Review of The Last Temptation of Christ

I probably should have written this sooner since it's no longer fresh in my mind, but here goes.

The Last Temptation of Christ, directed by Martin Scorsese, deals with the idea of Jesus being a human and giving in to his human desires. Anytime it is suggested that Jesus gave into human nature, controversy ensues. I personally don't find it preposterous that Jesus felt hate, rage, lust, or any of the other emotions that people feel. That's an unpopular opinion, but no one knows what actually happened. Also controversial for its nudity and graphic gore, this is obviously not family fare.

Overall, I felt the movie was Biblically and historically accurate. I actually learned an interesting fact. I knew that Jesus became angry at the money changers at the temple, but I had to idea they were there because Roman coins were not allowed in the temple due to having Caesar's image. I thought the movie was filmed on location (Jesus Christ, Superstar was); it was actually filmed in Morocco, but the scenery looked just as authentic as JCS's.

The skill of the actors ranged, but Willem Dafoe as Jesus was brilliant. I had heard of him but didn't have an opinion one way or the other. He has a new fan! He had big shoes to fill but I believed every emotion. Even though I love Harvey Keitel, I cringed when he was onscreen. His acting wasn't bad, but Judas with a Brooklyn accent? I can't believe Mr. Scorsese let that fly, as it was a major distraction. Keitel was nominated for a Razzie for his performance in this movie.

I was a little confused at the end, mostly because I was nodding off, but once I had a chance to sit and think about it I really liked it. I love movies that make the viewer ask questions about life, society, religion, anything. Will this replace Jesus Christ, Superstar as my Easter movie? No way, but it was a good movie nonetheless.