A reincarnation of Judas Iscariot himself could not have done a better job of cinematically betraying Jesus as the makers of this unpleasant reminder that practically anyone with a video camera and a few bucks in his/her pocket can become an indie-producer nowadays (but not necessarily a competent or successful one). Did not the director learn anything in film school about what it means when the red part of the audio meters catch on fire because the sound was recorded a tad too hot? I cannot think of a better example of just how low sub-standard production values can regrettably sink to than this trailer-trashy ultra-sick-flick. I am seriously talking here about a level of gross neglect of basic quality control standards that is so far below the bottom-of-the-barrel basement that it comes out somewhere on the other side of our planet! And this kind of sub-amateurishness is particularly ultra-offensive if they actually think their end product sizzles with creativity (when it is more like the antithesis of creativity). And I hate that for the title of this Jesus-bashing foolishness they use ULTRA in conjunction with Christ and then throw an exclamation mark in there as though to add some emotional emphasis. Am I supposed to gasp or faint or sigh or go "Oooooh, how clever. Oh my!" or fast-forward to the end credits so I can read the names of the ungodly perpetrators of this cosmic crime, an evil attack against God and All Beings who are forever Holy and Divine? Christ basically means THE ANOINTED ONE. It is not a new brand of toothpaste guaranteed to cleanse your decaying enamel of all forms of tartar and iniquity and so why attach ULTRA to it as though it was? Woe unto thee, you mischievously wicked malcontents who peddle your dirty little damnation deed perhaps inspired by some demonically-flavored Satan-seed! So to sum up this movie in just a few words: Slander! Blasphemy! Sacrilege! Ultra-Judas! Ultra-Iscariot!

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's ...ULTRACHRIST! Flipping religion on its head, Ultrachrist seeks to enlighten the follies of following scripture to the letter by returning Christ to Earth 2,000 years after his death. Oh! And he's come back to usher in peace for all mankind. The trouble is that he's completely out of touch with modern society. As soon as Christ returns to Earth (ala The Terminator style), he realizes many things have changed: clothes, personal philosophy, neon signs, and, oy!, religion.Christ (Jonathan C. Green) gets a crash course in what the world wants by first bellying up to a bar with a drunken man and discovering what's become of humanity. Discouraged but not deterred, he soon runs into Molly (Celia A. Montgomery), a young seamstress who falls for Jesus and decides to help him regain his ministry on Earth. She makes him a superhero spandex costume and poof!, the Ultrachrist is born. Running around New York in his new outfit, Christ diverts sin wherever it appears, but no one is heeding his words...Perhaps sin needs redefining.God (Don Creech, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK) doesn't like what his son is doing on Earth so sends down Ira, the Patron Saint of Erotic Massage, to get rid of Jesus' ridiculous costume and to set his son back on the path of righteousness. But Ira's attempts are hindered by his own Earthly desires and by The Devil (aka, The Parks Commissioner).Satin (Samuel Bruce Campbell, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH), not happy that Jesus has finally returned, resurrects some of the meanest and most evil people the world has ever known (from Hitler to ...uh ...Jim Morrison?) But Beelzebub is the least of the Ultrachrist's problems. He must overcome the "sin of sex," something he's been unable to do since witnessing his mother "get-down" with another man (if Jesus gets "excited", his hands bleed).With Ira's, Molly's, and his father's help, Jesus changes the sin rule book and thus helps banish all of the foes thrown at him by Lucifer.This low-budget flick isn't for everyone. Those who find religious satire revolting or insulting most certainly should NOT watch it. If you don't like B-movie production standards, avoid it. But if you like to chuckle at the ridiculousness of religious fanaticism, this is something you most surely should check out.The production standards are okay but nothing to praise. The acting is equally tepid. The script, however, is quite good. Ira belongs on the set of Seinfeld, and Jesus would be right at home in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood (i.e., his accent). But these things also added to the humor of the movie. It's not supposed to be taken seriously and doesn't attempt it ...which I found absolutely great! If you seen and enjoyed FILM GEEK, SPACEMAN, or other minimal budget films, this one is right up your alley.

OK, so clearly it was a group of friends having fun on a shoestring budget, and certainly there are jokes and references I'm not going to get because I'm not from NY. If the that sort of goofiness bothers you, then this is not a movie for you.The outrageousness of the premise only goes so far, and you can tell that the Dye and Hoffman were struggling a little to keep the funny going sometimes. However, I thought it was really enjoyable. Also, though the outrageousness admittedly only goes so far, it does still go really really far. The acting was hilarious (sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally). There were some really fantastic one-liners, and there's even a message... of sorts.The question we are left with, was that really just a back rub Ira was giving to Mother Mary?

This ultra silly, very low-budget comedy sometimes felt like a Lenny Bruce bit brought to life--he used to do sketches on what would happen if Jesus came back. The humor isn't exactly inspired but there are enough laughs to make this one a pleasant surprise for people who aren't easily offended by religious themed humor. Ultimately the movie is no more irreverent than what they do with the Jesus character on South Park, so I doubt that too many people outside of the bible belt will really have a problem with this. If you're looking for something fun to rent you could do a lot worse than Ultrachrist.