B - Background
Last night, my family and I ventured out to the movie theater to see The King of Kings: A Story Told by Charles Dickens. This film is loosely based on Dickens' children's book The Life of Our Lord and features a stellar voice cast that includes notables such as Uma Thurman, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac as the voice of Jesus.
Last night, my family and I ventured out to the movie theater to see The King of Kings: A Story Told by Charles Dickens. This film is loosely based on Dickens' children's book The Life of Our Lord and features a stellar voice cast that includes notables such as Uma Thurman, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac as the voice of Jesus.
O - Overview
When the film begins, Dickens (Kenneth Branagh) is performing a live rendition of his A Christmas Carol, but is interrupted by his unruly children playing backstage. One of his children, Walter (Roman Griffin Davis), is especially rambunctious while pretending to battle as King Arthur with his trusty wooden sword, Excalibur. After attempting to calmly redirect his children so that he can continue his performance, Dickens loses his tempter and confiscates Walters sword, sternly reprimanding him. As a result, little Walter goes home distraught. Later, when Dickens arrives home, he is greeted by Mrs. Dickens (UmaThurman) at the door who proceeds to encourage him to tell Walter one of his "magical"stories based on one of Charles' manuscripts she found. And although tired, Dickens agrees to tell what some have called "the greatest story ever told."
M - Matters of Praise and Concern
The Kings of Kings is a very clever retelling of the life of Jesus that is especially suited for children. The animation is top notch and the voice cast, for the most part, is outstanding. The pacing of the narrative is perfect for young children who may not have the longest attention span, especially once Dickens begins his recounting of Christ's life. Viewers get to witness many of Jesus' most notable miracles, teachings, His death, and resurrection from the dead. Parents should be aware that while Jesus' crucifixion is done as tastefully as possible, it is clear that Jesus is getting nails driven through His wrists and feet. However, it is not explicitly shown. I thought the creators of the film did an excellent job of capturing the gravity of the event in the most child friendly way possible.
Moreover, whether making a film about Jesus for adults or children, one of the challenges is striking the right balance between Jesus' humanity and His deity. This reviewer felt that writer and director Seong-ho Jang did a great job of displaying both in a simply, yet profound, way. Undeniably, this had to have been especially challenging in a children's film and Jang should be praised for his efforts.
My only minor complaint about the film (and most likely specific to me) was the voice acting of Mark Hamill as King Herod. Hamill, most known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, also famously voiced the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series and more recently Skeletor in Netflix's Masters of the Universe: Revelation/Revolution. Unfortunately, in all 3 of these roles, Hamill just does a slight variation of the same voice. As a result, when King Herod starting talking, all I could hear was Skeletor! This was somewhat distracting, but did not detract at all from my overall enjoyment of the film. And thankfully, Hamill's role is minor.
B - Bottomline
The King of Kings is a visual delight that is perfect for the entire family. My hope is that Hollywood will take note of the quality work Angel Studios is doing and perhaps rethink the type of entertainment they are currently producing. The critical and commercial success of this film should be a sign to anyone willing to pay attention that movie audiences are hungry for meaningful stories that inspire.
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus states, "Go into the world and preach to the gospel to all creation" (16:15) and The King of Kings is a great way to share the gospel message with people of all ages.
I highly recommend this film!
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
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