Risen

This film is a testament...to the power of a great story. Of course, it’s easy to succeed in creating an engrossing film when you begin with the Crucifixion; that gets the viewer's attention right off the bat. The movie was clearly made with a believer’s perspective in mind; it’s not crude religious propaganda like the Left Behind series, but there’s no mistaking that the movie was made as a statement of faith. That’s what makes the result so interesting: the story begins with the premise of an alternative explanation for the events at the end of the Gospels: Jesus’ followers simply stole his corpse and proclaimed him risen from the dead. And while the plot clearly hews to the dogmatic narrative, that bit of doubt still hangs in the mind of the not-completely convinced viewer. You could see how things might have played out, with similar results, without much in the way of a miracle happening. It should be noted, however, that the film succeeds in moviemaking terms as well as within the parameters of evangelism. Mostly, this is Joseph Fiennes’ show, and he performs admirable work as a Roman tribune who comes to believe, if not understand, what he sees. You don’t have to be a heavy-duty--or even a casual--Christian to find both the appeal and the entertainment with this film; even an honest skeptic would agree that it’s well worth a look.