Susan Granger’s review of “Risen” (Columbia Pictures/Sony’s Affirm Films)
The Biblical story of the Resurrection of Jesus is given a new twist in this fictional tale of an ambitious Roman military tribune, Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), and his aide, Lucius (Tom Felton), who must try to explain what happened to Jesus (called by his Hebrew name: Yeshua) in the interim following his crucifixion when his cadaver mysteriously disappears from a sealed, guarded cave.
Plagued by rumors of a risen Messiah and an imminent uprising in Jerusalem, wily Roman prefect Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) orders Clavius to assemble and question suspects, including the terrified Apostles, like Peter (Stewart Scudamore), Bartholomew (Stephen Hagan) and Simon ((Joe Manjon).
Mary Magdalene (Maria Botto) chides Clavius, saying: “You look for something you will never find.”
Cynical Clavius’ beliefs are transformed not only by what he learns but also a celestial encounter with the risen Yeshua (Maori actor Cliff Curtis), who performs a series of Biblically-documented miracles, like healing a deformed leper and conjuring a feast of fishes from the Sea of Galilee.
Unconventionally scripted by Paul Aiello and director Kevin Reynolds (“Waterworld,” “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”), it unfolds like a theological police procedural, filmed in Spain and Malta to resemble the grimy frontier of ancient Judea. Biblical scholars, however, may take issue with the way they have altered the revered narrative.
To their credit, a conservative group called the Faith Driven Consumer, which condemned “Noah” and “Exodus,” calls this movie “a who-dunnit? A crime detective story,” lauding it as “creative and engaging.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Risen” is a restrained, respectfully spiritual 6, timed for a faith-based audience during the Lenten season that culminates with Easter Sunday.
