By Mallory Mattingly
Would podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey let her kids watch THE KING OF KINGS? She shared her thoughts on Angel Studios’ latest hit in a recent YouTube Short.
“I, honestly, felt like it was a really good representation of Jesus and His sacrifice and the Gospel,” Stuckey said in the video. “There were few creative liberties taken but, honestly, not that many. I thought that it captured the spirit of Jesus’s life and purpose and represented His probable temperament really well. I thought there were some really beautiful moments where I was brought to tears. I thought the crucifixion was done really well.”
Inspired by a short story by Charles Dickens, THE KING OF KINGS features “a father telling his son the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice. THE KING OF KINGS invites us to rediscover the enduring power of hope, love, and redemption through the eyes of a child.”
The movie, which set the record for the highest-earning opening weekend for a faith-based, animated film, released on April 11 and stars Oscar Isaac as Jesus Christ, Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, Mark Hamill as King Herod, and many more.
After Stuckey commended THE KING OF KINGS Gospel presentation, she began to explain the movie’s “missed opportunity.”
“But again, I think another missed opportunity — or maybe you think this was there — was maybe the child seeing, ‘Oh, like, in my own way, like I contributed to Jesus’s death on the cross. That is my sin, and like He tells me to honor my father and mother. And like, I also need salvation. I also need forgiveness,'” the author said.
Stuckey continued: “And there could have been some like contriteness there to show, but that is one reason why I don’t know that I would allow my kids to see it, not because of the necessarily the, like, other parts of it, the story of Jesus, but because you see bad behavior completely undisciplined by the parents. And like very weak parents who don’t take that behavior seriously at all.”
Related: Animated Movie KING OF KINGS Casts Oscar Isaac as Jesus
Movieguide® agrees with Stuckey’s critique of THE KING OF KINGS, saying, “Charles Dickens and his wife seem a little weak as parents, and some of the King of Kings stories stress the individual’s faith more than the divinity of Christ, but other places show the miracles happen because of Jesus.”
However, despite this concern, Movieguide® believes THE KING OF KINGS “is a terrific, powerful way to introduce children to the story of Jesus in a way they can understand, through the dynamics of the Dickens family.”
“In real life Charles Dickens was ambiguous about his Christian faith. However, there’s something exciting and special about the movie’s historical, Dickensian way of telling the story rather than other animated versions that use children or animals,” the review continues. “THE KING OF KINGS is an excellent, acceptable version of the Gospel for children aged six and up.”
So while parents will have to decide what is best for their kids, THE KING OF KINGS’ strong Gospel presentation makes it a powerful flick for your next family movie night.
Read Next: Faith-Based KING OF KINGS Casts King Herod, Pontius Pilate
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