Visual Bible International's the Gospel of John

The Gospel of John was released in theaters in November of 2003, just months before the release of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. The film was produced by Visual Bible International and directed by Phillip Saville. Christopher Plummer narrates the movie, and Henry Ian Cusick (Lost's Desmond David Hume) stars as Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John is one of the best films I seen during the last few years. As a word-for-word interpretation of the gospel from the Good News Bible translation, TGOJ gives a faithful representation of the Gospel According to John, thanks to Saville and screenwriter John Goldsmith.

Henry Ian Cusick, I believe, is one of the best actors ever to play Jesus (ranking in the company of Robert Powell in Jesus of Nazareth and The Passion of the Christ's Jim Caviezel), capturing the human side of Christ without compromising the deity of Jesus. Christopher Plummer's narration is also very powerful. Daniel Kash delivers an outstanding performance as the Apostle Peter, as does Stuart Bunce who plays the Apostle John.

The two-DVD set I own is release issued in the spring of 2005 after Visual Bible International launched a distribution deal with Disney's Buena Vista division. This DVD set contains the original 3 three hour version released in theaters and a second version, edited down to two hours. Some of the DVD bonus features include featurettes about the cast and filmmakers, historical background and production design. Also included is an interactive map of the Holy Land, as well as a glossary of historical terms. What's sadly missing here is a commentary track. I wish Saville would have recorded such a track, along with some of the members of his cast and crew.

Some viewers and critics have regarded The Gospel of John as being superior to Mel Gibson's Passion, but I like both films equally well. The Gospel of John and The Passion of the Christ make great companion films to each other, with one film focusing on the crucifixion of Jesus and the hours leading up to it, while the other movie focuses on His life, teachings and ministry. Both movies are great, although I would have loved to have seen TGOJ get as much exposure as The Passion. It would have been great to have seen this film out in as many theaters as The Passion was playing in, and I don't think it would have lessened the impact of Gibson's film at all.