10 Religious-Themed Films to Watch this Holy Week
The Lenten season is a time of prayer and reflection for Catholics. During Lent’s 40-day duration, there are many activities and events that take place mostly at churches and localities. During this time, most movies and TV shows on local channels will also feature shows of religious and biblical themes.
We’ve listed down movies that have religious and inspiring films that are entertaining altogether, here they are:
God’s Not Dead (2014)
God’s Not Dead is a Christian movie that is compelling as much as it is inspiring. The film follows Jeffrey Radisson, a philosophy professor who, in exchange for passing, demands that his students sign a declaration that “God is dead”. Josh Wheaton, an evangelical student is the only one who refuses to sign the declaration and this sparks a debate between him and Radisson. The film features a multitude of drama that inspires the audience to stand up for their beliefs no matter what they believe in.
Running Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
Cast: Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, David A. R. White
Heaven Is for Real (2014)
The film follows Colton Burpo, the four-year-old son of Todd Burpo, a pastor of a church in Nebraska. Colton, who needed to go through emergency surgery, states that he experienced Heaven during the operation. Todd and his family now face the challenge to examine the meaning of the event as the church and media meddle with their affairs. The movie is not entirely religious and offers a narrative of Near-Death Experiences (NDE), an issue that is very much present in real life and the variety of situations that an individual has during NDE.
Running Time: 1hour 39minutes
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Thomas Haden Church
The Case for Christ (2017)
Set in 1980, the film follows Lee Strobel, a renowned investigative journalist who sets out on a quest to disapprove his wife’s newfound faith and goes through a journey that ultimately turns him into a believer. In the aftermath of his journey, he writes a book on his experiences and how he transitioned from an avowed atheist to a believer. The movie is based on a true story and on the book of the same name by Lee Strobel.
Running Time: 1hour 52minutes
Cast: Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway, Frankie Faison
Miracles from Heaven (2016)
Miracles from Heaven is a true story that follows the Beam family and is based on a book of the same name that was authored by Christy Beam who narrates the story of her daughter, Annabel, who not only came back from a near-death experience but was also cured of a disease that was considered incurable. Annabel recounts the experience and how God promised that she would be healed of her illness when she returns to Earth.
Running Time: 1hour 49minutes
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson
The Shack (2017)
After the presumed abduction and death of his youngest daughter, Mackenzie Allen Phillips receives a letter from God asking him to go the titular The Shack where Missy, his youngest daughter may have been murdered. After much contemplation, Mackenzie leaves his home and heads to The Shack for the first time since his daughter’s presumed death. There, he meets a trio of strangers who help him to better understand his life and to help begin his journey of healing and forgiveness.
Running Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
Cast: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Tim McGraw
90 Minutes in Heaven (2015)
Based on the novel of the same name, 90 Minutes in Heaven is a retelling of Don Piper’s death and resurrection experience that happened in 1989. Piper was declared dead by first responders and covered by a tarp for 90 minutes while his soul experienced all the joys of life as he’d never known. It was the prayers of another pastor that brought Don back to life, making him a living miracle. The movie aspires to bring hope and encouragement to all those who see it.
Running Time: 2 hours 1 minute
Cast: Kate Bosworth, Hayden Christensen, Hudson Meek
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973 & 2000)
1973’s Jesus Christ Superstar is the movie version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice rock opera of the same title. The movie follows a group of performers who travel to the desert to re-enact the “Passion of Christ.” The rock opera follows the story of Jesus from the night that he is betrayed to his resurrection. Jesus Christ Superstar is told from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus.
Running Time: 1 hour 46 minutes
Cast: Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman
The 2000 film version is direct to video feature that features the same story with a different cast that was shot entirely in an indoor setting. The cast features Glenn Carter, an actor from London’s West End who is no stranger to the role of Jesus Christ as he has played the role in several productions of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Running Time: 1hour 47minutes
Cast: Glenn Carter, Jérôme Pradon, Renée Castle
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
This animated musical drama is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and is a retelling of the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to a man who led the children of Israel out of Egypt. While this movie isn’t inherently related to the Passion of Christ, it inspires others that miracles will come as long as we believe and that God will always make a way for us.
Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
Cast: Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer
The Young Messiah (2016)
One of the most recent entries on the list, 2016’s the Young Messiah is based on Anne Rice novel titled “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.” The film follows the young Jesus and his family, Joseph and Mary as they depart from Egypt to return to Nazareth. The film is a stimulating look at the story of Jesus as it’s told from his childhood perspective and follows him as he grows into his religious identity.
Running Time: 1 hour 51 minutes
Cast: Adam Greaves-Neal, Vincent Walsh, Sara Lazzaro
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
This film is the depiction of Jesus Christ’s last 12 hours that open with his time in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper. The events that follow depict his suffering, death and a brief depiction of his resurrection. The dialogue of the entire film is reconstructed Aramaic, Hebrew, and Latin.
Running Time: 2 hours 7 minutes
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern
