Son of God - C+

Rated PG-13, 135 minutes

Handsome Biblical epic "Son of God" skims the surface

Diogo Morodo as Jesus

The uneven but affecting new Biblical epic "Son of God" has God on its side, not to mention "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett and his "Touched By An Angel" wife Roma Downey. The detailed, upscale film is handsomely filmed and executed and should please its target audience, though the film is just essentially an extension of the Burnett-Downey epic TV miniseries "The Bible" that was a big hit last year on The History Channel. "Son of God" focuses on the life and works of Jesus, from birth to resurrection. Admittedly, Burnett and company have a good eye for this type of thing and many aspects visually interpreted very well, not to mention Portugese actor Diogo Morodo has the right gleam in his eye in his soft-spoken portrayal of the Savior. However, as with many Biblical films, it's difficult to encapsulate everything into one film and it too skims the surface, focusing heavily on the bloody crucifixion (perhaps for that reason, it's very bloody). Christians may find some satisfaction in the fact that this is better than most Biblical or Christian-themed films, less entertaining than Charlton Heston but far more satisfying than Kirk Cameron. Worth a look if you were a fan of "The Bible" miniseries from last year, though it feels like it's just a rehash of a couple of those episodes.   

Wes's Grade:  C+