In accommodating schedule to holiday realities, the Easter showing of The Last Supper at the historic Jones Theater begins this evening, Thursday, at 7 p.m. Additional screen times are tomorrow evening, Friday, at 7 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee, Saturday, April 19. You get the picture (I guess the pun is intendedā¦): the theater times to which we are accustomed are simply moved up a day earlier so folks donāt have to make a movie outing decision on Easter Sunday.
The Last Supper was released in mid-March, and is a fairly conscientious rendering of the Biblical accounts of the later year or so of Jesus of Nazarethās brief ministry. The highlight of the film of course, is conveyed in the title, the popular reference to the gathering of the twelve disciples with their rabbi for a Passover observance in Jerusalem. The gathering, fraught with spiritual and political tension, is the ālastā the intimate followers will have with Jesus before his death. Particularly, of course, Judas has come to the decision to betray Jesus to arresting authorities. Throughout the film, Judas has struggled with his disappointments over Jesusā refusal to take on a secular messianic role.
Along with Jesus, the disciples Judas, John, and Peter are the well-developed characters, the others, including the women who follow Jesus, being sort of background, supportive, largely non-conversant people in the mix. Of course, that is somewhat true of the Biblical gospel accounts as well. The narrator is Peter, an interesting production choice.
There are no spoilers here. Viewers drawn to The Last Supper know the story well, and those commenting on their viewing experience report their expectations met.
Again, as indicated in the title, this is not a rendering of Jesusā crucifixion, but of the remembered events having led up to that. There is a depiction of Jesus being whipped by the occupying Roman colonizing military, but otherwise the grim realities of the Empireās brutal murder of its enemies, criminals, and opponents are sanitized out of this faith-based visual re-telling. Apparently, the scariest scene you might shepherd the kiddos through is Satanās appearance to Judas as demon and snake.
It is no surprise, or even noteworthy really, that as an obvious niche market film, low budget at that, The Last Supper has not appealed to reviewers and critics. That is of no matter to the families and folks who enter the movie theaters already knowing what they are going to experience. As freelancer Carla Hay writes in her comments at culturemixonline.com, the film is āa solid option for anyone who is inclined to see this type of movie.ā
Whatever your āinclinationā though, you might find the 114 minute PG 13 (bloody images, violent content, suicide) Last Supper to be a local movie outing to build into your holiday.
Oddly enough, about the same time The Last Supper was released, so too, The Chosen: The Last Supper Part 3, an episode in the fifth season of this popular faith-based franchise. Just be clear that our Jones Theater showing is not the franchise series, but rather, this stand-alone feature film produced for the Easter season.
And remember: the first showing is tonight, 7 p.m., then again tomorrow evening at 7 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before the house lights go down and the silver screen lights go upāat ticket prices so modest youāll think you were invited to The Last Supper as a VIP guest.
W.A. Ewing