Rating: 
Summary: IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!
Review: I just want to say what an awesome, awesome video this is. I do not usually watch TV and glanced at the listing mainly because Ralph Fiennes was mentioned and I really like his work. On Easter, I flipped on the TV about ten after seven and came across The Miracle Maker and decided to check it out. I am so glad that I did. This has to be the most Bibically accurate "movie" on the life, death, resurrection and acsension of Jesus I have ever had the privilege to view. I do not agree with Anne Hurley's editorial review: I did not find the portrayal of characters "consistently subdued" - I was glad to finally see Jesus portrayed as I have always imagined Him - strong, tall, laughing, bold...it may have been only claymation but it was definitely anointed claymation! As a student of the Bible I was impressed and thrilled to see more of the ministry of Jesus shown - casting the demons out of Mary Magdalene, raising Jairus' daughter from the dead, Thomas confronting his resurrected Lord and on and on and on...The BBC always does a superb job and this is no exception. Buy it, buy it, buy it!!! You will be blessed!!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I just watched this on ABC, and it is great! It is amazingly true to the Bible. The only things I noticed different from the Biblical account was that they gave Jairus' daughter a more central role--which is a creative idea--and when Jesus is telling about the mansions in Heaven ("In my Father's house are many mansions..."), he is talking to Jairus' daughter rather than His disciples. I like the way they explain things, such as the parts they add to the Parable of the Good Samaritan telling why a priest wouldn't want to touch an injured man and why the idea of a Samaritan helping a Jew sounded so strange. They also emphasize Barabbas just enough to explain that he lead a rebellion, and they show Judas' motivation for betraying Jesus (i.e., Jesus wasn't bringing the military revolt against the Romans that Judas was expecting). The claymation is excellent, and the regular animation is an interesting effect. I've never seen both formats used in one movie. It's quite creative.
Rating:
Summary: Appeals to kids and adults
Review: I saw this on ABC on Easter Sunday. I liked it so much I immediately looked on Amazon.com to see if/when it would be available for sale. You can bet I will buy this when it comes out. I thought it followed the Bible more closely than Prince of Egypt did. The claymation and depiction of Jesus loving the children appealed to my 4-yr old, and the way it stayed pretty close to the Biblical stories of Jesus appealed to me.
Rating:
Summary: Miracle Maker is Wonderful!
Review: I too saw this fantastic animated film on Easter, 2000 on television. And, I was spell bound! I was really moved by an animated movie! It was amazing how historically and Biblically accurate it was. I have come to expect some degree of "artistic license" in any film about Jesus (especially these days). But Miracle Maker kept such license to a minimum! I was also astounded that an animated movie could capture the feel of Israel at the time of Jesus so very well. The costuming of the characters, the appearance of the buildings, even down to the way the Jews typically ate! Finally, in this film Jesus looks Jewish! I found out from the film's website that the makers of this film actually did a vast amount of research for this film (on archaeology etc.) as well as consulted several Christian theologians to be Biblically accurate. The animation to is wonderful and is very intersting the way it shifts between "claymation" and 2D cartoon looking stuff. Very interesting. What is best of all though is the producers managed to catch a wonderful view of Jesus Himself. They really honored Him and the Gospel accounts (and for that I am really grateful!). In this film Jesus is compassionate, approachable, powerful, confident, laughs, cries, etc. In other words, He is shown as both human and God! How amazing! How truly amazing! Please see this wonderful film!
Rating:
Summary: biblically accurate,entertaining,artistic.
Review: I truley enjoyed this movie and recommend it as first rate family viewing. Even allowing for "artistic license", this work is highly accurate in my opinion. I especially appreciated that the artists portrayed Jesus in a masculine rather than non-masculine way as is so often the case. My favorite scene recounts the story in which the Lord delivers Mary of Magdala from her many demons. The setting for the story is very Jewish and "first century". Thank you, Mr. Sokolov and Mr. Hayes for a real treasure! Have you thought of crafting a similarly accurate telling of the Genesis Flood?
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly Shocked
Review: I was both pleased and amazed to find how consistent the movie was with Biblical accounts of Christ. The movie not only portrayed what Jesus did, but it was also clearly stating who he is--God in the flesh. The story gave references to His Diety throughout, but none clearer than when the Resurrected Jesus told Doubting Thomas to touch his wounds. Thomas' reply was quoted exactly as it is written in the Bible "My Lord and my God." There were plenty of scenes that brought tears to my eyes. I highly recommend this movie to any and all.
Rating:
Summary: shockingly good
Review: I was floored with how good this video was! I saw it at the library and my first thought was it was denigrating to put such a spiritual theme into a claymation form of presentation. But then I thought, "What the heck, the kids might get something out of it and maybe it will keep their attention." Since I could check it out with my library card, it wouldn't cost anything to try. But when we got home and started to watch it, I was stunned. It was emotionally moving, spiritually uplifting, scripturally accurate (as others have pointed out, and I agree; moreso than other cinematic depictions I have seen), AND it was incredibly insightful. There were scenes portrayed that I have read many times, but upon seeing them in this movie for the first time gave me a new (and possibly more accurate) way of looking at events in His life. I just looked at my wife and said, "Who would have ever thought this could be SO good?" I'm buying it tonight. And to every person in the world who takes Christ seriously, I say God has, in my opinion, worked another Miracle of sorts through those people who produced this film. (Whether they know it or not.) Buy it for your personal library. Buy copies for your friends. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Jesus The Miracle Maker
Review: I was immensely pleased to see such a high quality program about the life of Christ finally geared towards children. My kids watched it with fascination. Even though they are often told about Jesus and his sacrifice, they seemed to understand it more after being able to "see" it. I recommend this movie to anyone who want their children to understand the Miracle.
Rating:
Summary: Very beautiful and moving depiction on the life of Jesus
Review: I watched the Miracle Maker on DVD and I really enjoyed it very much. It is a beautiful and moving depiction about the life of Jesus. The animation or claymation figures were very well done. This was a biblically accurate version of the life of Christ and I would recommend this film to anyone, child or adult. Comparing to some of the more recent films on the life of Christ (anything made after the 1990's), this is one of the best, most accurate portrayals. I hope that more Bible films can be made in this manner.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic and Biblically Accurate
Review: I wish I could give this film 10 stars! Watching it for the first time on television last year, I was very moved, and I feel it is the best film about Jesus that has ever been done. The use of 3-D and 2-D animation was very creative. The 2-D animation was used for flashbacks or when Jesus was telling stories (such as the parables) which gave a realness to the 3-D characters. Also, the 3-D characters were less distracting than live actors which put more emphasis on the story and its message. Based on the book of Luke, it is Biblically accurate. The only error I could see, and very minor, was when during the Parable of the Good Samaritan and one of the people who walked was said to be Sadducee. I suppose the writer thought that would more interesting. Of course one always wishes they could have every scene, but realistically the film producers could not include everything and were restricted to 90 min. I do wish they had been able to include Jesus calming the storm, but I am happy at what the writer COULD include like the Road to Emmaus (not included in any other film I've ever seen). I understand that the writer is a Christian, which shows, by the emphasis on the Resurrection and mention of the Holy Spirit(at Christ's baptism and Accension). The writer did use parts from the other Gospels as well to complement Luke. The story is masterfully done and I like how the characters are developed, especially Mary Magdalene and Tamar (they gave her a name), the Leader of the Synogogue's 12 year old daughter who was raised from the dead. It was neat how they followed the story from a child's eye view and the character of Tamar was a thread that helped bring the story together. Another theme that was throughout the story which I really liked, was the idea of Jesus being the Doorway into Life. The DVD has some neat features including a documentary about how the film was made. They show the little dolls, models, that were made by Russian animators. I think many of us would like to have the Jesus one! I also liked how the menu has Christian symbols on it, and the cursor that you use to select special features is in the shape of a cross. Very creative. I think this film has had a very significant spiritual impact on many people and it was definitely inspired! The soundtrack is also fantastic (very moving) and really adds to the movie. Lastly, the best thing about this film is that it makes you want to go read the Bible!! :-)
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