PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST REVIEWED
“Paul, Apostle of Christ” is a political film that seems scared to tackle what’s going on in that historical era. The shadow of Nero looms heavy over what is assumed to be Paul’s last days. The death of St. Paul has always been up to historical discussion as the New Testament never pinpoints when Paul kicked the bucket. The film focuses on Paul in a Roman prison towards the end of his life. While there, he tries to teach the Prison Prefect about the teachings of Christ.
The Prefect is willing to listen to Paul’s long story about how he came to Christianity. The problem is that listening to Paul becoming an Apostle should be exciting. However, half of the conversations feel like they were whispered. I’m not sure what’s up with the audio mix on this movie, but a day’s worth of audience polling suggests that it was a problem across multiple screenings. Still, that’s not the main problem with the movie.
While the religious flicks are still operating on a lower budget, there needs to be a sense of scope. Since we’re dealing with Paul towards the end of his life, he’s had the chance to write the Epistles and make a name for himself. There is a Christian community shown in Rome, but they are virtually disconnected from one of the era’s Christian leaders. If you can buy all of these suspensions of disbelief, then you’re left with a film that exposes its weak points.
It wants to be big, but can’t afford it. It wants to tackle shaky areas of history with great speculation. Most of all, there is no urgency at any point of the film. Coming off two rather strong religious films in the last month, this one underwhelmed me.
FILM STATS
- 1 hr and 47 mins
- PG-13
- Columbia Pictures
