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The Gospel of John

PG-13 Released Sep 26, 2003 3h 0m Drama List
37% Tomatometer 49 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
The apostle recounts the life of Jesus Christ (Henry Ian Cusick), including the final hours leading to the crucifixion.
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The Gospel of John

The Gospel of John

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Critics Consensus

The Gospel of John takes a reverent approach to its story without ever bringing it to life, proving that cribbing from the Good Book isn't enough to guarantee a good movie.

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Critics Reviews

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Erik Lundegaard Seattle Times It's a straightforward, unimaginative narrative, and thus not very memorable. Rated: 2/4 Apr 2, 2004 Full Review Ty Burr Boston Globe The sad truth is that director Philip Saville and writer John Goldsmith have made a picture book rather than a film, one that leans so heavily on Christopher Plummer's placid voice-over narration as to be cinematically inert. Rated: 1.5/4 Apr 2, 2004 Full Review Lou Carlozo Chicago Tribune Events unfold as chronological vignettes, and there's little room for screenwriter John Goldsmith to reimagine scenes to mine their full dramatic potential. Rated: 2/4 Apr 1, 2004 Full Review Ben Witherington III Christianity Today The "Word made flesh" has now become the Word made visible. In an age of visuals, it might just attract many who would never take the time to read John's gospel. Rated: 4/4 Oct 25, 2006 Full Review Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ...a mild, willfully inoffensive film focusing on Jesus' message of love. Rated: B Dec 26, 2004 Full Review Anthony Del Valle Las Vegas Mercury A slugglishly painful, uninteresting film that might be of value to New Testament students who don't like to read words unless they come with pictures. Rated: 1.5/5 Nov 7, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dog L A great movie to watch with friends and family. It brings the gospel to life! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/20/24 Full Review Victor van B This movie reproduces verbatim the text of the Gospel of John in the Good News translation. By itself not a bad idea. Even though the movie looks more like a Shakespeare drama, it is bearable because the actors do in fact perform the text as if it were a Shakespeare drama. The acting is well done. Some scenes are bordering on the rediculous or the sentimental. But for Christian believers this movie offers a more or less faithful representation of what the Gospel itself tells us. I am sure non-believers would find it dull. And believers may find it inspiring. One could not expect it to be a fantasy movie or an action movie. it is more a drama of a high classical character. But it is interesting that some of the dramatic dialogues that Jesus had with His opponents do really show the enormous impact that Jesus must have had. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/27/24 Full Review Commish's P Aside from "The Passion of the Christ" produced by Mel Gibson, this is probably the most faithful adaptation of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It's almost a word-for-word translation of the Gospel of John with the exception of Mary Magdalene still dressed as a harlot after her conversion when accompanying Jesus and his disciples throughout Christ's travels, and her presence at the Lord's Supper, which is not in agreement with any of the four gospels of the New Testament. This film highlights the ministry of Christ and focuses on His message of repentance. The acting, locations used, soundtrack, and narration (Christopher Plummer) is superlative. I recommend this movie to Christians and unbelievers alike due to the sheer quality of this production and true story because it does not includes the typical Hollywoodesque rewriting of history in their usual creative license to make films of Christ "more palpable" to the casual viewer. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/23 Full Review Donna G Excellent. The best and most accurate jesus movie. I just bought the DVD. Just live it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/23 Full Review Carlos T Minha opinião: Foi a primeira vez que assisti a este filme que conta a história de Jesus Cristo de acordo com o Evangelho de João. O filme descreve ponto a ponto de acordo com o evangelho, as falas e ocorrido de acordo com o evangelho. Foi um filme que me tocou profundamente, este filme é conforme o evangelho e para aquele que quer saber como foi a vida de Jesus em 3 horas. A atuação Henry que interpreta Jesus foi muito boa e decorar todo os textos das falas de Jesus, além de expressar e interpretar, foi muito, muito boa. Os outros atores também representaram muito bem. Uma boa produção, bons lugares de filmagem, transportando para a época de Jesus a 2.000 anos atrás. Conta as historias de seus Milagres, sabedoria, ensinamentos, autoridade, traição, rendenção, morte e ressuscitou e subiu aos céus e se assentou a destra de seu Pai. Me senti muito impactado e emocionado e me deu muito entendimento da palavra de Deus. Eu aconselho a todos a verem este filme e entender e compreender melhor a vida e o propósito de Jesus para com a humanidade, com cada um de nos. O seu motivo para que foi enviado e que é filho de Deus. E para que eu e você conheçamos a Deus Pai. Roteiro e enredo são conforme o Evangelho de João na sua integra. Vale apena assistir? Sim a todas as pessoas, que devem conhecer a Verdade. Nota: 9 Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/09/23 Full Review Mountain M As of 2023 the best Christian film of all time, and the best depiction of Jesus. With their ‘criticisms' of this film, whose script is literally scripture without additions or omissions, these critics have inadvertently revealed their inner core to the world. The result? They have been panned. The musical score deserves to be recognised by film music lovers and if you only add a more ethnically diverse cast, you have an almost perfect christian film. Deeply touching, affecting and spiritually informing movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Gospel of John

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Movie Info

Synopsis The apostle recounts the life of Jesus Christ (Henry Ian Cusick), including the final hours leading to the crucifixion.
Director
Philip Saville
Producer
Garth H. Drabinsky, Chris Chrisafis
Screenwriter
John Goldsmith
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Production Co
Gospel of John Ltd.
Rating
PG-13 (Violence Involving Crucifixion)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 26, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 6, 2015
Runtime
3h 0m
Sound Mix
Surround
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