Risen (2016)

Directed by Kevin Reynolds, Risen is a faith-based movie about the biblical events of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The film’s theme is well known, it recaptures it through the view of an atheist view of a Roman Soldier. It has a different approach than previous biblical movies that it tends to use dirty deserts, and shows the roman out-post where the Crucifixion was taken place. It gave a new imagery for a well-known story.

The plot begins in 33 A.D with a Roman soldier named Clavius, an officer under the rule of Pontius Pilate and Jewish Rabbis. He has been given orders to execute, and remove the so-called Messiah, and make a special burial place for him. Given orders, he was buried and sealed into tomb so the presumed Messiah would not raised from the dead. Afterwards, skipping many biblical scenes, it turns into like a CSI investigation on who opened the tomb, Clavius talking to people who know Christ’s followers, interrogating them for information on who opened the tomb.

In turn, he discovers Christ alive and well, in a raid to find his followers who where suspected of stealing his body, in turn Clavius becomes a follower of him. It could criticized as being too fast or “love at first sight” with no time to think about things and immediately just becomes a follower.

It’s events where only sections of biblical scripture, some his disciples names and biblical events where not included. The meaning is the same, yet some of the story was structured to go with the fictional plot of Roman soldier Clavius. The added character seemed to be a symbol of comparing current atheism to Christianity, through a faith based message. Same message, new story tactics, the style and tone are set for adding a new dramatization to the scenes. It could be seen as a rerun from many Christian films, but new imagery and blending an atheist view, along with an added fictional character enhances it’s story line. It would be recommended for anyone who are interested on the events of Christ from an atheist point of view.