Customer Reviews

Judas

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This film gives an "alternate possibility" for the eternal life of Judas, after he betrayed the Lord and hung himself on the tree, and though there are many scriptural inaccuracies, the film is always reverent in its portrayal of Jesus, and shows him as strong, and knowing His destiny. Jonathan Scarfe is appealing in the part, and in appearance is light-haired and somewhat like a Durer painting of Christ.
As Judas, Jonathon Schaech has a forceful personality and swarthy good looks, and gives us a Judas that above all wants temporal power, has little understanding of the true kingdom of God, and is hostile to anything that doesn't include the expulsion by force of the Romans out of Judea.

Pontius Pilate (Tim Matheson) is played as a weak bumbler whose greatest dread is being transferred to Albania because of his ineffectiveness. He also has trouble taking his paws off his skimpily clad wife, Claudia Procles. Claudia (Fiona Glascott in a high camp performance) is a bossy little wench with an annoying voice, and seems to know more about the laws and how to implement them than the men in charge, reminding me of the TV ads where the woman tells the idiot guys where it's at.
Others in the cast of note are Owen Teal as Flavius and Bob Gunton as Caiaphas.

Filmed in 2001, this sat on the shelf until the interest in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" spurred the executives at ABC Television to give this a chance, and it was aired in March of 2004.
Shot on location in Morocco, it has some nice cinematography by Michael Goi, and a lovely score by Bill Conti; the writing credits go to Executive Producer Tom Fontana (from the sharp and critically acclaimed series "Homicide: Life on the Streets"), and has some distinctly unbiblical language. It was directed by Charles Robert Carner on a very low budget ($ 5 million) and limited time (23 days), and all this considered, it is an entertaining, and occasionally moving film.
I have to confess that I didn't care for it much the first time I saw it, but subsequent viewings gave me more appreciation of it.
The message it imparts according to Paulist Productions is that "It's never too late to turn back to God".
Total running time is 120 minutes.

Long considered the necessary scapegoat in the crucifixion of Christ, Judas Iscariot has remained a mystery in many ways. If he was "predestined" to be the one who betrays Jesus, why did it make sense for him to be the one? As portrayed in this movie, Judas was a militant, one who wanted power and glory in his quest to liberate the Jews from the Romans power. He was also jealous of Jesus' love for anyone else, and his despair as necessary as Jesus' execution.
Johnathon Schaech has the brooding sensitivity to adequately bring his role to life; Jonathan Scarfe as Jesus is a little too Scandinavian to be convincing in appearance, yet he delivers his lines earnestly and with religious fervor; Tim Matheson seems a little too "Hollywood" in his portrayal of Pilate.
Filmed in a brief time and on a shoestring budget, "Judas" received attention after the phenomenal success of "The Passion of the Christ." It is a more sanitized version of the story of Jesus, but its lack of strong graphic violence will make it a must for those who felt Gibson's Passion was too passionate.

The film JUDAS has a well-written screenplay by Tom Fontana which weaves together the theme of Judas (Johnathon Schaech)as the voice of power and violence and Jesus (Jonathon Scarfe)of love and peace. The pacifist side of Jesus is often scorned in our day and many people are not ready to believe in a humble Jesus. It is unlikely in Biblical times that Judas could speak to a person of the high priest status, but such a talk would seem reasonable today. This is a story that fits our colloquial English and modern sensibilities.

The gospels don't fully explain why Judas betrays Jesus, so the imaginative tale of Judas' mother who needs a funeral, fills the gap. The music underscores the power of God in scenes such as, when Jesus pays a poor man's taxes and then asks Mathew, the tax collector, to follow Him. Background information is explained by the expanded role of Pilate's wife. Why Judas had to identify Jesus, was imagined to be because the centurion, named Flavius, could not identify Him because he had been arrested for refusing to capture Jesus. The film makes parts of the Bible come alive as for example, when the disciples gained the ability to go two-by-two to heal. This is often omitted from stories about Jesus because it is difficult to dramatize. Using low tech camera tricks instead of computer graphics, made the healing seem more real to me. Judas suggestion that the disciples pay for their ministry by highway robbery, adds poignancy to Jesus in the garden saying "Did you come with swords to capture me, as though I were a common thief?"

I found this story to be very inspiring. I hope it will be shown again on TV. It would be a good story for churches to show to their teenagers who strive to be like Jesus.

Having characters in a biblical film use terms like "okay" and "I sorta lost my temper," just doesn't cut it. The actor playing Jesus sounded like he should have been hanging ten on the waves at Malibu, not leading throngs of new believers. The title character faired no better. Very bad casting. You might remember him from "That Thing You Do" (a good film worth your time). Oh, one more thing, Tim Matheson as Pontius Pilate, enough said about this film.

This movie is definitely one of my favorites. Even thou it's not 100% all bible based on Jesus or Judas... it's STILL a GREAT story. It goes around the time of Christ, and shows how a man that walked with Jesus, learned from Jesus, and saw all the medicals Jesus did, could later still betray him.
Like I said, it's not 100% all true, but at the same time, it uses the Bible as a foundation to the whole story. We actually know little about Judas from the Bible. But with facts about the culture and how people of that time acted, it's possible.
I love the way they made Jesus so, REAL! He seemed VERY approachable. And there is a part that Judas and Jesus pray wrestle. WOW, I thought that was sooo cool. There were some parts that Jesus looked at Judas, with so much hurt and pain, in his eyes, and how Judas just couldn't get it!
I am so glad I own this movie. I saw it years ago, and have always wanted it!
Jesus Loves you, and no matter WHAT is going on in your life, if you turn your live to HIS control, it can be worked out in the end. Jesus has changed my life, and I know he can change yours (for the better). Plus, we are not here on earth forever. You have to think about the next! That is where it ALL counts.
Buy the movie!

I liked this made-for-TV picture. It humanizes Judas by showing what might have motivated him. The fact that Jesus is not the central figure in the story as presented actually allows the actor portraying him to loosen up compared to other actors in the role. (That's what I liked about Jeremy Sisto in the 2000 miniseries "Jesus".)

I liked it. It explores why Judas might have joined Jesus's group, yet never entirely understood what Jesus was trying to do. There are a lot of people who will use religion for political reasons, and in this movie, that's what Judas is doing. The Romans, Herod, and the high priest are corrupt, and Judas figures Jesus would make a perfect political leader -- except that's not at all what Jesus is trying to do. To be fair, none of Jesus's students at the time understood that Jesus had no intention of being a political leader; and many of them today still don't.

Okay, while not the world's most devout Christian, this reviewer received strict Lutheran scholastic instruction for 10 years, and you know what they say about your formative years. Let's sum this up quickly from the point of view of one of the alleged "target audience" members: This is the "Johnny Schaech show", not unlike every other movie he has too large a part in. One of the luckiest pretty boys in the recent crop of hot young actors, he's okay in supporting roles like That Thing You Do, simply because he can't act his way out of a wet paper bag with a gaping hole in it. He certainly proves that in this movie.

The writing of this film is a Biblical abomination, and the portrayal of Judas as having been against Christ all along isn't even close to the truth. I don't know what's more annoying; Jesus being portrayed as a pouting metro who looks like anyone shouting at him will make him cry like a five year-old, or Judas Johnny shouting orders at him all the time. My favorite part is when he tells Jesus he doesn't want to hear anymore about his Father, and he'd better do what he says. Hmm, that's really some great writing there. You're going to boss around a man you've seen heal lepers and raise the dead? I DID think it was funny when he was out stalling for time while Andrew was in a dead woman's tomb alone and raised her from the dead with the Lord's Prayer, though.

Yeah, there's another point of contention: Why do they show very few miracles, yet talk about them endlessly. This movie wouldn't make a convert of a fallen priest, much less someone who has never heard these stories before. I dislike highly when filmmakers mess with Bible stories to this degree, yet I love the Story of Ruth (The 1960 version with Elana Eden and Tom Tryon.), though most of it is pure fancy. Why? Because it is compatible with scripture.

In the meantime, if you love scowling, head shaking, and bad acting on a wide-scale level, the "Johnny Schaech show" is your dream come true. Somebody else here has already suggested the accurate, well-acted, phenominally directed, and truthful film, Jesus of Nazareth. It's long, but it is excellent.

I found this film to be of a poor quality. The acting, particually that of Jesus was embarrasing and the plotline could have been more biblical and intriguing. I was very disapointed. Jesus was portrayed a bit too effeminately for my liking.

Our review may be seen at http://www.mgr.org/JudasSin.html

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