The good news is truly good news for Hollywood. Risen, a mainstream movie about the resurrection of Christ, came in third at the box office its first weekend in theaters.
The $20-million budget movie made made $11 million last weekend placing it squarely behind “Deadpool,” which pulled in over $50 million its second weekend and “The Witch,” which made $13 million.
Risen stars Joseph Fiennes as Clavius, a Roman tribune, who with his aide Lucius (Tom Felton) is commissioned to comb the city for Jesus’ (Cliff Curtis) body and dispel rumours of a risen messiah to prevent unrest in Jerusalem before the emperor’s visit.
Clavius, fresh from quelling a revolt of Zealots, has no time for nonsense from the troublesome band of followers of the crucified carpenter. He makes sure Yeshua is quite dead, seals the tomb with a heavy stone, and leaves it with two capable guards. When the tomb is found burst open and the body vanished, Clavius wastes no time searching for a corpse as rumors already fly that the messiah has kept his promise to rise from the dead.
The Roman leader interrogates Mary Magdalene (Maria Botto), digs up dead bodies, and hounds Christ’s followers in a quest for “something you’ll never find.”
“What frightens you?” a voice asks in the trailer. “Being wrong. Wagering eternity on it,” Clavius responds.
Writer-director Kevin Reynolds tackles the “most important manhunt in history” from a fresh perspective than many other faith-based films: that of a non-believer. The movie focuses more on the experience of the pagan Roman tribune than on the message of the Lord, although it does affirm the Christian doctrine of the resurrection.
LD Entertainment teamed up with Sony’s faith-based label Affirm to release the film Feb. 19 at 2,915 theaters. It is currently 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“We know how it turns out, but seeing from the point of view of someone who doesn’t know and doesn’t believe adds more cogency,” the Boston Globe remarked.
The Washington Post was less enthusiastic about the portrayal but only because it incorporated some” ham-handedness” in relating the “radical, challenging substance of Jesus’s ministry.”
The pleasing cinematography and non-conventional perspective from which Risen is told makes the film a compelling movie as well as a respectful narrative of the greatest story ever told.
