Mary Magdalene is a bit thin as Mary’s role fades into the background along with a pretty average retelling of the story
I found myself waiting for Jesus to appear as the film overall left me in a bore
AH Mary Magdalene, she of argued origin and intent and the poster girl for fans of The Da Vinci Code is given an attempted makeover in this story of Jesus told through the eyes of this gifted midwife in Judea.
With her father (Tchéky Karyo from The Missing) doing his best to allow Mary (Rooney Mara) the luxury of choice seldom afforded women of that time and against the almost comical protestations of her thuggish big brothers, she does a runner on the eve of her arranged marriage - keen to hear the teachings of “The Healer” (guess who!).
Her family think she’s possessed (A WOMAN WITH HER OWN THOUGHTS?!), but here begins her pilgrimage and unwavering devotion to Christ.
As they trek towards Jerusalem, with the supposed intention of uprooting society, you would expect to find out what makes Magdalene tick - a maligned historical character getting a fresh perspective.
However I merely found myself waiting for Jesus.
As Roxette once eloquently put it: Don’t bore us, get to the chorus.
Joaquin is, well, exactly as you’d imagine his Jesus to be - often enigmatic and intense with the occasional ludicrous lapse.
Hippyish in a friendship bracelets under his shawl kind of way, with his early followers giving a distinct whiff of “Yeah well I saw The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club in ‘76” type of vibe.
What follows is a pretty standard retelling of the story - all the hits get an airing- Last Supper, Crown of Thorns, Turin Shroud - the whole shooting match.
Occasionally we get breaks in the cloud with some unsettling and intense moments - Jesus’ healing scenes are great and Judas’ betrayal is just about the best thing in the whole film (and arguably the book, but I’m not opening that can of worms).
The spin on his devoted crowd is also a turning point, with cries of “Messiah!” ringing worryingly in the Apostles' ears.
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Garth Davies has taken the spectacular taste for vistas he found in ‘Lion’ and transferred them to a beautiful looking land - the whole of Nazareth looking like a dusky Tattooine and a particularly breathtaking Jerusalem all add to the sum of it’s parts.
It’s just that - well, it’s a bit thin.
Mara’s Mary had the opportunity to be a powerhouse of role, breaking with dull tradition, but ends up just melting into the background and becoming a bit part in her own story, leaving Tahar Rahim’s Judas to steal the crown, albeit a thorny one.
Mary Magdelene
(12A) 120mins
★★☆☆☆