Jesus Christ Superstar Review

The story of Jesus Christ is one of the most famous in the world and is known by almost everybody, but have you ever wanted to see it as a musical in the modern day performed by a bunch of hippies? Probably not, but this is one of the many great things about this movie. If someone told you that it was the story of Jesus as a modern hippie musical you would think it sounds ridiculous. Although at some times it might be it never fails to deliver. With amazing performances all around from actors like Ted Neeley (Jesus Christ) and Carl Anderson (Judas Iscariot) it really makes a seemingly ridiculous concept becomes one of the best things about it. The songs, actors, and script are all great and make the movie something to remember.x

Jesus Christ Superstar came out in 1973; it was based on a play by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the adaptation by Norman Jewison which is one of the really great factors of the movie. This movie is based around the central concept of asking “Was Jesus really the son of god, or just a regular man?” This is a very apparent theme with many of Judas’ songs asking Jesus about what his motives. It contains the main events of Jesus’ life including the last supper, his crucifixion, and his trial. The scene choice was also very dependent on the movie which is, was Jesus Christ really the son of god or just another man?

The movie opens with the musical cast driving into a desert and you see them unloading their bus. The first song is Judas singing about Jesus and how he thinks that he is just a man and not the son of god. It then shows Jesus in a cave with his followers, with them asking him about the future. Judas comes in and criticizes Jesus. The movie continues with other wonderful music pieces depicting Jesus’ life. Some of the songs are certain to crack you up while others really want to make you cry, this contrast really helps with the storytelling. The characters portrayals in the movie are sometimes very strange and will really make you think what the heck did I just see.

Jesus Christ Superstar used its premise very much to its advantage and it was executed so skillfully so that something that sounds silly at first is the best thing about the movie. The movie was filmed in the desert with ancient ruins serving as a common location. The way that they use modern technology to show what it was like at the time is something really interesting about the movie. When Judas feels that he has to betray Jesus and when he feels trapped it uses tanks and planes to show this. Or when it shows the market in front of the temple, to illustrate the horrible nature of this they show that guns, drugs and prostitutes are being sold. The actors also make it so convincing, especially Carl Anderson (Judas Iscariot).  Carl Anderson is so convincing in his role, you can always feel his emotion and see how he feels.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a movie that you should definitely try to get a look at. Though not being the best movie ever it consistently gives great performances and musical numbers. I recommend this movie to people who want a little bit of a twist on the story of Jesus Christ, and also to adults who may find some of the imagery and referencing easier to understand than younger people. The performance by Carl Anderson is probably the best actor in the movie and gives such a believable performance. Although Jesus’ role is still not portrayed by an actor of the same caliber he still doesn’t diminish the overall value of the movie. The choice of what parts of Jesus’ life to show was also very interesting because it further reinforced the question of whether or not Jesus was the son of god. Overall this is definitely a great movie and is something that you should try to watch. I give Jesus Christ Superstar a 9/10.