Jesus Christ Superstar

If you're in the need for a religious musical with 70's rock music where every single line of dialogue is sung and the story of Jesus is played out in some deranged version of the present/past that may be relegated as such due to wardrobe restrictions...and who are you kidding? Of course you need that.

I couldn't finish this, it was so painful. With my eyes closed I couldn't see the awful costumes and the jazz hands and the cartwheels, which helped. But it didn't help enough. Can I say this? Arian Jesus makes me uncomfortable. I understand if Jesus is portrayed as white, even though he wasn't. That's just kind of how it is. Fine. But why does he have to be blonde-haired blue-eyed Jesus? If he can't look like an ancient Jew, why can't he look like a modern one? That's some racist shit

So many cringe points to get over for the modern viewer. I do love the 1970s for its psychedelic excesses, fuzz funk and Hammond organ solos, but this one takes itself too seriously by a long shot. I now understand why The Life of Brian was a much needed corrective.

Judas is cool. Jesus is kind of bland. The songs are good in the context of the film, but kind of annoying at times. The tone is weird, a mix of campy and solemn that feels really inconsistent to me. It was more entertaining than I expected but still nothing special to me.

I'm honestly not sure how to talk about this. Way more intense than I expected, and I've never seen anything that wanted me to ship Jesus/Judas so much!

This has my "I call myself agnostic even though I am really atheist because militant atheists are just as annoying as evangelicals" seal of approval.

The music is so righteous it's hard not to like.

Must've been pretty interesting at the time, but today it mostly feels hokey. The music wasn't that great or memorable, only a few songs struck a chord. Judas was awesome, and the mix of modern items with Ye Olde Classic style was a nice touch. To be fair, I kinda hate musicals and this one didn't really change my opinion on them.

I can't stand the music. This was no good.

When I imagine Jesus, Pilate, Herod, Judas, and all the other colorful characters from the New Testament, these are the people I see. Also, if there is anything in the world that keeps me holding on to a shred of my Christian upbringing, it is this film. This film and its soundtrack are sent from God.

I'm an atheist who hates musicals, but I found this really entertaining.

a bit entertraining.

More my speed than Passion of the Christ tbh

Ups the ante on previous Hollywood attempts at the Greatest Extravaganza Ever Told, while at the same time wanting to introduce a few jabs at the legacy of the protagonist. The first time I've seen the star of a movie with such a noticeable lazy eye.

You can tell with this and Joseph (ATATDC) that Webber is just starting out and figuring out the rock opera genre. With both there are awkward moments and times where the plot seems rushed that is refined in Webber's later works. I like the incorporation of modern items and the performances were overall great. The staging could have used a little work.

amazing soundtrack and really funny and creative take on the story.

So far over the top, and yet with an interesting take on the whole Jesus story. As long as somebody gets killed, we're not the bad guys.

Awesome. Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson are perfect, and the on-location cinematography is breathtaking - even if some of the mid-70s choices made here are a little bit more "clever" than they absolutely need to be.

Stunning mounting and filmization of the rock opera, with Neeley and Anderson the perfect Christ and Judas, and the supporting cast more than rising to the same level. Jewison's blatantly theatrical staging eliminates any problems with a production made for the stage, and the breath-taking, widescreen cinematography further enhances its cinematic impact. As far as the source material, it represents the best of ALW, presenting a passionate but intriguingly ambiguous take on Christ's resurrection.

It's hard to believe some people consider this pro-christian when the best of it are Judas, Pilate and Herod (though Jesus has one great song for Gethsemane). It's not against christianity either. It's a movie about Jesus but at no point it actually tries to sell the religion, the same no Heracles film tries to make me convert to ancient Greek religion. In that aspect, good movie, though can be cheesy and a bit long. Irregular but worth the try.

Atheist. Agnostic. Christian. Jew. Muslim. Hindu. Sikh. Buddhist. No matter who you are, you can not say that the music in this musical is anything but amazing. One of the best rock operas. Great film adaptation.

Musicals frequently don't convert perfectly into film, but this is an exception. It stays true to the musical its based on, while bringing in its own touches that only film can take advantage of. The visuals are simply phenomenal. And the music is classic. Jesus, Mary, Pilate, Herod, and the High Priests are all played and sung very well. But Judas is the clear standout. In the history of Jesus Christ Superstar, no one has surpassed Carl Anderson's Judas.

Highlight scene: A guy tries to boost a bag of weed onto Jesus in the temple. Also starring a soon-to-be porn star as Peter.

+84 points for Carl Anderson

The New Testament becomes an allegory with Christians as bouncy hippies defying through their "free love" a persecuting establishment, but JCS is also an introduction to Christianity for the hippie generation, which is at once sinister and funny. Deserves points for decent music and campiness, but JC comes off as a conceited asshole, and the Pharisees are wise to say "We dare not leave him to his own devices; His half-witted fans will get out of control". History vindicates this.

Constant music? About 1st-century Roman politics? A good explanation of Judas? Hell yeah.

Challenging, anachronistic, jarring, touching, beautifully filmed and with a real sense of humanity that isn't overwhelmed by the religious subject matter. Well worth watching. Powerfully acted, impressively sung and scored. Moving and thought provoking - if you get a chance to see it do

Fabulous! Neeley is fantastic as Jesus and the music just amazed me!

Let's just say it almost makes me wanna convert to Christianity...

Jewison's pre-sold youth movie. It has vibrant electronic music (played at perilous volume), a legion of agile young bodies, a clean and aromatic environment, and a beach-y color scheme of sky-blues and desert-tans. All it needs, beyond that, is a subject worthy of its buoyant production values -- something on the order of pajama parties or the hang-gliding scene.

A lot better than I remembered it being. Many beautiful shots, pretty good acting overall and everyone singing is at least decent in their part. Elliman is still the definitive Mary. The music lacks dynamic at times though and the voices are a bit too high in the mix, which is a shame. Still very good and certainly worth a watch if you enjoy the musical.

This is a movie that, given my usual tastes, I should hate. I'm not Christian, and so am not a big fan of Christian media. I also generally hate all musicals. But something that I can't quite describe about this has always been appealing to me.

Beautiful music, beautiful people, and a beautiful story. Not much else I could want.. plus leaves an eerie gap in the story allowing you the viewer to make up your mind on whether the JMan was the Son of God or not. I also felt that film had a mild social commentary running concerning the time period in which it was filmed. Enjoyed how it blended past and present styles in a manner similar to the film Romeo Juliet. Overall, Rocktastic!

Best musical-movie ever. Great music.

Some nice songs, but the film was boring and odd (why were they wearing modern clothes?). It wasn't that close to the bible, too. I always hated the beginning, how they showed the characters as actors and the end. I wish this film started from Jesus' birth and to his resurrection. Great acting, though.

I love the music. As a film not so stunning but whatever.

A really interesting take on the Passion of the Christ story. Excellent music and powerful acting.

Man, if only Ian Gillan would have been playing JC in this it would be a 10. Neeley does a good job but Gillan is better.. Although Carl Anderson is better than Murray Head as Judas.. Victor Brox as Caiaphas on the album version is a bit dissapointing.. And Mike d'Abo is the best Herod and Larry Marshall just SUCKS as Simon Zealotes.. What i'm trying to say is that it evens out, the album version is just as good as this because they both have there ups and downs.

Pretty entertaining. Judas and Caiaphas are particularly memorable. I'm still not entirely sure what to make of King Herod.

Great musical.

Well, what can I say, Jesus meets the '70s, in all it's acid-tripped glory. My mom loves it.

great adaptation!

Ted Neely is my hero. I genuinely think this guy believes he's the Messiah of Rock. He's the only thing that got me through this movie. Good thing he's in almost every scene.

Probably the greatest rock opera ever.

Classic rock opera!

Weird but watchable.

Very weird, but the great music makes it well worth watching.