Beginning with its 2017 pilot episode and a first full season that kicked off in 2019, showrunner Dallas Jenkins’s Gospel-based TV series “The Chosen” has gained a wide following. Viewers, moreover, have proved willing to devote their money as well as their attention to the successfully crowdfunded production.
Newcomers to the saga who are introduced to it by way of “The Chosen: Last Supper - Part 1” (Fathom), the theatrical release of the first two episodes of the program’s fifth season, will easily recognize its appeal. They may be left a little at sea, however, by the fact no effort is made on their behalf to identify clearly all the characters in the large cast.
Still, anyone familiar with Scripture will be able to follow the basic plot. This is a recounting of the early events of Holy Week, beginning with the triumphal entry of Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) into Jerusalem and concluding with his cleansing of the Temple.
The first of these developments leaves both the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate (Andrew James Allen), and the Jewish leaders largely subservient to him, headed by Caiaphas the high priest (Richard Fancy), uncertain how to react to Jesus’s growing popularity. As for the apostles, they’re confused by their master’s warnings of sorrow to come.
Jenkins and his collaborators continue to provide believable human interaction in the subplots with which they flesh out the biblical account. A particularly moving scene finds Jesus, out for a walk on his own, drawn into the joyous wedding feast of two strangers, where he downplays the acclaim of the guests once he’s recognized but warmly blesses the bride and groom.
In keeping with the standard set by the show as a whole, this portion of it represents unusually sophisticated religious entertainment. Yet some mature moments put this big-screen compilation out of bounds for kids.
In fact, some vague discussion of the supposedly excessive requirements of Jewish ritual purity could be regarded as undermining, perhaps inadvertently, the appropriate demands of Christian morality. Although other conclusions can be drawn from the exchange, along with harsh images of the future destruction of the Holy City, it’s not appropriate for impressionable moviegoers.
For grown-ups and older teens, by contrast, this journey through the prelude to the Passion constitutes thoughtful and impressive Lenten fare. While watching it is no penance, it can be considered not only an enjoyable but a spiritually enriching way to prepare for Easter.
The film contains brief stylized but grim violence as well as sexual references and humor. The OSV News classification is A-II – adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
