Rating: 
Summary: STUNNING!!!!!
Review: If you are a serious fan of anything to do with JCS you must see this new addition. It is 10/10. Theres nothing that I could say a negative thing about his movie. The Actors are brilliante with magnificent voices, the score is about 99% the same but there are a few minor differences to the original which are of great addiction. There are a few different lycrics but mostly all original. You would have to be a real negative person to say anything bad about his movie. A must see for JCS fans!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven at points - but amazingly compeling
Review: I was initially skeptical of this new film version of the Weber / Rice classic. However, after viewing I found the production to be far more compelling than the the 1973 version. Direction by Gale Edwards and staging updated this broadway classic in a way that is at once classical (as in Greek drama) and modern (allowing it to speak to a younger generation).While there are moments of overacting on both the parts of Glenn Carter (Jesus) and Jerome Pradon (Judas Iscariot) - perhaps appropriate on stage - the intensity and emotion both bring to the material illuminated the complex relationship of these two men far greater than the 1973 version. Also the singing quality of both main leads at times leaves something to be desired and in general are inconsistent. However, again, both actors have an intensity that propelled this viewer into watching the production 5 times in a row. Renee Castle as Mary Magadeline is compeling and the vocal quality of the actor playing Peter (sorry I don't have his name)was amazing. The staging of the title song brought new insight into this moment in the production, but at the same time it was a little awkward in its execution. While the filmic version of this stage production worked on many levels, it at times seemed to be unskilled. Overall, I think huge credit needs to go to Gale Edwards for her vision in the direction and staging of this production. A fine and compelling cast, while showing imperfections in acting and vocal talent at various points, when pulled together make for a strangly addictive production. Well worth the purchase for those who love the music and are suckers for stories of ordinary folks caught up in extraordinary circumstances.
Rating:
Summary: A Different Take on JCS
Review: This is my all time favorite musical. I think it is a brilliant piece of work that stands up even ,today. I play it often during Lent. I was excited when I heard there was going to be a new version of JCS videotaped. This version does come across as a bit too theatrical at times. I think Glenn Carter was great as Jesus. I found him to be believable even without a beard. Renee Castle was great as Mary Magadalene. Though, I wasn't too impressed with Jerome Pradon as Judas. I can't pinpoint exactly why. At times, I think his accent distracted me. I liked the modern touch. I wasn't all impressed with some of the lyric changes. I'm glad Could We Start Again, Please was included. I like that song. Tony Vincent as Simon was great. Glenn Carter Had some great facial expressions throughout the movie. The Everythings Alright scene was outstanding,especially the part when he says"you'll be Sorry When I'm Gone" and collapses. Talk about synbolic. The voices and portrayals of Caiphas and Annas were great. Rik Mayal's King Herod didn't do anything for me. Overall, I would recommend getting this DVD. It's worth it. Just keep an open mind about it.
Rating: 
Summary: Weird Sets and Costumes
Review: This was my first time seeing any production of JCS, although I was familiar with the tunes that became radio hits. I think the sets and costumes detracted from the story--the graffiti scene at the beginning was so boring I almost turned it off. Some of the lyrics were difficult to understand, being drowned out by music--not that one might sing it at home, but you at least want to know what's being sung! Overall, vocal performances were very uneven, and while singers don't have to be operatic types (although it would help), they do need to have musical theater experience, and if they did, it did not come across as such here. Glenn Carter reminded me an awful lot, lookswise of Jeffrey Hunter in King of Kings. I did not expect to be hearing a falsetto on Gethsemane(?), but that is what you get when you sing out of your range. Oddly enough, it seemed to fit in quite well with this production, it wasn't too out of place with all the other strange stuff going on. I did enjoy his performance overall. Rik Mayall, fine as he is on the occasional Black Adder and that other show he is associated with (the name escapes me at this time) comes across looking like Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter. The resemblance was uncanny. His singing talent--NOT! Johanson as Pilate was one of the better singers. Owens, who played Caiaphas, seemed way out of his range at times, although he was certainly an imposing figure. Finally, nothing about this version made me even come close to crying. There was too much going on with the weird sets and costumes, which detracted from the interesting music and the story itself. Cabaret meets A Clockwork Orange and 1984. A bit TOO much on the stylistic side. I will have to check out the original movie for comparison. My advice is to watch this on PBS if they run it again, or rent it before you buy it, especially if you happen to be a fan of the original.
Rating: 
Summary: Sad effort - needs a 0 star rating - none available!
Review: A "remake" of an almost-as-bad 1973 movie. This version updates the story to a "modern" setting. Hmmm, and this was necessary to...? The fact that this version didn't last long on B-Way should tell you all you need to know. Hey, maybe Brittney Spears should remake "Revolver" to bring it into a "Modern" setting. Here's my suggestion, buy the original 1970 JCS on CD. Sit back and LISTEN to a superb work and a credible (accurate? I have no idea) retelling of the last days of Christ. The ORIGINAL was fantastic. Both movie versions are sad, this latest one is beyond sad...
Rating:
Summary: Laughable effort! No Stars! (but can't put that in)
Review: This is pitiful - it was pitiful on Broadway, and deservedly didn't last long. It "updated" the 70's move, pretty bad on it's own, to a modern setting. Best advice...pay no attention to the early movie and even less to this one. Buy the original cast CD, sit back and listen to a great musical work and a believable (accurate? I don't know) retelling of the last days of Christ.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent new vision of the great rock opera!
Review: I was extremely excited when I bought this video almost a month ago. I had been waiting for it a long time. Well, I watched the video, and I was greatly overjoyed and yet, at the same time, just a little disappointed. I have watched the original movie a million times and have listened to numerous cast recordings. While I was highly impressed by most of the players' acting skills, I was not all that impressed with their singing. Glenn Carter acted (sometimes overacting) his part fairly well. His singing was very good even, exept that he could not seem to reach the high notes very well like others had in the past. He tried his best, but he couldn't get the rock-tenor edge of Ian Gillan, Ted Neeley, or even Steve Balsamo. He also didn't seem to fully understand the fact that he was playing JESUS CHRIST! Jerome Pradon was excellent in his potrayal of Judas Iscariot. His acting was very compelling, making you heartily feel for Judas's character. His singing was okay, however at times he got sort of whiny on the higher levels. His French accent also occasionally showed itself a little too well. For the most part he was great, though. Renee Castle was superb in both acting and voice, as well was the rest of the supporting cast. That is, with a little exception on the part of Pilate. Fred Johanson was a good singer (a bit too operatic, though), but he atrociously overacted. This made it seem as if Pontious Pilate had drunk about ten cups of coffee too many that night. He still had his good moments, though. The rest of the cast was fantastic, as was the directing, set design, and pretty much all other aspects of the film. This is truly something everyone should see. I could go on forever about this wonderful piece, but I won't. I'll just say that you should definately watch this film because, despite a few flaws, it remains a theatrical and cinematic masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Down....
Review: They've butchered JCS. Buy the 1970 version if you want to see something very good.
Rating:
Summary: A redemptive, but secular Jesus
Review: I saw this before seeing the 1973 Norman Jewison version and so I won't comment on that film here. (If you like, you can see my review at the other Amazon page where I do make comparisons.) This was in fact my first experience with Jesus Christ, Superstar, and I must say I was delighted, especially with the acting and the music. Surely this is a different production than that which ran in London and on Broadway since Directors Gale Edwards and Nick Morris use close ups of the actors' faces to great advantage, something not possible on the stage. Lost to the viewer, I suspect, might be the full range of movement and choreography. Not lost is the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, in particular the title song and the haunting, ironic ballad, "I don't know how to love him." When Mary Magdalene in the person of the velvety Renee Castle breaks into song our spirit is roused and our understanding of one of the ironies of Christianity heightened. The lyric, "He's only a man, and I've had so many men before..." somehow brings to life the enigma that Jesus, God in the flesh, is to all of us. I recall when JCS was first performed a controversy arose about whether it was sacrilegious. I don't know how that controversy played out, but I can see how some might be offended. (Of course, I was not.) This production, while not directly sensuous does depict a very human Jesus, clad in one scene only in a very scanty loincloth. There is an emphasis on the blood that he shed, wiped from him onto the hands of us all, or, as some have complained, onto the hands of the Jews, who have been getting the bad rap for two thousand years. And there is the question, first of all of making Jesus into a political "superstar." Yet, that too is irony, a dramatic irony that is a truth. He is a superstar in this country and has been for a long time. Whether he is also the son of God is another matter. That is partially the point of this musical. The fact that it is played out in a contemporary milieu really adds to its universal power since it is conceivable that such a religious transformation could happen here. One does wonder however about some of the costuming. Why are the Romans in Nazi uniforms, recalling an earlier era, and why is Judas in a leather jacket, looking a little like Marlon Brando from The Wild One (1954) or perhaps John Travolta from Grease (1978)? Perhaps what is suggested is a broader time era, say the entire mid twentieth century. I found myself comparing this to some other filmed musicals that arose during that same era, the sixties and seventies, West Side Story, Grease, and Hair, musicals that in some sense seemed to break with the pleasant tradition long established with, for example, Where's Charlie?, South Pacific, Oklahoma, etc. In a sense these newer productions seemed out to shock the bourgeoisie as well as to entertain the burghers, to widen the parameters of the London/New York musical comedy tradition and to call on the audience to think. Indeed some imagined that a revolution was in the making. JCS in particular seemed to threaten the religious orthodoxy. In retrospect, however, Hair seems more dated than shocking and West Side Story and Grease totally within the tradition of My Fair Lady and Damn Yankees. Jesus Christ, Superstar now thirty years later also seems totally within that venerable tradition. Glenn Carter as Jesus was very good. His combination of strength and vulnerability suited well the conception of a Jesus who believed he was sent to earth to die for our sins, a persona half God and half man. True he seemed to lack somewhat in charisma, but in attempting such a part, who wouldn't? Jérôme Pradon as Judas also was excellent in a nicely balanced characterization. When he too laments that he didn't "know how to love him" we know the truth of the very human trap he made for himself (although properly speaking, he was God's instrument). Renee Castle as Mary Magdalene was expressive and sung beautifully; indeed she seemed the very embodiment of a woman in love with a man she cannot possess. However there was something lacking not in her performance, but in the very conception of the part. I felt the need for some rags and dirt and some real destitution. Perhaps Mary Magdalene here is too sanitized, too pretty, too clean and too well behaved to be the real Mary Magdalene. My only real disappointment with this engrossing and thought-provoking entertainment was in not seeing a glorious resurrection of Jesus. But in retrospect, I realize that would have detracted from the Rice/Webber conception of "a man, like any other man." I think they make a powerful point, because in the deepest religious sense, at least to my mind, we and Christ really are brothers, the immaculate made flesh.
Rating:
Summary: I love this musical!
Review: I watched this on PBS last week also and was reminded of how much I loved this musical the first time it came out...all those years ago. I don't recall ever having watched the movie but I do remember seeing the stage presentation in the '70s. Seeing this version just reminded me of how much I loved the music. If one overlooks the costuming choices and the near lack of period costuming it's easy to focus on the music and, more importantly, the story. I found myself wanting to know more about the period of time that Christ lived and all the forces that were in motion during His lifetime. Most importantly, with age comes much wisdom. I've often wondered why Weber and Rice split. They were very good together. Weber has since gone on to churning out pulp and Rice...well, if you like the older Elton John I guess you'll like the older Rice. This revival is definitely worth a viewing. I'm so glad I did and will view it again and again in the future. The musical has certainly withstood the test of time. I hadn't realized how much I missed it until watching it last week.
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