The story of Jesus Christ can never be ignored. Some call it the greatest story of all time. Others look to the tale as the reason for their worship. Yet others still regard it as nothing more than a mystified legend. All personal opinions aside, it remains an irrefutable fact that no other course of events in human history provokes more interest and criticism than the birth, death and alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Producers and married couple Roma Downey and Mark Burnett brought the Jesus story to life in their new motion picture Son of God The movie plays out the life of Christ from the beginning of his ministry up until his death and resurrection. The movie features famous miracles such as Jesus walking on water, raising Lazarus from the dead and healing the lame man.

I was skeptical when I first heard about the film. Christian movies are notorious for their bad acting, lack of visual appeal and dryness of plot, even for those ambitious enough to assault the big screen. For the most part, the Son of God fell into this unfortunate category of spiritual yet mediocre films.

I did not dislike the entire film. There were good elements such as its honest adherence to biblical scriptures, and dramatic presentation of Christ?s character (Diogo Morgado). However, due to sub-par acting and a choppy storyline, the entire experience felt like watching the classic Christian film Ben-Hur. It just was not good enough for a modern American audience.

Yet as a Christian, I still felt a weird infatuation as the story unfolded. I loved how Jesus in this film felt less like a distant, godly prophet and more like a personal and charismatic leader. His character was impassioned, vibrant and emotional, and I could not help but like him. Even though I felt that Morgado slightly overdid his role, I appreciated the films attempt to create a more ?contemporary? Jesus.

Another high point of the film was its dramatic depiction of Christ?s death. It contained all the traditional tortures of the Messiah including the flogging, crown of thorns and the final crucifixion of his bloodied body upon the cross. This passionate performance brought some in the audience to tears and everyone to a state of thoughtful reverence.

Overall, however, the film was just too sensational. From the Pharisees who felt more like whiny fools than powerful leaders, to the inconsistent attitudes of the twelve disciples, the acting affectively condemned this film to be nothing more than a money-making box office flick.

The Son of God offers very little surprise, unremarkable special effects and almost no originality. In my opinion, Passion of the Christ (2004) offers a more realistic and more compelling retelling of the story than Son of God.

In conclusion, I wish to leave my readers with one important thing: despite the film?s subpar production, the Son of God still effectively delivers the essence of Christ?s sacrifice and it does so in a way that is generally acceptable to all Christians.

If you are looking for a fantastic film with awesome special effects and superb acting, this you will not find. But if, as a Christian, you are looking for a way in which you might remember the story of he who is the foundation of your beliefs, then this movie is certainly for you.

Son of God runs at 138 minutes and is rated PG-13 for intense and bloody depiction of The Crucifixion, and for some sequences of violence.

This author can be reached via Twitter: @JohnathanNyberg. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more reviews, read the Feb. 3 article, ‘Steelheart’ leaves impression with originality.