that Mary movie.
Oh, and I forgot, I love Jesus of Nazareth too, but it's old and this Son of God movie has more special effect stuff...like the walking on water part. (that's why I put it in the middle of Jesus of Nazareth and The Passion) I have such good memories of watching Jesus of Nazareth as a kid. (and adult!) In that one, my favorite scene is the good thief scene. That scene stands out in my mind form childhood for some reason.
DeleteHi Jamie, I will not say "Mary of Nazareth" is flawless (what movie is?), especially since Ignatius Press edited it like crazy from the original. But I just love that there is actually a movie about Mary, that the actress who played Mary did an outstanding job depicting Our Blessed Mother to the world ... and her relationship with Jesus. Their relationship, for me, was key! The movie is going to come out on DVD very soon (I have heard?). It is on Netflix, BUT don't watch it there. It's the unedited version, and it is 4+ hours long and has this whole storyline of Mary Magdalene, which is cut out of the current version. (I know, confusing ...)
ReplyDeleteOne more thought: I wonder if we as Catholics just really want pure truth when it comes to films. We have the fullness of truth, after all, and so when we don't get 100% truth/accuracy in a movie, we are slightly disappointed ... wanting more. Food for thought.
DeleteHmmmmm....yes, I think there is some truth to that statement. (pun intended)
DeleteLOL, OK, I'll wait for DVD...once it's in DVD I should be able to rent it via Netlix, but get the edited version, right? I don't really want to buy it and I doubt the one video store left in town will carry it!
Yay!!!!!!!! I'm SO excited that you and Tom like POI!! :) It just keeps getting better, too. You get so attached to the characters (the writers do such a fantastic job developing their individual stories) and the relationships they build with each other. Even poor Fusco, haha! This weeks episode was really good…last weeks was as well. We're all really looking forward to The Lego Movie coming out on DVD. It looks so funny from the trailer. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, and though I hated Root, she is actually growing on me this season. No one could be more surprised by this than me. Seriously. I totally wanted her dead and off the show before the last half of this current season. lol!
DeleteOh, crud. I think I just dropped a spoiler…I'm if Root is introduced in season one. Ugh. Sorry, about that.
DeleteI just looked it up and she *is* revealed in the last episode of season one. Phew!
Deleteokay, no more comments on this thread I promise. haha! ;)