BigImportantCritic Goods: 1. Willem Dafoe as a cracked-out Jesus 2. Judas the Bro 3. Cool plot twist 4. Good first act or two, as well as the final act 5. Bangin' Peter Gabriel score 6. Rad imagery 7. Some parts still make no sense to me at all, but in a good way 8. Made me think a bunchNot So Goods: 1. Boring middle parts that lost my attention 2. "Biblical filler" can be tiresome if you're already well familiar, despite a few twists thrown around

chaswe-28402 Embarking on this lengthy trip with no prior preparation was baffling. Force fed since childhood with all the stories in the bible, I still could make little sense of what was going on. I had not read the book by Kazantzakis. Fortunately, this site provides a number of explanations, partially dispelling my obtuseness. The solution is actually fairly simple, as I now see it. The Last Temptation is the impulse to lead a normal life: keep working at carpentry, marry, have children and grow old. Pay god minimal attention. The film is an extremely roundabout way of presenting this argument, and I couldn't really swallow it. I thought Dafoe was quite good as Christ: he conveyed a kind of demon-like godfulness. Some might find this off-putting, but it tied in with the angelic little Satan towards the end. Although the movie is very long, and continued for another 30 minutes after it seemed to end, it was worth watching, but not worth watching twice. I note that apparently I did watch it 7 or 8 years ago, but had totally forgotten what it was about. Those several years ago I see I noted that John the Baptist had a good line in the plot, when he said that "The God of Israel is the God of the Desert. If you want to speak to him, go to the desert". Sadly, this is true of the god of Israel: vengeful, punitive and jealous, modelled on the sun blazing down in those barren, arid regions. I prefer the pagan gods of the temperate zone. Beauty, reason, creativity. I was going to give this 8 stars, but I've changed my mind. It annoyed me: 4 stars.

hannes-black98 The Last Temptation of Christ is one of Scorsese's defining masterpieces, sitting in the ranks alongside Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Taxi Driver; it is an epic, highly evocative, narrative of the controversial and, at times, incredible life of Jesus Christ: his rise and fall. If looking at Scorsese's career in retrospective, it is unlikely that the film would be considered one of Scorsese's most enduring and recognizable features. However, whether through absolute innovation or audacious originality, it is an unrivaled spectacle.William Dafoe plays the title figure of Jesus, a troubled man lost in his inner conflicts, who is torn between his desire and the knowledge than God has a plan for him. As the film progresses Jesus leaves his life of labor, moving from place to place, preaching and gathering a group of followers- his original disciples. He performs miracles: healing a blind man, converting water to wine and raising Lazarus from the dead. I found Dafoe's portrayal of the son of God extraordinary. His speeches are riveting and incredibly moving; it is a performance full of tenderness, rage and love.There is a point, perhaps a third of the way through, when Jesus walks into the desert- out into the vast bareness- in the hope of speaking to God. He draws a circle around himself, in the dirt and sand, and sits there waiting. There is nothing: for a long, long time he just sits there waiting. At this point, the film subverts itself into a surreal nightmare. Jesus is visited by: a talking snake (with the voice of a woman), a lion, a fire- that seems to burn from an invisible source, and an apple tree. It is a metaphor for the Devil, what he represents, and is unlike anything I have ever seen before. We are watching the turmoil of Jesus's mind projected out around him, like some bizarre circus parade. It is only through experiencing 'evil' that we can truly understand and appreciate what the concept of 'good' means, a concept that Jesus comes to understand and evolve.The film's ending is an extraordinary rendering of pain and the inevitable descent of man. Jesus wades through the streets of Jerusalem, amongst jeering crowds, bearing a crown of thorns, a cross over his back. The camera glides through the action, enhanced by Scorsese's quintessential use of slow motion and music. It is horrific to watch yet utterly compelling. Nothing is hidden away, or censored, as we watch his hands nailed into the cross and the blood trailing down his forehead. The portrait of suffering and injustice is complete.The Last Temptation of Christ is an incredible film. The tragic story of Christ's life and his transformation of faith are beautifully visualized. The temptation in the title is of a normal life: where he can live, love and become a father. Yet he can never achieve that ideal- he is the Son of God. As Victor Hugo once said: 'Our lives dream the Utopia. Our deaths achieve the ideal.' Only through death can Jesus rise and become the testament to his own religion.Scorsese's picture is a masterpiece and a powerful odyssey into existence.

David Carey IMDb STORYLINE: "The carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, tormented by the temptations of demons, the guilt of making crosses for the Romans, pity for men and the world, and the constant call of God, sets out to find what God wills for Him. But as His mission nears fulfillment, He must face the greatest temptation; the normal life of a good man. Based, not on the Gospels, but on Nikos Kazantzakis' novel of the same name." Written by Nick Lopez ([email protected])"He must face the greatest temptation; the normal life of a good man." But is it the life of a "good" man? The temptation is so powerful because it is presented so attractively. In his fantasy- temptation, the make-believe Jesus sees himself in ripe old age surrounded by many women and children, having fallen for the misogynistic lie "There is only one woman in the world.": In his imagination, he betrays his pregnant wife Magdalene, the woman who has loved him since girlhood, by simultaneously impregnating Mary of Bethany. He goes on to imagine that he sleeps with her sister Martha in Mary's absence. But most obviously, he is tempted to betray his best friend, his close disciples, his other followers, the trusting crowds of Jerusalem, to turn his back on them, to walk away into a lush Eden-like landscape, to escape and hide. At last, this imaginary life of a "good" man is dramatically revealed as a temptation when his guardian "angel of light" dissolves in a flare of Satanic flame. So the real Jesus rejects this temptation once he sees through it. He remains to die on the cross.