Jesus Christ Superstar, you either love it….or hate it. Enjoy biblical rock operas with a modern twist? Well, this is the movie for you! If not, then I think that you are definitely not going to enjoy this movie. Half a story, ‘interesting’ songs, and modern inscriptions I introduce you to ‘Jesus Christ Super Star.
Jesus Christ Superstar, is the first part of the story that leads up to the crucifixion of Christ. Turned into a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and directed by Tim Rice is a pain staking movie about the last three years of Jesus’s life up until his crucifixion. Staring Ted Neeley as Jesus Christ, Carl Anderson as Judas, Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene. I present to you, a Rock Opera story with actors in 70’s clothing as well as all they’re singing and performing done in 70’s disco style. With catchy yet repetitive songs as well as some not so gifted singers.
So what really happens in the movie? ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ starts off with Jesus and his followers in a cave hiding just outside of Jerusalem. They are asking him “what’s the buzz, tell me what’s happening”, or what’s their plan of action? Then throughout the movie we have Judah ‘battling’ with his thoughts about whether Jesus is the long awaited messiah. But as the story goes Judah decides he isn’t and begins to think that Jesus has taken it a little too far. You can see Mary Magdalene coming to sorts with her feeling for Jesus when she sings her song rather dramatically (and sounding a bit droning) “I don’t know how to love him.” While all of this is happening, the Leaders of the Jewish church are beginning to think that the man they call Hosanna isn’t going to just blow over if they leave him be. Soon they mark him a criminal and a liar and they want him dead. So eventually Judas comes to an end with his debate and turns Jesus in to the leaders. This is when the last supper comes into the movie. God tells them how Peter with deny him 3 times, and how Judas has already betrayed him. Eventually captured and whipped Jesus is standing in front of Caiaphas, but Caiaphas doesn’t want this in his hands so he sends him to Pilot, who as well wants nothing with him then he is sent back to Caiaphas who eventually leaves it up to the people.
I think that the last supper is probably the most important scene in the movie because it is fine singing, the acting makes sense for the time period and it properly fits the story. I also liked how they posed in the positions of the painting ‘The Last Supper’.
Why didn’t I like this movie? Well let’s start with the songs, “what’s the buzz”, “I don’t know how to love him”, “Hosanna”, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Jesus must die”, are the main songs throughout the movie. Though catchy, some of the songs are too repetitive. “What’s the buzz” this specific songs recurs multiple times during the movie and it rather annoying once you’ve heard it the first time. Also, Mary Magdeline in her solo has a very droning voice. Second, there is a visual suicide, whipping of a person, and prostitutes dancing, how is this a G rated movie? Then as I have mentioned several times before, not the full story. And lastly, though I can see how they were trying to relate the machine guns to the war in Iraq, I don’t think that it worked at all.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, usually two very successful directors, have composed a horrible telling of Jesus’s ‘last’ 3 years. But not ending with the Resurrection. I think that they should be telling you the full story. However the Christian religion isn’t about interpreting whether Jesus was raised from the dead or not. Nor is it about whether he was who he said he was, you need to tell the full story from crucifixion to resurrection. I would recommend this movie to those who have bad taste in movies or to those who enjoy religious rock opera’s with a pinch of modernism. If you are not one of these people, I definetly would not recommend Jesus Christ Superstar as a movie for you to enjoyably watching in your excess time.
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