Movie Review: "The Gospel of Mark"

Synopsis: It's the greatest story ever told...as it was originally told! This word-for-word dramatization of the second of the four gospels features narration in both the King James and New International translations.  Watch as Jesus gets baptized by John, starts his ministry, heals the sick, raises the dead, is betrayed, crucified, and rises again.  You've never seen the story of Jesus like this before!

The Good: It's straight from the Bible, so, how could I find fault with it? Seriously, the budget on this one is much higher than others I've seen--particularly the first two Visual Bible films--and the sets and attention to detail really make Scripture leap off the page.  Having two different translations of the Bible available on one disc is easily the best use of the DVD technology I've ever seen.  For those who are worried about the crucifixion scene, don't be; though a bit bloody and rather dramatic, it's nowhere near as hard to watch as The Passion or even Son of God.

The Bad: Then again, some might say that this film's crucifixion scene is a downside, as it doesn't really show the brutality of such a killing; depends on how you look at it.  More to the point: The presentation of this movie is unlike any I've ever seen.  Instead of having actors speak the dialogue in English, the people onscreen all speak Aramaic, whereas the narration informs the viewers of what they're really saying, almost like an audiobook with slides.  Unless you speak the Biblical languages, you probably won't understand anything the actors say, except for the infamous "Eloi, Eloi" cry.  The narrator of the NIV version only varies his voice occasionally.  So, this movie's style may not be for everyone.

Conclusion: One of my goals this year is the same as it has been for the past few years: to read through the Bible in its entirety.  Most of the time, I use an audio Bible alongside a Bible app on my iPad, to read and hear it at the same time; as a long time fan of audiovisual media, as well as someone who grew up on closed captioning, that really helps me get something out of it.  When I get to the Gospels and Acts, I use movies such as the Visual Bible flicks--all of which are word-for-word from the original text--to not only read it (thanks to closed captions or subtitles) and hear it, but also see it.  Some time ago, I came across this at the library where I work, and knew that I could use it for my daily Bible reading.  While it was different from what I expected, it was still fabulously done.  Still, I would suggest renting or borrowing this before purchasing it; some may be turned off by the filming style.

Score: 5/5