Review of The Young Messiah (2016) by Thequietgamer — 20 Aug 2016

I have to give the movie credit for providing an interesting look at what the mindset of Jesus may have been like during his formative years. His search for answers and struggle to realize just what he really is mixed with his innocent and sweet nature make for a very believable child depiction. This is only bolstered by the Mary and Joseph angle. Their struggle in regards to what he is old enough to here and just what exactly they should be telling or keeping from him is just as compelling.

Unfortunately the movie does stumble a lot though. Given that there is little information about these years in Jesus' life, the tale surrounding these themes is completely original to the movie. Sadly, it's just really boring. The characterizations are interesting, but the actual plot backing it all up isn't. It moves at a snail's pace and by the time the credits have rolled nothing will have happened.

It's a nothing of consequence story. The idea of exploring who Jesus was as a child is a good one. This exploratory element, while completely made up, makes things a little more watchable. However at the end of the day there's just not much going on here to keep your attention. While I appreciate the sugary sweet nature of the movie, it doesn't make up for the lack of any sort of narrative significance. It's a boring movie with some good ideas and nothing writing wise to back them up. Mix in the decent, but rather flat performances and you have a faith-based movie that does little to entertain.