The Young Messiah

A worthy film but its marred by heavy handed dialogue in an effort to retain its Biblical roots. The story is largely fictionalised as there is little said about Jesus' life as a child in the Bible. However, the film is interesting and occasionally thought provoking.

Based on an Anne Rice novel, _The Young Messiah_ is an apocryphal story about Jesus Christ as a child. After the death of King Herod the Great, Joseph and Mary decide to end their exile in Egypt and move back to Nazareth; and along the way they grapple with what to tell Jesus as he starts to question who he is and his supernatural abilities. Most of the film seems inspired by non-canonical Christian scriptures, which present some interesting questions but doesn’t have a lot to say spiritually. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting story and the production values are really good. Also, the use of fresh unknown actors helps with the authentic feel. _The Young Messiah_ isn’t a bad film, but it undercuts its relevance by going outside of traditional Christian mythology.