by Frank Calvillo
While the presence of the biblical film has been alive and well in Hollywood for eras, it seems that in the last decade or so, the genre has seen an undeniable downturn in popularity. Period retellings such as The Nativity Story are now largely ignored, with audiences preferring more modern-day takes on Christianity such as Heaven is For Real. Yet, there are those who still yearn for expertly-made productions where the most treasured of these stories are revisited in telling and poetic ways. Unfortunately for them, Risen is not one of these cases.
Risen tells the story of Roman Tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), who is ordered to solve the mystery of what happened to Jesus’s missing body in the days following the crucifixion. Aided by Lucius (Tom Felton), his second-in-command, Clavius explores every possible explanation as to who knows what exactly took place as rumors of a new messiah begin to circulate throughout Jerusalem.
Its incredibly astounding how much of Risen fails to come together, and the kind of narrative techniques the filmmakers actually thought would help tell such a familiar and beloved story. For starters, the script has been dumbed down beyond belief it seems, for fear to not alienate audience members who tend to not favor such historical dialogue. Decidedly workman-like direction from Kevin Reynolds does nothing to help matters as scenes of tension, drama and action are totally mishandled. None are as misjudged though as the number of intended, yet oddly placed, comedic moments which, naturally, fail to hit and seem beyond inappropriate.
Above all though, it seems that the powers that be behind the scenes couldn’t decide what kind of film they wanted Risen to be. Was it about the mystery of what happened, power struggles in Jerusalem or the discovery of faith? It seems that the consensus was all of the above, and the end result is a movie which drags to no end.
One of the most essential parts of any biblical tale which makes its way to the screen, is a stunning visual feel, which thankfully Risen has. This is a handsomely mounted film with moments of great beauty ranging from the costumes, to the sun-drenched set and glorious landscapes. From a production standpoint, there isn’t one part of Risen which doesn’t work to create a world that does the story and the audience justice.
Everyone seems miscast in their roles, with Fiennes in particular channeling Christopher Meloni’s Detective Stabler during his interrogation scenes and adding no color whatsoever the any of his other moments onscreen. Felton likewise fails in what is essentially a “walker” role, which if anything else, offers him another part where he gets to wear elaborate costumes. Meanwhile, Peter Firth as Pilate never seems to take advantage of the power his character affords him acting-wise and underplays his role. The lone pair of bright spots in the cast come in the form of Cliff Curtis as Yeshua and Maria Botto as Mary Magdelane, who beautifully embody the loveliness of the story without having to speak much dialogue.
Its understandable for every religion-themed film to reach for a kind of heightened glory a la The Passion of the Christ. That film remains for many devoted people of faith, the epitome of the biblical epic and a truly great piece of filmmaking by which all other such titles will forever be judged. While its aspirations to achieve similar success are more than apparent, Risen simply has so many elements working against it, that it seems forever destined to strive for a greatness it never finds, even if it does provide a beautiful looking journey along the way.
