KING OF GLORY

KING OF GLORY uses illustrated drawings from the book by P.D. Bramsen to tell the story of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, from Genesis to Revelation. It pairs them with the voice of a narrator who explains the biblical story by using quotations from Scripture, paraphrasing the events that the prophets wrote down, and providing light apologetics lessons for skeptics who would question God’s purposes for his creation.

The movie begins with images of what Heaven and the cosmos might have looked like before time came into being. It details the fall of Satan and his angels, which marks the beginning of evil.

As the story of Genesis approaches, the narrator turns more philosophical as he discusses the reasons behind why God decided to create humans and the universe. The next half hour is spent on the first few chapters of the Bible, showing archetypal depictions of Adam and Eve in the garden, their temptation by the serpent, and the entrance of sin into the world. Great pains are taken to repeatedly hammer home the point that, because the first humans sinned, all of humanity requires punishment by death.

The focus turns to the Old Testament law of God where a spotless animal must be sacrificed as payment for humans’ sins. It begins to draw analogies between this sacrificial ritual and the New Testament sacrifice of Jesus on the cross by telling the stories of Abel, Abraham and Isaac offering burnt lambs to God. It hurriedly goes through the destruction of mankind in Noah’s day and briefly introduces Moses as the first prophet who wrote down the Scriptures. The rest of the Old Testament is skipped over in favor of a short explanation of how Jesus would one day be the final sacrifice and fulfill all of the prophesies that God had revealed.

KING OF GLORY begins its second half with what has become known as the Christmas story. It parks almost completely in the Gospels for the rest of the movie, going through the events of Jesus’ life from the time he is conceived until the day that he ascends back into heaven. Mixed in are examples of how Jesus fulfilled various Old Testament prophecies with special emphasis on how he came to be the last sacrificial lamb for humanity. Things then move into the future with John’s account of Christ’s return and the judgment of Satan from the book of Revelation. Everything comes full circle as humans are restored to their original holy state in the new heaven and new earth.

The book KING OF GLORY takes on new life as the colorful, eye-catching drawings become partially animated. Occasionally, live action shots are interspersed throughout the drawings in order to make certain points more relatable to reality. The narrator’s easy-going voice matches well with the pleasant visuals and provides just enough inflection to keep things interesting.

However, some of the animated drawings can be a little cheesy such as floating black hearts over people representing sin and a giant blood blob that repeatedly wanders into the frame to “cover” the images of sinful hearts or a sacrificial lamb. A few explanations of the biblical story get a little too repetitive, particularly the point about sacrificial offerings to God in payment for sin. If anything, the movie does a thorough job linking the Old and New Testaments in this regard, but for people who are already familiar with the Bible, this can get tiring. One must also question why so much of the biblical story is left out when the movie might have been better served by including more of the chronology instead of spending time rehashing the same motifs. The final scene tries to convey the gloriousness of Jesus’ second coming and his triumphant rule in heaven, but it’s backed by a slightly altered rendition of the 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY theme, which only distracts from the holiness of the moment.

Given that KING OF GLORY is about the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it’s told completely from a Christian, biblical worldview. Many direct quotes from Scripture are used along with illustrations of the biblical account. God’s plan to redeem humanity with the blood of Jesus is the central theme. This is communicated primarily with analogies between people in the Old Testament sacrificing lambs on the altar and God sacrificing Jesus through crucifixion in the New Testament. The illustrations of these events can be gruesome and depict cruelty to both animals and humans. Brief mentions of biblical characters lying, committing adultery or murdering are included, but they are either justified as being the result of man’s fallen nature or part of God’s overall plan. Because of the violence, parental discretion is advised, especially for younger children.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” – John 3:16.