A Review of Light
of the World by Nick Olszyk
Distribution Service: Theatrical
MPAA Rating, G
USCCB Rating, Not rated at the time of this review
Reel Rating, Five Reels
Earlier
this year I said The King of Kings was the
greatest animated gospel story; I spoke too soon. It is this film, Light
of the World, though I doubt Angel Studios would feel jealous with the no.
2 spot. Produced by the team behind the TBN hit Superbook, Light of
the World is the story of Jesus from the perspective John, the beloved
disciple. Using beautiful, hand drawn animation, witty dialogue, and the heart
of a child, it presents Jesus is not only the Lord of the Universe but our best
friend.
At the
start of the narrative, John (Benjamin Jacobson) appears to be a young teenager
– somewhere between 13 and 16. With his older brother John, he belongs to a
fishing family who conveniently are next door neighbors to Peter and Andrew. He
always wants “to help” but constantly messes up any task given to him, making
his father Zebedee hesitant to advance his responsibilities. Their life is
constantly on the edge of disaster, whether its crippling Roman taxes,
dwindling fish numbers, or the realities of getting older. Despite his father’s
despondency, John’s mother insists things are looking up because “the Messiah
is coming soon, who will bring light to the darkness.”
Then John
meets Jesus (Ian Hanlin), who looks and sounds striking like Moses from The
Prince of Egypt. Directors Tom Bancroft and John Shcafer then go through
the normal events of the gospel (baptism, miracles, passion, etc). These events
happen quickly (the whole film is only 90 minutes) but don’t feel rushed. Films
of these sort tend to lean on the gospel of Matthew, whose five-act structure
easily lends itself to adaptation. Light of the World instead focuses on Jesus’
metaphors, parables, and great love. No one but John seems to get the message,
however. They all want Jesus to be a great warrior king like David and
overthrow the Romans. When it becomes clear He has entered the world to suffer
and die, only John stays faithful.
The
animation in Light of the World is gorgeous, some of the best of the
decade. The style takes a cue from illuminated manuscripts like The Secret
of Kells with bright colors and unusual framing. As the name suggests, the
directors play a great deal with light and darkness. The characters and
landscapes have a muted color palate the becomes fleshed out whenever Jesus
appears or a miracle occurs. Even though 3D animation has progressed greatly in
the last three decades, there’s still something profound about knowing these characters
were drawn with human hands.
Since there
are some many films of this type, it takes something special for a gospel film
to stand out from the crowd. While the animation is spectacular, it’s the
character of John and his relationship to Mary that shine. Throughout the film,
John has many side conversations with Mary where she fills him in with details
about her son. On the Via Dolorosa, he helps her meet Jesus; it’s an extremely
tender riveled only by the same station in The Passion of the Christ.
Jesus shows his trust in the young man by giving him her care on the cross.
Although Light of the World is made a Protestant context, it represents
a greater willingness in some corners of the Reform world to engage Marian
devotion.
Jesus says,
“unless you become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of
Heaven.” John isn’t a child in this film, but he does have a youthful
perspective, one of faith and love. He is the beloved disciple, not just for
his great love for Jesus but the love Jesus had for him. One can see this
childlike love even in John as an old man in his epistles, which even define
God as love. This is the perfect Easter film for children, who understand the
love God has for us better than any of us. It’s also one of the best films this
year.
Comments
Post a Comment