Rating: 
Summary: I wanted it to be good...
Review: I respected the idea behind this film. I enjoy speculation of the things we do not know about Christ. I'm ok with the what-ifs. But that's not what this film was about at all. This was taking what we DO know about Jesus and throwing it all away and basically saying "Wouldn't it have been more interesting if Christ had done THIS instead?" This was taking the Savior and saying - "We'll credit the Savior thing...but can he be a different guy altogether? Can he be a little naughty? A little simple? Can he spice it up a bit? A tad more "As the World Turns" perhaps?" It was meant to shock. It was designed to get Christians in a hissy. It's too bad that Christians responded the way they did when the film was first released because all they did was give it far greater publicity than Scorsese could've hoped for.I still respect what this film could've been. I still respect the idea of it. I gave it 3 stars because I could not finish it and I felt it was only fair to assume that the rest might have been decent (aside from the fact that even the writers bought into the traditional view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute when there is not one shred of evidence that she was.) I understand that the ending is phenomenal and I wish I could've seen it. However, it's not worth sitting through the rest of the film just to experience one great ending. This film was designed to make a scandal...not to make a statement.
Rating: 
Summary: Not from the Gospels
Review: In remembering when this movie came out, I wondered if this movie would be too controversial for me to enjoy. As the film started, there were a couple notes that put things into perspective. The first one was from the author of the book on which this movie is based. He basically says that he was intrigued by the dual nature of Christ (being of man and of God). The second note mentions that the movie is not based on the Gospels. This should have taken care of all controversy. For the most part, I did not have a problem with the movie. Willem Dafoe plays Jesus who is a carpenter who is plagued with voices. He does not see these as a gift, and there is no mention that he is the son of God. Thus begins his journey to discover his true identity. For the most part, this is from events covered in the New Testament. There are some interpretations added to help the flow and to emphasize his human nature. Nothing too bad. He does perform miracles. In the film, the last temptation takes place during the crucifixion and takes up almost a fifth of the movie. Putting the incidentals aside, he is basically tempted with a regular, happy human life. I don't see this as much of a temptation as a vision, but that could be open to interpretation. I would recommend seeing this film with the caveat that it is not based solely on the Gospels, but it is based on a work of fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Have to see it with an open heart
Review: Hey, I am super catholic and I loved this movie.
Christ is beyond any movie, so look at it as the result of 2 master minds, Martin Scorseze and Peter Gabriel. I remember the first time I saw this movie, I achieved Nirvana, just with the intro, I saw the landscape in the movie and then I heard the PG song "let the passion begin", awesome. In addition Willem Dafoe did a really good job, I felt sad seeing him in Spider Man, it is kind of a stupid role for such a great professional, but even there he did awesome. So, aleluyah for the good cinema.
Rating:
Summary: Missing scene???
Review: I saw the Latin American version of this DVD and I have a question: wasn't there a scene at the last supper in which Jesus cries while he talks to his disciples?? I didn't see this scene on the DVD, but I remember it from the cinema. Am I dreaming or this DVD version had an omission? I think, for the ones who own or have heard the soundtrack, the song that fit that part was "Bread & Wine". ...
Rating: 
Summary: So-so Scorsese
Review: As a fan of Martin Scorsese and a recovering ex-Liberal, I just had to buy this film when it first came to video and a certain major chain of rental outlets refused to stock it because of the attendant controversy. It was my own form of "protest" against those narrow-minded Christians who would "censor" the film because it dared challenge the orthodoxy. Now, years later, I can see what my own bias at the time blinded me to: The Last Temptation of Christ, while technically stunning, is largely a bore. While it's possible to be too "reverent", like the Biblical epics of the past, this film proves that the opposite is also true. It's own "progressive" take on the life of Jesus pigeonholes it as a piece of era-specific social propoganda every bit as dated in its own way as Cecil B. DeMill's hoary old epics. Its New Age Jesus seems as goofy now as Healing Crystals or pyramid power. The controversial sex scene involving Jesus and Mary Magdalene became the focus of a frenzied protest by Christian Conservatives. They actually ended up giving the film a brief bump at the box office because of knee-jerk Liberals like me. They would have been better off actually seeing the film, first; then they would have realized what a short shelf-life it really had. The taboo coupling was not even offensive, since - HELLO! - it happened in a vision - a fantasy - as Satan tempted Jesus on the cross (which, by the way, is Biblical). No, worse than offensive, The Last Temptation of Christ is just plain talky and dreadfully self-important. The rush by largely left-wing critics to call it a brilliant masterpiece was reactionary and wrong-headed. For vintage Scorsese, you can do no better than Taxi Driver, or Raging Bull - films where action, camera work, dialog, and performances meld in a uniquely energetic style that communicates much more than mere words. Those films, with their painfully vivid depths, serve as better windows on the human soul, its capacity for sin, and its hope for redemption. When it comes to films about Jesus, Franco Zefferelli's Jesus of Nazareth is no masterpiece either. But at least it delivers the goods in a smart, stylish way.
Rating:
Summary: Why The Controversy? HERE'S Why...
Review: ......Jesus' naked backside is shown bouncing up and down on top of Mary Magdalene. OF COURSE it's sacriligeous!!! Was it necessary? Of course not. Let's be intellectually honest here. Christians had a legitimate gripe. Hiding behind the fact that this takes place in a "dream sequence" is disingenuous--we're talking about a film here...no one shot is any more "real" than any other. In film, any one depiction is as real as any other (see "Rashomon"). To say something doesn't "count" because it was a "dream" is stupid. Of course, there are knee-jerk, self-styled "intellectuals" and "sophisticates" who chose to lavish this film with praise simply because it angered those horrible, right-wing Christians. Anything that angers Christians must be great art, right? Wrong.
I thought it was a mediocre movie, and not one of Scorsese's best (certainly no "Raging Bull"). But like Kubrick, Scorsese certainly has his share of zealots who believe he can do no wrong. For a really cool film about the life of Jesus (sans the liberal, "controversial" touches), try "The Greatest Story Ever Told." The vibe is better, it looks cooler, and the acting is better (the cameos by famous actors don't bother me in the slightest). Regardless of religious affiliation, it's simply a superior movie. One thing that can be said for "Last Temptation," though, is Peter Gabriel's incredible score. Absolutely beautiful music. Not only is the soundtrack available on CD, but a companion set of source-material is available called "Passion-Sources." Check it out.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film
Review: This Film has made my top 5 list. Great soundtrack,Directing and casting make a great film. out of all the people I have seen play Jesus, William Dafoe has done the best job I ever seen
Rating:
Summary: Best Christ movie EVER!!!
Review: I loved this movie It is a great story awesome acting (It is sacreligious that Harvey Kietel or Willem Dafoe didn't get nominated!) Martin Scorsese was already my second favorite director (Kevin Smith is #1) But this movie great Barb Hershey is great also! The Crucifixion is the most passonate I've seen since Jesus on CBS (Jeremy Sisto as Jesus) The way Willem was a Christ was also against the normal Jesus he doesn't have a male model like body, nor does he have chizzled features he is a body builder either in fact he's a little scrawny. The story of how he meets Judas is also interesting. The first time I saw this I had NO idea of what I was getting into when the little girl shows up at the cross and the worlds on mute I almost had an annurism trying to figure it out.There are a few nude scenes (Including Mary Magdeline doing her job read the bible to find out what it was) so mature audiances only [....] This movie is NOT for squemish people (Bloody) GREAT SCORE especially the end It is accomplished is my favorite the last shot is oddly cool and weird all at once SEE IT BUY IT READ THE BOOK!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Makes sense of the sacrifice
Review: If Jesus KNEW he was God's son, would live forever in heaven, was above human frailty and temptation, and etc etc then WHERE is the sacrifice? Even on the cross he is to have asked why his father had forsaken him. To me, that is the essence which this film depicts. It is a totally human portrait and Jesus was allegedly on earth to suffer FOR us. I would not have accepted what he accepted because I am human. Therefore, the film portrayal of a guy who thinks, "I could be happily married, making love, having a family, enjoying my friends, etc etc" and yet STILL ACCEPTS the ultimate scarifice and all that he relinquished to do that makes this a moving portrayal of Jesus...I would walk through fire if I were wearing a flame retardant suit. I would not even have to think TWICE about it if I were in my streetclothes: NO WAY. This Jesus wore his street clothes and did it for us. Impressive.
Rating:
Summary: The dual substance of Christ.
Review: For me, this movie was an experience rather than just "waching a flick". I believe the essence of the movie is best described by the quote from Nikos Kazantzakis' book at the opening of the movie.(On the Criterion release that is...don't know about Universal)
"The dual substance of Christ - the yearning, so human,
so superhuman, of man to attain God...has always been a deep inscrutable mystery to me. My principle anguish and source of all my joys and sorrows from my youth onwards has been the incessant, merciless battle between the spirit and the flesh...and my soul is the arena where these two armies
have clashed and met." I believe Scorsese together with a fine cast of actors has done a remarkable job of giving Kazantzakis' thoughts form in "The Last Temptation Of Christ." I loved watching this movie (more than once) and I never was distracted by acting flaws, stupid (?)camera tricks or accents. If you are distracted by Keitel's accent and want authenticity, make sure you shop for a DVD that features the Aramaic language. I believe it would be very difficult to better the performances of the principal actors. Look for André Gregory (My dinner with André) excellently cast as John the Baptist. He's almost unrecognizable.
Technically, the disc is very good. It features an anamorphic transfer and beautiful 5.1 Dolby Digital sound wonderfully done by Criterion. There are some (very) minor imperfections on the master print but they never distracted me. Furthermore, the music score doesn't sound as transparent as on Peter Gabriels' CD. The addition of research material I found extremely interesting. Some of this material contained (unique) scientific evidence of the remains of a crucified man. Scorsese used this for what must be the most accurate portrayal of a crucifixtion recorded on film.
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