'Jesus Christ Superstar' Movie Review

Why bother watching ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’?

If you are the kind of person who likes to watch a movie with repetitivegl songs, eccentric main characters and no dialogue, then you are sure to enjoy this rock opera. When ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ first came out, it received a nomination for the Academy Award of Merit and won the Best Cinematography Award. In 1974, only one year after it was released, this well anticipated movie was nominated for the Oscars, the BAFTA Film Award, the UN Award and the Golden Globe. It also won the David award and a BAFTA Film Award. Personally, I do not think it deserved as many nominations, especially not the Oscars.

Originally a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, this new rock opera, released on the 7^th of August 1973, is directed by Norman Jewison who is also the producer, along with Patrick Palmer and Robert Stigwood. ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ has mostly three main characters. Playing the main role of Jesus is Ted Neeley, in the role of Judas is Carl Anderson and finally, Yvonne Elliman stars as Mary Magdalene. In other minor roles are Barry Dennen as Pontius Pilate and Josh Mostel as King Herod.

The movie ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ tells the story of the last few weeks of Jesus’ life, from their arrival to Jerusalem to the well-known crucifixion. The rock opera is shown from Judas Iscariot’s point of view and shows us the struggles he has to go through, as well as the decisions he has to make. We realize that he is trapped, and cannot do anything without hurting the ones he loves. Therefore, he has no choice but to obey to the people in a position of power and betray his friends. 

In my opinion, the soundtrack of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ does not fit in the movie and the songs do not portray the feelings of the characters. With lyrics written by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andre Previn and Hubert W. Spencer, you would have expected an energetic and fun soundtrack but all it was, was catchy. When a song consists of repeating, ‘What’s the buzz? Tell me what’s happening’ over and over for more than 20 times, I do not consider it lyrics or speech anymore.

Unlike movies that become classics along the years, this one did not pass the test of time. It was a hit as soon as it came out and people loved the catchy songs and beautiful decor, thus all the nominations and awards. But with time, less people became interested into watching a rock opera performed by hippies with a soundtrack of songs that are unfamiliar to the new generation. This is why most people who are familiar with this type of music may find this rock opera interesting. For others, like me, who are unfamiliar with the music and who did not live during the time period when the movie was filmed, the complete 108 minutes may be boring and uninteresting. I would rate this movie 2 out of five stars. One star for the picturesque landscapes presented all along the movie and the other for… actually, I only rate this movie one star. I cannot think of any other things that I enjoyed.