Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

A Masterpiece!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a mediocre movie with a reasonably well developed plot and a top notch musical cast. I certainly am a fan of the stage musical itself and it is lovely to see the songs being brought to life in this form, the main theme and Gethsemane, in particular, are beautifully choreographed and shot here, with stellar performances from Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson as Jesus and Judas, respectively. For the most part, however, it is a very underwhelming movie that does not capture this musical favorably or is in any way an honourable adaptation. It was clearly a rushed production, we can see this from the lazy, uninspired set pieces and poor editing that is featured throughout. The stage musical came out in 1971, and this film was released in 1973, so there's no way there was a whole lot of time or effort put in to it, they just got it done fast before the Superstar band wagon died down. As well as that, a large majority of the songs are put together in a way that just looks messy, unrehearsed and uninspired, particularly King Herod's Song, which should have been so much more fun. There was no sign of interest or investment from any crew members. Generally unfavorable and forgettable. Some fans of the musical may enjoy it, but I was not impressed by Jesus Christ Superstar and would not recommend it. Follows Jesus Christ six days before his crucifixion. Best Performance: Carl Anderson / Worst Performance: Josh Mostel

This film is absolutely fantastic. The people involved with this film did a great job in it. The story is great, as it's not only thought provoking and touching, but it goes on a flow that's almost perfect. And the music in this film is really good. I think it's all well written, well composed, and all around catchy. I think it is very impressive how perfectly they made a rock opera fit so well as a film. The actors and performers did absolutely fantastic in this film. The setup for this film is also fantastic, as it literally looks as if it took place around the time of when Jesus Christ was alive. I recommend this film to anyone who loves Jesus Christ, and to anyone, really, as it will most likely impress viewers by how great the performances are, and how well the music was written. This film is truly a classic.

I remember when I had to watch this movie in junior high, in my music class. Many of my classmates enjoyed it, but, I was too busy being insulted by it. I'm a Catholic. I take my faith very seriously. I'm deeply respectful of the Catholic faith. This movie (if you can even call it that) just treats it like a big fat joke. I mean, really? The temple selling AK-47s? Herod having a pool party? Come on! Also, Jesus doesn't come off as the son of God, or as the savior of mankind, he just comes off as a jerk. There's a scene where lepers come to Jesus, asking him to heal them. The real Jesus would be moved by sympathy, and healed them. In this abomination, Jesus tells them "Leave me alone" and "Go heal yourselves". Jesus never would have done that! Also, I hate the use of sixties slang (like "What's the buzz") in this movie. It feels very out of place. Judas is played too sympathetically, and, the movie says he was Jesus' second in command. No, he wasn't. Peter was. The music is also poorly written. And, it's a shame, because there are some writers and composers with real talent: Andrew Lloyd Webber (who made the Phantom of the Opera), and Tim Rice (who wrote the lyrics for the songs in my favorite movie, The Lion King), but, here, they don't do a very good job. It also doesn't help that the singers were just awful. Bottom line, this movie is an atrocious piece of trash, that has no respect for the Catholic faith, and should be avoided. If you want to see a real movie about Jesus, watch the movie "Jesus" or even "The Passion of the Christ", or, even the miniseries "the Bible" from the history channel. But, avoid this by all means.

It was at the time of its release in the early 70s that I walked out of this movie. Striding down the aisle to the exit I passed an usher and said to her my simple reason for leaving: "Beach Blanket Bible." Totally cringe worthy. Banal, superficial, terrible schmaltzy music. Could there be anything worse than this movie for trying to depict some kind of spiritual truth? But perhaps I am wrong. Had I stayed surely I would have been thrilled by a spectacle such as the likes of Harvey Lembeck, riding his vicious camel, as the leader of a gang of used-camel salesmen in a scene of their camels tap dancing in sync with cleverly inter-maneuvering Israeli tanks. This while all are getting drunk on their butts from the water Ted Neeley turned to wine with his magic shepherd's crook, singing: "Hey babe, ya wanna boogie? Boogie woogie woogie with God!" Except maybe that really would have been worth staying for unlike the brain slap we were getting.