Talk about a passion project! Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) is exactly that…and boy did it cause controversy. The film is about a Judean carpenter played by Willem Dafoe, starting to feel his love and purpose in spreading the word of God as the lord’s son. In other words, Willem Dafoe plays Jesus Christ… and it is a groundbreaking force to be reckoned with! If that does not give you enough of a reason to watch the film, then I am not sure what will.
The Last Temptation of Christ portrays Jesus like no other film before its time. While still being based on the gospel teachings and the Holy Bible, the film explores fictional aspects of the story of Jesus. Being humanized, Jesus questions his belief in being the lord’s son and is ‘tempted’ (hence the title) by women, sex, etc., just like a regular man—not the messiah. This is the most human portrayal of Jesus to date. Although this created an outburst of mass hysteria, protests, and riots by extremists upon the release of the film in 1988, there is much more to this film then Scorsese’s usual sex and violence.
Despite being a bit slow-paced and lengthy, with a runtime of two hours and 44 minutes, each scene in The Last Temptation of Christ is intriguing and eye-catching. And the best part about this film is that you do not have to be Christian or even religious to respect, enjoy, or most importantly… learn from it. This film is for everyone with its overarching theme of worship, even outside of the context of Christ. The Last Temptation of Christ will put you in a deep, thought-provoking mindset that is complimented by stunning camera work and acting performances.
Story/Plot – 17/20 Direction – 20/20 Acting - 19/20
Cinematography – 17/20 Score/Soundtrack – 17/20
Overall: 90/100
The Founder of @HennionProductions,
Matthew Hennion