Son Of God (film)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Son of God'' is a 2014 American
epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...
film directed by Christopher Spencer, and produced by
Mark Burnett James Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a British television producer who has won thirteen Emmy Awards including ten Primetime, one Sports Emmy Award and two Daytime Emmy Awards. His other accolades include five Producers Guild of America A ...
and Roma Downey. The film retells the life of
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
and is an adaptation of the ten-hour miniseries '' The Bible'', which aired in March 2013 on the
History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
channel, and immediately following the movie begins another TV series called '' A.D. The Bible Continues''. The film stars Diogo Morgado, Greg Hicks, Adrian Schiller, Darwin Shaw, Sebastian Knapp, Joe Wredden, Simon Kunz, Paul Marc Davis,
Matthew Gravelle Matthew Ian Gravelle (born 24 September 1976) is a British screen actor from Porthcawl, Wales. Career Gravelle was born in Porthcawl. In 2003, Gravelle appeared in the BBC One drama series ''Holby City'' and was a regular in the acclaimed BBC ...
, Amber Rose Revah, and Roma Downey. The film was released in the United States and Canada on February 28, 2014. The film received positive reviews from Christian publications but generally negative reviews from mainstream critics, who called it "too dull". Despite this, the film was a box office success, grossing $70 million against a budget of $22 million, making it the seventh-highest grossing Christian film of all time.


Plot

John, the last surviving follower of
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
, lives in exile as a hermit near the seaside where he tells his story of his time with Jesus. In
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
, Jesus is born to a
virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...
named Mary and her husband
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
. Three wise men visit Jesus and declare him the future King. Thirty years later, an adult Jesus travels to
Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...
and begins recruiting followers, James, his brother John,
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
, a fisherman, Matthew, a tax collector and
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...
. Soon, they become his disciples. Through his teachings and numerous miracles, Jesus builds a huge following, who begin to call him the
Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
. He also draws the attention of the
Pharisees The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...
,
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
religious leaders. The Pharisees claim Jesus is blaspheming God by forgiving sins, something only God can do. Jesus responds by saying he is the
Son of God Historically, many rulers have assumed titles such as the son of God, the son of a god or the son of heaven. The term "Son of God" is used in the Hebrew Bible as another way to refer to humans who have a special relationship with God. In Exo ...
. Jesus tells the disciples they are to travel to
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
for the upcoming
Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
holiday. He enters the city on the back of a
donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...
and is met by a huge crowd of supporters, who lay palm leaves in his path.
Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD) was the High Priest of Israel during the first century. In the New Testament, the Gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John indicate he was an organizer of ...
, the head of the Pharisees, is afraid that Jesus' presence in the city will further agitate his people, who are already in a near state of revolt against the oppressive Romans, led by
Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...
. It is revealed that, earlier, Pilate had warned Caiaphas that if there were any trouble from the Jews, he would close the
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
, thus cancelling Passover. Upon entering the temple, Jesus sees a group of money changers and proceeds to upend their tables. This act draws cheers from the people and scorn from the Pharisees. Later, Jesus tells a little girl that every stone of the temple will soon fall. The Pharisees take this as a plan to destroy the temple and decide Jesus must be stopped. Judas, one of Jesus' disciples, approaches the Pharisees. He believes Jesus is going too far and wants to
help Help may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Help (2010 film), ''Help'' (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film * Help (2021 theatrical film), ''Help'' (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film * Help (2021 TV ...
. The Pharisees give him 30 pieces of silver for his assistance. The night before Passover, Jesus tells the disciples this will be their
Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...
together and says that one of them will betray him. Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas kisses Jesus' cheek, thereby identifying Jesus to the Pharisees and revealing Judas' betrayal. Jesus is
arrested An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be Interroga ...
while the disciples flee the garden to save themselves. Out of fear of the temple's closure due to an open trial during Passover, Caiaphas orders an immediate trial during the late hours of night in privacy, which are violations of Jewish law, against the order of other priests. Caiaphas asks Jesus if he is the son of God, and he answers "I am". This is all the Pharisees need to hear, and they immediately find Jesus guilty of blasphemy. That morning, to a growing crowd, Caiaphas announces Jesus' guilt and reveals the penalty for blasphemy is death. Judas, horrified by what he has done, throws the silver at the Pharisees and runs off; he later hangs himself. Peter thrice denies knowing Jesus. Caiaphas believes if the Pharisees killed Jesus on Passover, it would start a riot, so he turns him over to the Romans for the punishment. Jesus is brought to trial before Pilate, who tells Caiaphas that Jesus didn't break any Roman laws, but orders him to be lashed 40 times. Since it's Passover, Pilate says he will follow tradition and free a prisoner of the people's choosing, and if they choose Jesus, he will be set free. By this time, Mary has arrived in Jerusalem to see what is happening to her son. Pilate orders the crowd to enter his courtyard to choose whether to release Jesus or
Barabbas According to the New Testament, Barabbas () was a Jewish bandit and rabble-rouser who was imprisoned by the Judaea (Roman province), Roman occupation in Jerusalem, only to be chosen over Jesus by a crowd to be pardoned by Roman governor Pontius ...
, a convicted murderer. Since none of Jesus' followers are allowed into the courtyard, Caiaphas easily sways the vote so that Barabbas is set free. Pilate then asks what he should do with Jesus, and again Caiaphas sways the crowd to have him executed by way of
crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...
. Fearing a
riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
among the hostile people, Pilate orders the crucifixion, then literally washes his hands of the situation. A battered and bloodied Jesus then carries a
cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
to Golgotha and is nailed to it by the mocking Roman guards, who earlier had placed a
crown of thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or ) was placed on the head of Jesus during the Passion of Jesus, events leading up to his crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion. It was one of the Arma Christi, instruments of the Passion, e ...
on his head. Before the cross is put into place, Pilate orders a sign attached to it, reading: "The King of the Jews", much to Caiaphas' dismay. With John, Mary and Magdalene watching in horror, Jesus is crucified on the cross for several agonizing hours. After forgiving the Romans and the Pharisees who condemned him to death, he asks why God has forsaken him, and declares "It is finished". Accomplished, Jesus dies as the temple and earth are shaken by an earthquake. While the lamps are knocked down, the curtains in the temple where God's spirit was supposed to be present, tear apart. He is then lowered from the cross and placed into a
tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...
, which is sealed off with a large rock. Three days later, Magdalene goes to visit the tomb but is shocked to see the rock broken into pieces and the tomb empty. Magdalene soon sees a man by the tomb's entrance and realizes he is Jesus, who has been resurrected. Magdalene goes to the disciples' hiding place and tells them the good news, but they don't believe her at first. Jesus then appears to them, and they all now believe, except "Doubting" Thomas. Once Thomas touches Jesus, then he believes. Forty days later, Jesus is speaking to his disciples where he tells them to travel the world and spread his message. He then ascends into Heaven, and the disciples go their separate ways. After finishing his story, an elderly John says that all of the disciples were eventually killed for their beliefs, except him. He has been exiled to live alone on a deserted island until he dies. Jesus then pays him a visit and tells him that he will
return Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...
.


Cast

* Diogo Morgado as
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
: A carpenter from
Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...
who is the
son of God Historically, many rulers have assumed titles such as the son of God, the son of a god or the son of heaven. The term "Son of God" is used in the Hebrew Bible as another way to refer to humans who have a special relationship with God. In Exo ...
. * Greg Hicks as
Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...
: The governor of Judaea who orders the crucifixion of Jesus. * Adrian Schiller as
Caiaphas Joseph ben Caiaphas (; c. 14 BC – c. 46 AD) was the High Priest of Israel during the first century. In the New Testament, the Gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John indicate he was an organizer of ...
: The current
high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious organisation. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many god ...
. * Darwin Shaw as Simon Peter: A former fisherman and one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. * Sebastian Knapp as John: A former fisherman and one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. * Joe Wredden as
Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of sil ...
: One of the twelve disciples of Jesus, who betrays Jesus. * Simon Kunz as
Nicodemus Nicodemus (; ; ; ; ) is a New Testament figure venerated as a saint in a number of Christian traditions. He is depicted as a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin who is drawn to hear Jesus's teachings. Like Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus, Nicode ...
: A leading Pharisee from
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, who meets with Jesus at night. * Paul Marc Davis as Simon the Pharisee: A Pharisee from
Galilee Galilee (; ; ; ) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon consisting of two parts: the Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and the Lower Galilee (, ; , ). ''Galilee'' encompasses the area north of the Mount Carmel-Mount Gilboa ridge and ...
. *
Matthew Gravelle Matthew Ian Gravelle (born 24 September 1976) is a British screen actor from Porthcawl, Wales. Career Gravelle was born in Porthcawl. In 2003, Gravelle appeared in the BBC One drama series ''Holby City'' and was a regular in the acclaimed BBC ...
as Thomas: One of the twelve disciples of Jesus, who doubts Jesus. * Amber Rose Revah as
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...
: One of the
women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...
who follow Jesus. * Roma Downey as Mary: The mother of Jesus.


Production

The film features select scenes from the
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
as well as footage not aired in the telecast. However, the film does not include scenes featuring
Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
(played by Mohamen Mehdi Ouazanni) due to claims that the actor resembled the United States President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. The resemblance was first pointed out by Glenn Beck ahead of that episode's premiere. The film's casting director Carl Proctor, claimed that the resemblance is entirely accidental. The trailer for the film also shows some scenes from the miniseries featuring
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
(played by Langley Kirkwood),
Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...
(played by Paul Knops), destruction of the city of Sodom and
Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
(played by Will Houston) parting the
Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
.


Music


Reception


Box office

''Son of God'' grossed $59.7 million in North America and $11.2 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $70.9 million, against a production budget of $22 million. The film was projected to gross around $27 million in its opening weekend. It made $1.2 million from Thursday night previews, benefiting greatly from advance ticket sales; it ended up making $26.5 million in its first weekend.


Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
reported that 17% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 71 reviews with an average rating of 4.69/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "The faithful may find their spirits raised, but on purely cinematic terms, ''Son of God'' is too dull and heavy-handed to spark much fervor." Another
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
,
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, assigned a weighted average score of 37 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Nell Minow of
Beliefnet Beliefnet is a Christian lifestyle website featuring editorial content related to the topics of inspiration, spirituality, health, wellness, love and family, news, and entertainment. History Launched in 1999 by Steven Waldman and Robert Nylen, ...
gave the film a B grade, saying "It tells the story in a westernized, conventional manner that can seem superficial at times, more a cinematic
Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...
lesson than a movie. It is unlikely to persuade anyone, but it is undeniably moving and many believers will find it inspiring." Jim Slotek of the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'' gave the film 3 stars. Ben Kenigsberg of '' The A.V. Club'' gave the film a mixed review, grading it a C and saying, "Unlike Gibson's
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
, with its relentless and gory focus on Christ's last days, ''Son Of God'' finds time for lessons along with its bloodletting. ..Accompanied by a score that sounds recycled from '' The Fountain'', the most famous scenes are trotted out: "I'll give my stone to the first man who tells me that he has never sinned"; the loaves and fishes; the resurrection of Lazarus; the last supper. It's unlikely
Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch filmmaker, who has worked variously in the Netherlands, the United States, and in France. He is known for directing genre films with strong satirical elements, often featuring graphic violence and ...
will ever get to make his historical Christ movie, but to the extent that ''Son Of God'' has a measure of dramatic impact, it's how it illustrates the radicalism of Jesus' message and the threat it posed to the establishment. At any rate, the core ideas are more compelling than the bad effects shots of
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, the cheesy CG water-walking, or whatever exchanges require the actors to emit something other than a declarative shout."


Awards and nominations

The film was awarded the Grace Award by
MovieGuide Millard Robert E. Theodore Baehr (born 1946) is an American media critic and chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a division of Good News Communications, Inc. He is publisher and editor-in-chief of ''Movieguide'', a website ...
at the 2014 MovieGuide Awards.


See also

* List of Easter films


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Son Of God 2014 films 2014 drama films 20th Century Fox films American drama films American religious epic films Caiaphas Compilation films Cultural depictions of John the Baptist Portrayals of Moses in film Cultural depictions of Judas Iscariot Cultural depictions of Pontius Pilate Film portrayals of Jesus' death and resurrection Films about Adam and Eve Films about evangelicalism Films scored by Hans Zimmer Films scored by Lorne Balfe Films about Jesus Portrayals of Mary Magdalene in film Portrayals of Mary, mother of Jesus, in film Portrayals of Saint Joseph in film Cultural depictions of Saint Peter Films set in temples 2010s English-language films 2010s American films Films scored by Lisa Gerrard Films edited from television programs