The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John (2003)

36% of critics liked it
(50 reviews)
88% of users liked it
(1,067 ratings)

Veteran British filmmaker Philip Saville directs the religious epic The Gospel of John, a production of the Canadian company Visual Bible International. This three-hour drama attempts to accurately follow the Gospel According to John, written sometime during the first century. The gospel contains… More Veteran British filmmaker Philip Saville directs the religious epic The Gospel of John, a production of the Canadian company Visual Bible International. This three-hour drama attempts to accurately follow the Gospel According to John, written sometime during the first century. The gospel contains four segments: an introduction to the nature of Jesus Christ; testimony by disciples and the presence of miracles; the Last Supper and crucifixion; and the appearance of the risen Christ. Henry Ian Cusick plays Jesus and Christopher Plummer provides voice-over narration. The Gospel of John was shown in a special presentation at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 3 hr.
Directed By: Philip Saville
Written By: John Goldsmith
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Sep 11, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Jul 22, 2005
Studio: ThinkFilm

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
The sad truth is that director Philip Saville and writer John Goldsmith have made a picture book rather than a film, one that leans so heavily on Christopher Plummer's placid voice-over narration as to be cinematically inert.
Lou Carlozo, Chicago Tribune
Events unfold as chronological vignettes, and there's little room for screenwriter John Goldsmith to reimagine scenes to mine their full dramatic potential.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Turns out to be surprisingly robust.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
I found this Gospel long, dull and, for the most part, acted without apparent inspiration.
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
Although it might test the patience of the non-believer, for those who take their Christianity seriously, this probably is worth seeing.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Despite the filmmakers' efforts to make The Gospel of John into a dramatic feature film, it never quite makes it beyond the lesson stage.
CT Staff, Christianity Today
The "Word made flesh" has now become the Word made visible. In an age of visuals, it might just attract many who would never take the time to read John's gospel.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...a mild, willfully inoffensive film focusing on Jesus' message of love.
Anthony Del Valle, Las Vegas Mercury
A slugglishly painful, uninteresting film that might be of value to New Testament students who don't like to read words unless they come with pictures.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Besides the movie, this three-disc set offers historical background from various biblical scholars ...
Sean Burns, Philadelphia Weekly
Whatever this is, it sure isn't cinema. There's no adaptation, no reconfiguration of the material from one medium to another.
Erik Lundegaard, Seattle Times
It's a straightforward, unimaginative narrative, and thus not very memorable.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Henry Ian Cusick creates a persuasive Jesus, a savior as happy as often as he is solemn.
Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
An artful, well-made production.
Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife
Despite claims to the contrary, The Gospel does come off as a three-hour long Sunday School lesson.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
Emphasis on maintaining the text 'as is' universally renders the effort into an essentially passionless Bible story
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
as for the text itself that has the Jews egging Pilate on, well, it is what it is. And that would be less than philo-semetic.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
The performances are flat and lifeless (Cusick may look the part, but he has no real charisma), and even Christopher Plummer, as narrator, is less than lively, reading in an all too reverent monotone, suggesting even he's having a hard time staying awake.