Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Young Messiah Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 6, 2016

"Inspired by." "Imagines." These are key words that appear at the beginning of The Young Messiah, and words that are key for audiences, particularly those familiar with the Bible and its relative scarcity of scripture concerning Jesus' youth, to both accept it and find value in it. Those words essentially equate to "fiction," just as any film would be labeled that's rooted in some truth or historical event but remanufactured or expanded upon for either dramatic license or to hit a particular theme. But with the Bible widely believed to be "divinely inspired" and carefully put together, with scriptures that warn on the very subject of adding to or subtracting from it, it would be easy to label a movie of this sort as sacrilege. Then there's the entire other side of the philosophical and theological arguments that would claim the Bible to either be an entire work of fiction or more a man-made history text, with man-made influence behind it, and not a sacred account of a higher power and His influence over the world. Regardless, a movie like The Young Messiah that attempts to fill in the blanks left out of the Bible is bound to stir up some passionate emotions and arguments one way or another. But those theological pursuits aside, how does the movie stand up on its own merits, away from any noise and as a picture that strives to shed some light on the tale of a boy who, on a long journey back home, comes to learn that he's divinity with a God-ordained destiny, and not simply flesh and bone?

The healer.

Following a vivid dream, Joseph (Vincent Walsh) moved his wife Mary (Sara Lazaro), son Jesus (Adam Greaves-Neal), and extended family from Nazareth to Egypt. Now, years later, he's received an equally powerful dream compelling him to return his family home. Jesus is just coming of age. He once dazzled his friends by returning a dead bird to life, and he's done so again, on a much larger scale: he's returned a dead boy, whom he was accused of killing, from death. Along the journey, Jesus heals family, demonstrates an uncanny command of scripture, and slowly begins to realize that he is more than mortal man. At the same time, a Roman named Severus (Sean Bean) hunts the family down by orders of Herod (Jonathan Bailey).

The film certainly takes its charge seriously. Though an adolescent Jesus with a British accent is initially a bit hard to swallow, The Young Messiah quickly establishes a strong foundational core. Clearly, the film takes more than its share of liberties, but it doesn't take them anywhere one could not reasonably imagine. Jesus heals. Jesus calms tensions. Jesus demonstrates an unflappable knowledge of scripture. Jesus isn't even particularly surprised about who He is when He hears the truth. The film doesn't push any extremes, but it is largely only extrapolating, expanding, exploring the possibilities within the context of what minimal foundation the Bible provides and with a fairly well researched, more broadly historical backdrop in support.

One of the areas the film pushes hard, which does have a parallel in Scripture later on in Jesus' life, is Satan's temptations and, here, efforts to knock Jesus down and to negatively influence the world around Him. The movie is certainly not very clandestine about its imagery, either. Satan appears early in the movie, the first time seen on-screen, clad in black and eating an apple, the widely accepted "color of evil" in the classic "light versus dark" motif and carrying the fruit of original sin. It's effective imagery, though again how it, and most everything else, for that matter, sits with the more religiously inclined audience will ultimately determine the film's success or failure.

From a production standpoint, the movie oozes a sense of authenticity. There's little here beyond crude and earthy places and garments, except for the more hefty Roman garb, but the filmmakers have done a commendable job of recreating the world with the vitality and simplicity of the time. Performances are by-and-large satisfactory as well. Adam Greaves-Neal may not speak as one would imagine a young Jesus to speak, but he demonstrates a good command of the character and the movie's selling point, which is not so much his maturation along a journey, but rather his realization of who he is through the journey. There's a good sense of childlike wonder, awe, and mild confusion (though one must wonder if Jesus, at that age, would have yet to partially, if not even fully, grasp His divinity) to the character, but also a firm confidence and, if nothing else, an unmistakable spark of something bigger. It's a very, and uniquely, challenging role, with countless obstacles in the way, but Greaves-Neal handles it about as well as one can reasonably expect.

The Young Messiah Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Young Messiah's 1080p transfer is clear and nicely detailed, its digital source giving it a mild flatness that doesn't interfere with the rougher texturing of its time. Indeed, details prove extremely impressive on the whole, particularly patchwork garments and the rough structural exteriors, as well as sandy and rocky terrain. The robes are extraordinary in close-up, providing amazingly intimate and tactile definition that never betrays the fabric's finest points. Heavier Roman armor impresses with a heightened sense of intimate detail and tangible texturing. Colors are unsurprisingly dominated by a myriad of earthy browns and tans. Robes, terrain, and structures all almost exclusively take on those shades, with richly colored natural greenery and red Roman soldier accents the exceptions, not the rule. Black levels are fair and flesh tones neutral. Noise does interfere, particularly in lower light scenes, to the point of distraction. Otherwise, this is a solid all-around transfer from Universal.

The Young Messiah Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Young Messiah features a rather straightforward, but technically sound, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The experience is predominantly front-heavy. Music certainly doesn't demonstrate much drive towards the rears, but the front elements do enjoy solid enough clarity and spacing. Outdoor atmospherics are well defined and manage a bit of a greater drift into the rears for a mild, but critical, sense of localized immersion. Large gatherings produce a heightened din that also makes further, though not always extreme, use of the surrounds. Dialogue is the primary comment, and it's well prioritized and effortlessly clear from its comfortable front-center positioning.

The Young Messiah Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Young Messiah contains several deleted scenes, a featurette, and a commentary track. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 6:52 total runtime): Herod with Soothsayers, In the Village, Fever Broke, and Romans are Looking for Us.
• The Making of The Young Messiah (1080p, 10:12): Cast and crew discuss the film's origins, the challenges inherent in filming such a large film on a small budget, casting decisions, and selecting the filming locations, all intermixed with behind-the-scenes footage from the film.
• Audio Commentary: Director/Co-Writer Cyrus Nowrasteh and Co-Writer Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh discuss the Anne Rice novel that inspired the film. They make clear that this is an imagining of a year in the life of Christ rather than a Biblical account. They cover filming timelines and cast and crew appointments (including casting unknowns to play Jesus' family). They discuss the troubles with working with children who can only work for four hours per day. Discussions also include the history of the era, building the sets, working with the cast, filming with multiple cameras, and more.

The Young Messiah Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Young Messiah strives to extrapolate the story of Jesus' younger days. It's divisive by its very nature. As a film in a vacuum, it's not half bad. Production design is strong, performances are good, and the story is compelling, regardless of how much is fact and how much is fiction. It somewhat resembles Risen, at least insofar as it "imagines" something beyond the text of the Bible itself. It will be interesting to see if these "re-imagined" or partially "make-believe" Bible films will become the new trend and what the reaction to them will be, particularly from the Christian community. Universal's Blu-ray release of The Young Messiah delivers strong video, good audio, and a decent allotment of extra content. Worth a look.