Rating: 
Summary: A gutsy effort,with some brilliant moments and a great score
Review: As a junior in High School my future brother-in-law gave me a copy of Kazantzakis novel telling me it was worth the effort. The final 30 pages alone were worth the book. So hearing that the esteemed director,martin scorsecse was doing this move, i could not wait to see it. when I saw the pickets, I doubled my resolve. Willem dafoe gives an inertesting portrayal as Jesus, harvey Keitel is miscast as Judas, Andre Gregory is excellent as John the Baptist{the scene where he comes upon John at the jordan is memorable}barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalan is quite good, and the controversial sex scene is so obvious{and brief},that I wondered if anyone actually SAW this movie before they went out yellingg. Peter gabriel put the best score to a movie I have heard in years. Not nearly as statling as you would think, though it does follow the book almost literally. A good effort,fine acting and a great score.
Rating:
Summary: Serious and spiritual, though flawed
Review: By now, only the most close-minded fundamentalists can still believe that this movie is anything but a major film artist's searching and respectful examination of an enigmatic spiritual leader. For them, there are the cheap pieties of "Ben Hur", I suppose, and we need not waste any more time on them.As a non-Christian child, exposed to the endless parade of Crucifixions on display in our art museums, Jesus seemed merely the object an unusually morbid cult. It took this film to show me the beauty and profundity of his story. That gift was more than worth putting up with Harvey Keitel's Brooklyn-accented Judas and the film's other minor shortcomings, some of which were the unavoidable result of Scorsese's having to make this film with less money than the producers of "Wild Wild West" spent on catering. (For example, Barbara Hershey - the sarcastic ... reviewer should be so lucky! - had to continually re-apply her own mendhi tattoos in the hot weather because there weren't enough make-up artists to go around.) Some scenes, like the raising of the Cross, are as powerful as any in Scorsese's work and should be seen by every serious film viewer.
Rating: 
Summary: Review from a Catholic
Review: Even though I am a practicing Roman Catholic, I do not share the view of many of my fellow Christians that this movie is a travesty for the fictional Jesus that it presents. That being said, there is one particularly troubling aspect of the film which insults my religious beliefs. I did not like the projected homo-eroticism that was shown between Jesus and Lazarus. Regardless, keeping in mind that this is a fictional account of the Gospels, the movie does quite a good job of depicting the human side of Jesus. The Catholic Church makes a point of stating that "Jesus became man," and I think that the movie does quite well show the human side of Jesus. If you are willing to look past the controversy surrounding this film and remember that it is a fictional account, you may find that the film deepens your understanding of the historical Jesus.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant human speculation.
Review: First of all, if this movie were considered an historical account, it would be heretical. Yet, as Scorcese has plainly stated, this movie only speculates as to what the human life of Jesus was like. What personal price did he pay for his ministry? Did he feel romantic love? How did he deal with being in the middle of a spiritual war between good and evil? How did he deal with the prospect of his own grisly death? Well, Scorcese powerfully brought to life the questions we have asked for 2000 years. But he never places into question the Divinity of Christ, and Scorcese's Jesus falters but never leaves the path. Sure, seeing Jesus depicted as a Roman flunky and fantasizing about Magdelene and women disturbed and even repulsed me. But Jesus' conquest over fear and temptation in the desert, his healing of the sick, his crucifixion, and his strength at his last moment all uplifted me. As always, Scorcese's direction is impeccable and his sets are beautiful. The violence in the movie is unflinching. Willem Dafoe is outstanding as Jesus, and I think David Bowie portrays Pilate as he was: a Roman despot indifferent to crucifying Jewish people. I didn't sleep for 2 nights after I saw the movie the first time. But I enjoy it greatly now....
Rating:
Summary: Uneven, gratuitous, some great set pieces, though
Review: A very uneven film. Contains plenty of gratuitous scenes surely designed to offend and provoke for their own sake. SOme of it is just silly. That being said, the crucifixion has never been more dramatically or movingly portrayed. When Christ's head fills the screen with the blue sky in the background, the anguish is palpable. Some scenes are visually powerful but clearly belong in another movie. This is a thinking and questioning man's film about Christ-it is not for the already convinced or the devout. You can pass this one up easily or watch it as a symptom of the times.
Rating:
Summary: An Inspiring Film...
Review: I found this to be a inspiring film about Jesus and I'm an athiest. If you're looking for a retelling of the biblical story of Jesus, try one of those old epics that show up on TV around Easter. But if you are looking for a thought provoking and moving tale, give this movie a try. Watching this movie made me almost believe in god, but since when I switched back to TV mode I landed on the 700 club, that didn't last long.
Rating: 
Summary: Wouldn't Satan be a scapegoat for mankind's sins ?
Review: I love Martin Scorsese's pictures, but this one has to be the most beautiful and intelligent I ever saw. Especially, that's probably the first movie to deal constructively with the true meaning of Satan's intrusions into our lives. This film really puts a new light on the traditional and usually "pagan" depiction of Lucifer (Angel of Light / Angel of Truth). The young and seraphic Juliette Caton is utterly perfect in this difficult and blasphemous role. A true spiritual journey. Ask yourselves who is really the bad guy when you make very bad things : the Devil... or the inner you ?
Rating:
Summary: Next To Goodfellas It's Martin's Best
Review: The only Scorsese movie I liked more then this is "Goodfellas". This is astonishingly powerful although not for the religiously sensitive or fans of quick pace. If you have the patience you will love this fantastic film with great directing, landscapes, score, and top notch performances from Willam Dafoe (Platoon, Affliction)and if you look closely David Bowie. I love this movie more every time I see it.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best interpretation of Gospel on film
Review: THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST has a permanent spot on my all-time ten best list. Martin Scorsese's films have all, directly or implicitly, addressed religion in some manner. Here, he takes the full plunge, and creates a movie so forcefully personal that any viewer will be hard-pressed not to be deeply affected. By adapting the Kazantzakis novel instead of the actual Gospel itself, Scorsese has allowed himself a little more artistic leeway, which lends the film more power. Scorsese has not, as he has been accused of, made a sacreligious movie that insults the image of Christ. Rather, he has portrayed the dual nature of Christ... a man struggling with the realization that he is the Son of God and not a mere mortal. This unique viewpoint makes this the most effective, truest religious film ever.
Rating:
Summary: The Bible Belt didn't like this one! Free-thinkers only.
Review: The Last Temptation of Christ was so controversial that I could not find it for quite a while, here in the Heartland. Luckily, we have The Internet, now.... So, personal prejudices are not so controlling, anymore. You'd think, as many "Adult" movies as the stores carried, they would have a movie like Temptation, which is more....Intellectually Stimulating. I haven't seen this one for a very long time, but I recall enough to know that it is probably more topical NOW, than it was when it was released. With all the books published, recently, about the Gnostic Gospels, the Nag Hammadi texts, Mary Magdalene, Freemasonry and other previously hidden material...now is the Tyme. If you are a free-thinker, who seriously wants to understand religion, instead-of letting others do your thinking for you...or, you are simply curious about a movie that caused such a fuss...toss this one in your shopping cart and delve into the mystery.
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