Synopsis:
Peter The Redemption – Directed by Leif Bristow (Joseph & Mary) and written by John Patus (Left Behind), Peter – The Redemption follows Peter (Rhys-Davies) as he is tormented by his denial of Christ. Having spent his life attempting to atone for his failures, Peter’s true devotion as a witness for the Lord is tested yet again as he faces certain death at the hand of the cruel Roman Emperor Nero (Baldwin). Will he falter again and let his weakness betray him? Or will he rise up triumphant in his final moment?
Last Days in the Desert – Ewan McGregor (Star Wars franchise, Miles Ahead) is Jesus — and the Devil — in Last Days in the Desert, an imagined chapter from Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert. Written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia (Albert Nobbs, Mother and Child), the film also stars Tye Sheridan (X-Men: Apocalypse, Mud), Ciaran Hinds (“Game of Thrones,” Frozen) and Ayelet Zurer (“Daredevil,” upcoming Ben-Hur). This moving and beautifully shot film follows Jesus on his way out of the wilderness and the struggle with the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis that puts him to a dramatic test.
What We Thought:
Both Peter The Redemption and Last Days in the Desert are faith-based films. Unfortunately, I’m not the most religious person in the world. I watched them because I like the leads (John Rhys-Davies and Ewan McGregor) and because I can watch pretty much anything.
Peter The Redemption tells the story of the Apostle Peter (Rhys-Davies) while he was incarcerated by Emperor Nero (Stephen Baldwin). As the followers of Christ grew, Nero wanted all Christians gone. His jailer develops a fondness for the aging Peter and falls for a woman who is secretly a Christian. Peter will not give in to Nero and thinks he must atone for choices in life.
It’s a pretty straight forward film with a good performance from Rhys-Davies. I don’t know if I loved Baldwin as Nero, but he’s serviceable. I did like Brittany Bristow as well.
As a non-religious type, I did like the set design and production value. It’s from the same director as Joseph & Mary which I also watched recently. He tells a straight forward story, but it looks good, is easy to follow and has good value. I may not get much out of it spiritually, but others do and I can respect that.
I actually wanted to see Last Days in the Desert because I do like Ewan McGregor a lot. He’s very good in it even if the movie is a bit slow. It’s a re-imagining of Jesus Christ’s 40 days in the desert as he fasted and prayed.
McGregor plays two characters, Christ and the Devil. He may be good in the film, but not much happens. It’s literally Christ walking through the desert. He runs into some people, deals with the Devil and that’s it. Maybe a more faith-based person would get more out of it, but I didn’t.
I will say the film looks breathtaking though. The cinematography is as good as McGregor’s performance. The coloring, costuming, and production value are fantastic. The story may not have done much for me, but I appreciate the artistic point of view of the film.
Obviously you know whether or not films like Peter The Redemption and Last Days in the Desert are for you. They are faith-based films and there’s a huge market for them. I’m not the target audience, but I can respect the hell out of the process and the production of these films. Both leads give very solid performances and both films look great. For all those reasons, both films are…
RECOMMENDED!
Cast & Crew:
- John Rhys-Davies
- Stephen Baldwin
- Ewan McGregor
- Ciaran Hinds
Recommended If You Like:
- Jesus & Mary
- Faith Based Films
The Nerds Templar 