OBSERVER: King of Kings
King of Kings is an intriguing new take on the 2000-year-old story of Jesus Christ, from birth to death to resurrection.
And it’s written by….Charles Dickens. Yes, THAT Charles Dickens who wrote A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist and many other novels that have stood the test of time.
King of Kings is based on Charles Dickens’ version of the story of Christ that he wrote for his own family, and the film stars Dickens as the narrator and his young son Walter living the story as Dickens tells it.
Young Walter is obsessed with the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, so his father Charles decides to tell him the much older and bigger story of a greater king, Jesus of Nazareth.
So we see Walter as an active participant witnessing historical events, along with his faithful cat companion, Willa.
The film is completely animated, with many world-famous actors voicing the characters. Kenneth Branagh voices Charles Dickens, with Oscar Isaac as Jesus, Uma Thurman (pictured) as Charles’s wise wife Catherine, Mark Hamil as the evil Herod, Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, Ben Kingsley as high priest Caiaphas, and young actor Roman Griffin Davis as Walter.
The film is obviously aimed at the family market in the Easter school holidays, and has a lot of charm, especially when dealing with the Dickens family.
The story does become overtly religious as it progresses, but it’s an innovative take on an old story, with moments of contemporary humour that certainly work.
Very young children may find it too scary, but the over sevens and their parents should enjoy it as long as they realize this is a Christian film, not a secular one, but it is entertaining and the voice work is superb.
Julie Houghton