Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

crosslit-34001 Jesus' perfect sacrifice is approached from a controversial viewpoint. Judas Iscariot sought to follow Jesus. But he fell short in the long run. The mangerie that follow him demonstrate that same seeing without seeing and hearing without hearing when in the final seen they board a bus one by one. They behold the Cross, but don't grasp the Resurrection. Mary Magdelene is beautifully portrayed by a uniquely talented vocalist. The scene wherein Pontius Pilate actually has Jesus' Blood on his hands is a powerful device. Although it is not, of course, not biblically accurate.

Eric Stevenson I actually managed to see this movie as an actual play and while the play version is better, this is still very nice. I admit that it can be really weird at times. They try to make it into this movie about hippies with an actual 70's era van appearing and people with modern clothing popping out. The van eventually leaves at the end. Okay, that was quite strange, but I don't think it was blasphemous in any way. The songs are of course what makes this so good. The most memorable one for me is "The great Jesus Christ". I specifically remember that from the play! The pacing is another strong point. I thought it would go into more detail about Jesus being crucified. I guess I'm pretty glad it didn't. As someone who's seen a lot of Jesus movies, this seems to be as authentic to the Bible as any other. It is weird to think of a musical based on well, an extremely painful death, but it's still delivered well. I didn't know Andrew Lloyd Webber made the play, but I certainly recognize his name. You don't know what zany song will pop up next. I guess this is the least controversial Jesus movie ever made. With so many films of that kind with him on it, it's nice to have one more heartfelt, I suppose. ***

gygbrown Jesus Christ Superstar is one of my favorite stage productions, it's a great musical take on the story of Jesus, but it's first and foremost a rock/opera and because of that takes its own liberties with the story.The story is about Jesus' last few weeks before his crucifixion. However, instead of being told from Jesus' point-of-view, it's told from Judas' point-of-view. Because of this, instead of Jesus being seen as an all-powerful figure, we see Jesus as just a normal man; a man that is losing control of the thing he started. From there we see Judas' betrayal and Jesus trial with Pilate and his crucifixion. There is no spoken dialogue in the film. Like the stage show, every part of the story is told in song.The film is very much what the stage show was, with a few minor changes to help turn it into a movie. Some lyrics are changed and a couple songs were added in to make for a more detailed story than the one that was in the original Broadway show (Then We Are Decided and Could We Start Again? The latter being featured in many later productions). The film is shot entirely on location in Israel, which makes for a beautiful looking movie and all of the performance are wonderful, with Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson being the two that really steal the show.One of the things that I really like about this movie is an element that some people criticize and that's the vocal recordings. Norman Jewison goes for a more live and real rendition of the songs, instead of a professional, operatic sound that most musicals go for. Because of this, there are certain notes that are sung a bit off and some notes are changed completely to accommodate the performances of the actors and the attitudes they are trying to convey. I personally like the vocals being this way because it makes for a more realistic musical from a vocal standpoint.If I had to nitpick towards anything with this production, it would be some of its filming style and some of the extras in the film. The film obviously was restricted by time and being in another country obviously meant re-shoots would be, from a budget standpoint, impossible. There are shots in the movie where extras are clearly laughing or chatting during shots and some of the camera shots and angles are shaky due to the shaky weather of the environment.So overall, the 1973 version of Jesus Christ Superstar is a near perfect musical. If you've never had the honor of seeing the stage show, you should definitely check this movie out.

atlasmb This rock opera is an adaptation of the stage performance. When it was released in 1973, I went to see it at the local cinema with a friend. We exited the theater singing the thoroughly catchy songs. Then we saw it six more times that week. Obviously, we loved it. The reasons are many.First, the entire production is innovative. The very creative staging includes some outdoor settings that are minimalistic. The score uses various styles, even honky tonk. The film employs anachronistic elements that give it a timeless feeling. Though the story has biblical sources, it uses comedy and some hard rock music. And just being an opera--with all words being sung--is a huge gamble.The cast is wonderful. The songs are not easy to sing, but the vocalists come through with flying colors. This production promised the genius of Andrew Lloyd Weber (and Tim Rice) that was to follow. No wonder it was so compelling.