YOU gotta have faith. Hollywood certainly does, in the power of religious-themed pictures to preach to millions of evangelical Christians and reap rewards on the box office collection plate.
In 2004 Mel Gibson's bloodthirsty and brutal Passion Of The Christ answered the prayers of profit-driven studio executives to the heavenly tune of $611.
Prominent figures endorsed the film, sowing the seeds of a flourishing crop of faith-based features and biblical epics, which have seen Russell Crowe weather a flood as Noah, and Christian Bale part the Red Sea as Moses.
Timed for release before Easter, Risen dramatises the resurrection of Christ from the perspective of a Roman tribune, who does not believe in the existence of a saviour.
Director Kevin Reynolds's search for spiritual enlightenment, co-written by Paul Aiello, treats its subject with utmost earnestness and is unabashedly targeted at a key demographic.
Unfortunately, the glossy reimaging of the central doctrine in Christianity is plodding and occasionally veers into the realms of campness, courtesy of unintentionally hilarious dialogue.
Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) dispatches tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) and new aide Lucius (Tom Felton) to oversee the crucifixion of Yeshua the Nazarene (Cliff Curtis) in front of a baying crowd.
The body of Yeshua is placed in a sealed tomb and Clavius stations two guards outside the heavy rock door to appease Jewish high priest Caiaphas (Stephen Greif), who fears the body will be stolen.
The prophecy comes to pass and rumours circulate that Yeshua has risen from the dead to lead his people.
Mindful that Emperor Tiberius will soon visit the region, Pilate orders Clavius to locate the body and prove Yeshua did perish on the cross.
"Without a corpse to prove him dead, we have a potential Messiah!" barks the prefect.
Clavius tracks down the disciples and a man who seems to be Yeshua, alive and exceedingly well, which shakes the tribune's beliefs to his core.
He abandons his war-mongering duties to fraternise with Mary Magdalene (Maria Botto) and Peter (Stewart Scudamore).
Meanwhile, Lucius returns to Judea to report on murmurings of a resurrection.
"Perhaps it's true," meekly speculates the aide.
"If it is, I'll kill him again!" snarls Pilate.
Risen proffers little to engage secular audiences, despite a committed performance from Fiennes as a man of war, who downs his weapons to tread a more spiritual and righteous path.
The opening section, which sees Clavius turn detective to discover the truth about Yeshua's disappearance, is solid, but once the tribune heads into the desert with the disciples, Reynolds' picture loses momentum and focus.
RISEN (12A, 107mins) Drama. Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis, Maria Botto, Stewart Scudamore, Stephen Greif, Jan Cornet. Director: Kevin Reynolds
RATING: TWO STARS
