Entertainment
10 Faith-Based Movies To Watch if You Love ‘King of Kings’
Hollywood doesn’t dabble in blockbuster religious epics these days, which means that we’re unlikely to ever get another film like King of Kings in the near future. Directed by Nicholas Ray, the 1961 film is considered by many to be one of the greatest biblical epics ever made, pulling from all four New Testament gospel accounts to compile a large-scale three-hour narrative detailing the life of Jesus Christ, played here by The Searchers star Jeffrey Hunter. But if you’re looking for something along those same lines, then we have some suggestions for you.
In the last 100 years, the biblical epic has come in many forms, beginning in the silent era and moving all the way to the present digital age. From animated pictures to live-action, black-and-white to color, the story of Christ has transcended the pages of the Bible itself and become an important display of subversive heroism, sacrifice, and the miraculous on the big screen. If you’re looking for a powerful religious epic to indulge in this weekend, look no further than these films that echo the greatness of King of Kings.
10
‘The Passion of the Christ’ (2004)
When it comes to modern takes on the story of Christ, Mel Gibson‘s The Passion of the Christ is the feature film that draws the most attention. Known for its egregiously violent (and yet, historically accurate) trail and crucifixion sequences, Jim Caviezel shines magnificently as Jesus here, emphasizing both his humanity and divinity in a film chronicling Christ’s final days. Well, until the resurrection, that is. In addition to pulling from the biblical gospel accounts, The Passion also relies heavily on Catholic tradition.
With an R rating, The Passion of the Christ is not for the faint of heart. While it’s the type of biblical epic that can live up to King of Kings in scope, it’s a far more intimate picture that highlights what Christ suffered for the sins of the world. To tell the complete story, Gibson is currently working on a two-part sequel, The Resurrection of the Christ, which is set to premiere next Easter.
9
‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ (1965)
Off the heels of King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told took bold leaps only four years later to retell the full story of Jesus Christ (here played by Max von Sydow) from birth to the “Great Commission.” Directed by Hollywood heavy George Stevens, the picture is a direct adaptation of the novel of the same name by Fulton Oursler and Henry Denker, though it took clear inspiration from the scriptures as well. With an over three-hour runtime, this is truly a time investment.
The Greatest Story Ever Told brought many Hollywood icons together, and featured appearances of plenty of notable stars including John Wayne, Charlton Heston, Sidney Poitier, Pat Boone, Martin Landau, José Ferrer, and, in their final on-screen roles, Claude Rains and Joseph Schildkraut. Talk about a stacked cast. Although not the most famous film about Christ, The Greatest Story Ever Told does its best to live up to its name.
8
‘The King of Kings’ (1927)
Did you know that King of Kings is a remake? Well, sort of. It shares a title, at least, with Cecil B. DeMille‘s original silent biblical epic, The King of Kings. The second installment in DeMille’s unofficial silent-to-sound religious epic trilogy that began with his original 1923 The Ten Commandments and concluded in 1932 with The Sign of the Cross, this tale of Christ (who is played by H. B. Warner) runs for over two and a half hours. That’s a lot for a silent picture, but with DeMille’s epic style, who could blame him?
The King of Kings uses direct scripture quotes from the New Testament gospels as intertitles, with DeMille going so far as to include both chapter and verse. It may not be as colorful and visually stunning as the 1961 version, but for all you film history buffs who appreciate the scale of what DeMille was trying to do, it’s a must-watch. As it’s been in the public domain for quite some time, this one is easy enough to find online.
7
‘Barabbas’ (1961)
Up to this point, most of these films have centered pretty directly on Christ himself, but Barabbas tells the story of Jesus through the fresh eyes of the murderer whose place he took on the cross: Anthony Quinn‘s Barabbas. After Pontius Pilate (Arthur Kennedy) spares his life, Barabbas witnesses the crucifixion of Christ (played here by an uncredited Roy Mangano) and his whole life begins to change. He wrestles with the man he once was, only to find himself traveling to Rome, where he meets the apostles.
Based on the novel by Pär Lagerkvist, Barabbas is a truly unique take on this story that reframes Christ’s death and resurrection, as well as early Christian persecution, through the eyes of the man whose death may have prevented it all — if not for divine intervention, that is. Quinn’s performance as the title figure has been praised, and the film — directed by Richard Fleischer — remains a favorite of many.
6
‘Jesus’ (1979)
Allegedly the most-watched movie ever made, Jesus (also known as The Jesus Film) is a two-hour biblical drama directed by Peter Sykes and John Krish with funding from the parachurch organization Campus Crusade for Christ. Meant to be an evangelistic tool, the final product is actually quite an accurate depiction of the Gospel of Luke that aims to be as true to the text as possible. Brian Deacon played the title Messiah here in a film that also holds the Guinness World Record for “most translated film.”
While most of the films on this list were shot elsewhere, Jesus was one of the few adaptations of Christ shot on-location in Israel. Between its adherence to the text and fine stained-glass performances, those looking for something a bit more 1:1 with the New Testament will be pleased here. As the movie poster puts it, this is a Jesus “stripped of myth and mystery.”
5
‘The Gospel According to St. Matthew’ (1964)
Of course, there are three other gospel accounts besides that of Luke, and if you’re looking for something a bit out-of-the-box that follows another, give The Gospel According to St. Matthew a try. Evoking the Italian neo-realist style, director Pier Paolo Pasolini (himself an athiest) took a different approach to Christ (Enrique Irazoqui), shooting the picture almost as if it’s a documentary. In that way, it becomes more intimate than the usual biblical epic, and, interestingly, doesn’t stray much from the text.
Even famed film critic Roger Ebert praised this picture for being “one of the most effective films on a religious theme.” The best Jesus movie according to Rotten Tomatoes, The Gospel According to St. Matthew is a fascinating watch for its unique take on the material that utilizes Byzantine-inspired costuming and support from many Catholic viewers, including the Vatican itself. It was even filmed in some of the same locations that Mel Gibson would use for The Passion of the Christ decades later!
4
‘Risen’ (2016)
Billed upon release as an “unofficial sequel” to The Passion of the Christ, Risen is a biblical thriller that follows Roman soldier Clavius Aquila Valerius Niger (Joseph Fiennes) after he and his aid Lucius (Tom Felton) are ordered by Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) to find the supposedly stolen body of Yeshua (Cliff Curtis) — Yeshua being the Hebrew name of Jesus Christ. As Clavius investigates the incident, he is lead to the risen Christ and his apostles, and his life will never be the same. It’s certainly a perspective on the events that we don’t typically get.
Directed by Kevin Reynolds, the mind behind The Count of Monte Christo, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Hatfields & McCoys, Risen is an engaging twist on the historical thriller. As Reynolds’ last picture to date, the filmmaker knows how to draw out the tension and spin a new take on the genre that deserves closer examination, especially considering Curtis’ performance as the risen hero in question. Risen was slept on upon its initial release, but continues to be a hit on streaming.
3
‘Jesus of Nazareth’ (1977)
Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat because Jesus of Nazareth is not exactly a movie… Although often billed as a film or a made-for-TV feature, the truth is that this Franco Zeffirelli-directed epic is actually a four-part miniseries. With 90-minute installments that detail everything from all four New Testament accounts — The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — this is arguably the most detailed depiction of Jesus’ (Robert Powell) ministry put to the screen without egregious artistic liberty (looking at you, The Chosen).
With a stacked cast that includes the likes of Christopher Plummer, Laurence Olivier, Ernest Borgnine, Anne Bancroft, and James Earl Jones in one of his best television roles, Jesus of Nazareth was a seriously ambitious effort that deserves high marks for first bringing the story of Christ to television with both artistry and authenticity. With an emphasis on Jesus’ divinity, it’s a great complementary piece to King of Kings, even if it runs a few hours longer…
2
‘The King of Kings’ (2025)
Another picture bearing the King of Kings title, The King of Kings, like the DeMille film before it, is not at all connected to the Nicholas Ray feature. Instead, this truly inspired take on the New Testament story is an animated film directed by Seong-ho Jang and loosely based on The Life of Our Lord by Charles Dickens. Yes, that Charles Dickens; and true to his written account, the film follows Dickens (Kenneth Branagh) as he recounts the story of Jesus Christ (Oscar Isaac) to his young imaginative son, Walter (Roman Griffin Davis).
Blending the morals of A Christmas Carol (which Dickens is performing when his son interrupts him) with the tale of Christ is quite a creative way to engage with the text. The film also features the vocal talents of Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker, and James Arnold Taylor. Perfect for all ages, The King of Kings may share a name with the 1927 silent film and the 1961 historical epic, but it couldn’t be farther from them in style.
1
‘Ben-Hur’ (1959)
We all knew it was coming. Ben-Hur is the definition of a biblical epic, often considered the greatest religious or historical epic of all time. The William Wyler-directed adaptation of Lew Wallace‘s famous novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, stars Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who is adopted by a Roman and struggling with his identity. As he returns to Judea at the same time as Jesus’ (Claude Heater) ministry, he finds himself at odds with his childhood friend Messala (Stephen Boyd), now a Roman tribune.
Although Christ himself doesn’t appear much, part of the brilliance of Ben-Hur is how intertwined the stories of Judah and Jesus truly are. Over the course of this four-hour epic, Ben-Hur immerses you in a tale of revenge and honor that ultimately turns into a vehicle to explore themes of sacrifice, faith, and love. While Ben-Hur had been adapted twice in the silent era and again in 2016, it’s the 1959 version that remains a classic — and no other biblical epic, including King of Kings, holds a candle.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login