Customer Reviews

Ultrachrist!

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A "Jesus" with a whiny Brooklyn accent arrives nude in New York City (a'la "The Terminator") and has trouble getting his message to today's youth. So he puts on a spandex superhero costume and fights Jim Morrison, Dracula, Hitler and a guy in a Richard Nixon rubber mask. Then he changes the commandments to encourage casual sex to gain converts.

Let me state that I am far from religious and love a good satire, like "Election" or "American Psycho". This is too dumb and scatological to be satire. The video and audio (especially) are sub-porno quality. If you ARE deeply religious you may be offended, otherwise you will be very bored. Check out "The Life of Brian" for a religious satire with bite.

This movie is amazing. I saw it at the Philidelphia Video Festival last year. Jesus comes back to fight sin in the twenty-first century and encounters a world much different then the way he left it 2000 years ago. Watch him fight the greatest sinners of all time: Richard Nixon, Adolf Hitler, Vlad the Impaler and Jim Morrison.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ...ULTRACHRIST!

Flipping religion on its head, Ultrachrist seeks to enlighten the follies of following scripture to the letter by returning Christ to Earth 2,000 years after his death. Oh! And he's come back to usher in peace for all mankind. The trouble is that he's completely out of touch with modern society. As soon as Christ returns to Earth (ala The Terminator style), he realizes many things have changed: clothes, personal philosophy, neon signs, and, oy!, religion.

Christ (Jonathan C. Green) gets a crash course in what the world wants by first bellying up to a bar with a drunken man and discovering what's become of humanity. Discouraged but not deterred, he soon runs into Molly (Celia A. Montgomery), a young seamstress who falls for Jesus and decides to help him regain his ministry on Earth. She makes him a superhero spandex costume and poof!, the Ultrachrist is born. Running around New York in his new outfit, Christ diverts sin wherever it appears, but no one is heeding his words...

Perhaps sin needs redefining.

God (Don Creech, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK) doesn't like what his son is doing on Earth so sends down Ira, the Patron Saint of Erotic Massage, to get rid of Jesus' ridiculous costume and to set his son back on the path of righteousness. But Ira's attempts are hindered by his own Earthly desires and by The Devil (aka, The Parks Commissioner).

Satin (Samuel Bruce Campbell, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH), not happy that Jesus has finally returned, resurrects some of the meanest and most evil people the world has ever known (from Hitler to ...uh ...Jim Morrison?)

But Beelzebub is the least of the Ultrachrist's problems. He must overcome the "sin of sex," something he's been unable to do since witnessing his mother "get-down" with another man (if Jesus gets "excited", his hands bleed).

With Ira's, Molly's, and his father's help, Jesus changes the sin rule book and thus helps banish all of the foes thrown at him by Lucifer.

This low-budget flick isn't for everyone. Those who find religious satire revolting or insulting most certainly should NOT watch it. If you don't like B-movie production standards, avoid it. But if you like to chuckle at the ridiculousness of religious fanaticism, this is something you most surely should check out.

The production standards are okay but nothing to praise. The acting is equally tepid. The script, however, is quite good. Ira belongs on the set of Seinfeld, and Jesus would be right at home in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood (i.e., his accent). But these things also added to the humor of the movie. It's not supposed to be taken seriously and doesn't attempt it ...which I found absolutely great!

If you've seen and enjoyed FILM GEEK, SPACEMAN, or other minimal budget films, this one is right up your alley.

There is just no other word I can use to describe this film. While I like offbeat movies, this one takes the cake. The concept was ok but the idea of a whiney Christ put me off. Overall I did not like it. If you like offbeat Christ movies then I would suggest Jesus Christ Vampire Slayer, at least the Christ portrayed fights for justice not sulks and whines about how no-one likes him.

If you can handle Jesus sharing an apartment with a lesbian couple, this is the movie for you. And that's just the first ten minutes! The Jesus character seems similar to Gilligan in His desire to please and not to offend anybody. Irreverent, but delightful and fun.

I picked up this movie expecting a puerile Kevin Smith-style hatchet job. The surprise is ... this is not toilet humor. It's actually a very sweet movie that cares about its characters and the moral dilemmas they face.

That said, it still delivers plenty of silliness, blasphemy, laughs, sex humor and gratuitous musical numbers. I even found the cheap low-budget look charming -- it feels like a labor of love. Some fun extras, too. A real find!

This movie is the best thing to come along since "Jesus and the Fairy Pink Bunnies"...
Seriously. Give it a go. Jesus re-emerges from Heaven and comes down to smite all the 21st century evils. He is seriously concerned and confused by the goings-on of our generation.

i always had trouble believing that jesus could do all that was said of him in that book...but thanks to Ultrachrist, i'm a true believer in the man in the spandex.

the entire movie was fantastic, but when jesus says, "the crucifix is the symbol for christianity? i hated that thing, OUCH!" i lost it...ranks up there with citizen kane for greatest movies ever.

A lot of laughs!
When I came upon this little film (and it is little- your eye must adjust to the results of a low budget, but eventually that aesthetic only adds to its charm) I was delighted by its humor and innocence. Essentially it is a film about a nice Jewish boy in spandex who is trying to make the world better, and about the various (and oddly random) archenemies who attempt to thwart him. Particularly winning are the sparkly Jordan Hoffman as Archangel Ira and Dara Schindler as a reporter on Jesus' trail. Jonathon Green is oddly compelling in his cluelessness; one wonders at times if that was intentional or a lucky accident. Whichever, his affect is disarming and adorable, and serves the film well.
Mostly, I enjoyed its originality. I am the sort who is allergic to cliches, even the whiff of one sets me off on a diatribe. What a delight to find a movie that is genuinely quirky and tells a story that hasn't been told. Further, having stumbled on something new, the filmmakers do not attempt "hipness," which results in a farce free of camp. The film does not knowingly, cynically make fun of itself or its style, it bravely tells its story in a straightforward manner, which makes it hilarious, as it is not a story that anyone can take seriously. Its unstudied style is refreshing.
The film does suffer from a few juvenile misfirings (no pun intended.)But its only real handicap is its budget, which at times masks the quality of the screenwriting and performances. All in all, viewing this film is time well-spent. I highly recommend!

Smart and hilarious, this future cult-classic will make you laugh, think, and laugh again. Really great stuff...