Parents' Guide to

Son of God

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Bland retelling of Jesus' ministry can be very violent.

Movie PG-13 2014 138 minutes
Son of God Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 9 parent reviews

TheChristianReviewer
TheChristianReviewer Adult
June 13, 2017
age 16+

Made by new agers

*Christian review* The people that made this film are not Christians but instead some sort of new agers. The movie twists from the Gospels account and make Jesus a different Jesus. Jesus didn't kiss Lazarus to make Him come alive and I think there were other perversions to make this appeal to all people. I thought some parts were OK and true to the story (loved the walking on sea part) but would never see again and didn't like how the woman was prevelant so much and how modern they made the movie. The depiction of Jesus mother being there was something I enjoyed. It is violent because the Bible account is.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
barganbright
barganbright Parent of 11-year-old
April 7, 2023
age 12+

Who is this guy??

This was so wonky, it veered off the Gospels My kids actually laughed out loud at the scene of rising Lazarus from the dead. Hollywood apparently never read the Good Book.
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

To release SON OF GOD, husband-and-wife film producers and devout Catholics Mark Burnett and actress Roma Downey have repackaged the Jesus-centered portions of their wildly successful The Bible miniseries, which aired on the History Channel in 2013. Son of God isn't exactly like the four episodes in the miniseries that chronicle Jesus' life -- instead the film skips over Jesus' childhood and baptism and goes from birth to his finding his disciples. Narrated by the disciple John the Evangelist (Sebastian Knapp), the movie chronicles how Jesus (Diogo Morgado) performed miracles, preached about forgiveness and love, was persecuted by the high priests and Pontius Pilate, was crucified, and then was resurrected.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (10):

Christian viewers looking for a traditional retelling of the story of Jesus' ministry years will find this a fine, if incomplete, tale. The production values are good, some of the actors are better than good, particularly English actors Darwin Shaw as the intense and hotheaded disciple Peter, Greg Hicks as the most famous Roman prefect in history, Pontius Pilate, and Knapp as the dearest disciple John. Jesus is played by the distractingly attractive Portuguese actor Diogo Morgado, whose indeterminate accent and occasionally off line readings make him less effective than Jim Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ.

Overall, the movie is a rather bland adaptation of Jesus' ministry, with somewhat bizarre and inexplicably extreme close-ups and disappointing computer-generated depictions of ancient landscapes. One of the best parts of the movie is Hans Zimmer's swelling score, but ultimately this doesn't feel like a complete or particularly memorable picture. Except as a ministry tool for church youth groups, Son of God is not the most stirring depiction of Jesus' life. Jesus Christ Superstar and VeggieTales DVDs are far more memorable, and those familiar with Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical may find themselves singing it in their head as they watch along.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this movie compares to other interpretations of the life of Jesus. Do you think movies with religious themes appeal to general audiences or just believers?

  • The filmmakers removed the last temptation of Christ that proved controversial in the miniseries. Do you think that was a good idea, or was it strange to see a movie about Jesus that omits this part of his life?

  • Was it smart for the filmmakers to hire lesser-known actors play Jesus and the disciples? Would it have been odd to see a better-known actor play Jesus?

Movie Details

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