A.D.: The Bible Continues

A.D. for the most part has a fairly solid script.

Yes, the additions sometimes feel shoehorned in, and, as in The Bible, the storytelling gears still sometimes clunk. But anyone who loved The Bible and yearned for a sequel is likely to find A.D. satisfying.

Handsomely produced, diversely cast, and fresh in its approach, A.D. deserves to be called inspired. [23 Mar - 5 Apr 2015, p.15]

There's a lot to like about this production that depicts the birth of Christianity not as yet another dogmatic swords-and-sandals religious epic, but more like a political thriller. It's frustrating, then, that the action stumbles only when it turns its focus toward heaven.

A.D.: The Bible Continues makes odd, sometimes debilitating choices (“What is it about this Jesus?” is an actual line) that prevents it from being a cheesy but compelling take on a well-told story.

After the shift to the Resurrection, A.D. manages to deliver some effective scenes as Mary Magdalene (Chipo Chung), Peter (Adam Levy), John (Babou Alieu Ceesay) and others come to realize that Jesus has fulfilled his promise to rise again. The producers can’t rein in their tendency toward excessive effects and overwrought dialogue, but they seem at least to be proceeding at a more patient pace.

There are moments in which the acting and the dialogue in A.D. achieve a quiet and entirely believable beauty, suitable for devout and secular audiences. But as soon as I say that, here comes the “Constantine”-esque angel riding the blazing meteor down to the tomb in the middle of the night for the rolling away of the big, round stone. The flashiness is reminiscent of cheesy megachurch passion plays.

There isn't necessarily anything new to see here. The first two episodes available for review hit upon all the familiar iconic moments.

Handsomely mounted and soaringly scored by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe, what A.D. lacks is anything that would distinguish it from earlier screen depictions of this tale, beyond extending the narrative past Jesus’ death to the establishment of Christianity in the face of Roman oppression.