The Gospel of John is a film that is the story of Jesus' life as recounted by the Gospel of John.The film is narrated by Christopher Plummer and stars Henry Ian Cusick as Jesus. Others cast includes Stuart Bunce,Richard Lintern,Scott Handy, Lynsey Baxter,Diego Matamoros, Stephen Russell, Daniel Kash,Cedric Smith and Nancy Palk.It was directed by Philip Saville. It is a motion picture that has been adapted for the screen on a word- for-word basis from the American Bible Society's Good News Bible. This three-hour epic feature film follows John's Gospel precisely, without additions to the story from other Gospels, nor omission of complex passages.This is definitely worth seeing especially for viewers who practice Christianity regardless of denomination despite the fact that it was long, dull and for the most part, acted without apparent inspiration.But nevertheless,it preaches effectively Jesus' message of love.

I really like this film as it generally eschews the old Hollywood clichés and false glamour while at the same time also avoiding the recent totally unconvincing characterisations by many modern actors who play their roles like modern people in historic costumes. There are no really weak, embarrassing moments which spoil earlier efforts and the characters on the whole are quite convincing. This is in stark contrast with 1990's film on the same subject which was so bad I just stopped watching! Of course there will always be problems with any movie concerning religious characters but overall it's a good production and well worth watching. It doesn't matter whether you believe these stories about miracles (which I don't) or whether you are Christian, the fact remains that the story of Jesus of Nazareth will always fascinate all generations and certainly remains, for me at least, The greatest story ever told.

Other Biblically-based stories headline with actors who are known for a certain body of work to add viewer draw. That can be distracting. When the "script" is the Bible, there should not be any ad-libbing or creative license with the dialogue. Although I was familiar with Henry Ian Cusick as "Desmond" from the FOX show "Lost" he will now be known to me as the best actor to play Jesus that I have seen. Many actors seem to overact the part. Mr. Cusick's portrayal seemed realistic. For example, there are times when you can see him portraying Christ's exasperation with the lack of belief from his disciples without going overboard into frustration. I never realized how often Jesus had to tell people—even His disciples—that he was speaking the truth.The accents are not authentic: So. I found myself noticing things from the scripture that made the story so much more complete that I couldn't care less that all of the actors weren't Hebrew.Christopher Plummer's narration is soothing and well-read without drawing attention away from the story. Other viewers have commented that he stated the obvious, but he is reading the Gospel from the Good News version and nothing is omitted.The soundtrack blended into the story perfectly.My favorite parts are where Jesus is talking to His Father. How wonderful it must have been for the disciples to actually witness.In summary, the film comes together like a choir with each part lending to the greatness of the end product. The message of Jesus' humanity AND deity at the same time (hypostatic union) are perfectly juxtaposed into one film that bears witness to the message of His Love.I purchased several copies immediately.

I have watched this movie several times, often following the script word by word from the Book of John. Both Christ's humanity and his deity are included in the portrayal. The film is compelling, revealing the power of Christ's teachings and the struggles he endures to convey his message to not only his disciples, but also to the religious leaders and common people of the day. The story is fuller because the historical context of the time and the impact of politics on the events leading to the crucifixion are included. The dialogue between Christ and his disciples, the religious leaders and those he heals is brought to life. The scene where He drives the money changers from the temple shows a side of his character that is often down played. I would recommend this film above any other version of the life of Christ. I would strongly encourage those who are interested in a more meaningful rendition of the book of John to take time out to view the film.