THE KING OF KINGS

The film opens with Charles Dickens (Kenneth Branagh) performing his own “A Christmas Carol” in a theatre, but he keeps getting interrupted by his playful son Walter (Roman Griffin Davis) and his cat Willa. While Charles tries to stop them, Walter goes before the audience and wins the attention of the crowd by pretending to be King Arthur, but his father is unamused. Backstage, Walter and Willa get in even more trouble when they mess up Charles’s manuscript, and he scolds his son and makes him sad.

At home, Charles’s wife Catherine (Uma Thurman) tries to get her husband to relax and suggests that he tell Walter a story about a different king to quell his obsession. Charles calms down and goes to Walter’s room to tell him the story about “the king of kings”, Jesus Christ. While the story doesn’t have dragons and wizards like Walter enjoys, Charles promises there are angels and wicked kings.

The story of Jesus begins on the night of his birth, as Mary and Joseph have brought him to be born in a manger. The more Walter becomes engrossed in the story, the more he appears to interact with the events as his father recites them to him. King Herod (Mark Hamill) learns of the one who is said to be the new king of the Jews, so he orders for every firstborn in every household to be taken. Three Wise Men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh before Mary and Joseph take Baby Jesus away for safety.

As Jesus (Oscar Isaac) got older, he became more interested in spreading the word of God. He would go on to perform many miracles, such as turning water to wine, curing a man of his blindness, and resurrecting Lazarus three days after his death. Satan tries to corrupt Jesus and tempt his mind, but he never gives in. In one instance, Jesus is brought to a man who appears possessed by a demonic entity. Jesus expels the evil from the man’s body and sends it into a litter of pigs who all run off a cliff.

Jesus gets baptized by John The Baptist and begins to gather his disciples, including John, Peter (Forest Whitaker), Matthew, Phillip, Thomas (James Arnold Taylor as all three), Simon, Bartholomew, James, Thaddeus, Andrew, and the infamous Judas Iscariot. During a voyage across the sea, Peter is caught with others in a terrible storm, until Jesus appears to him on the water. He convinces Peter to walk to him, but when he casts doubt, Peter falls into the water until Jesus pulls him out. Jesus later tells the disciples that one among them will betray him.

Jesus’s miracles amaze many people, but others view his gifts as a threat to their power. High Priest Caiaphas (Ben Kingsley) tries to create a narrative that Jesus is not to be trusted. When a marketplace is set up in a temple of God, Jesus reacts with fury and chastises the merchants for using the house of his father as a trading ground for thieves.

Eventually, Judas betrays Jesus, and he is arrested. He is brought before Pontius Pilate (Pierce Brosnan), where it is decided that Jesus will be crucified. Judas regrets his betrayal and tries to return the silver he was given, but it is too late. Walter, meanwhile, is devastated to learn that Jesus is going to die. The Romans crucify Jesus, along with Dismas and Gestas. While Gestas is ready to die, Dismas begs Jesus for forgiveness, and Jesus promises Dismas will join him in Heaven. Jesus speaks out to God one last time before he dies.

Walter is heartbroken to learn of Jesus’s fate. Charles explains Jesus’s sacrifice to him by telling him the story of Adam and Eve, and how Satan tempted them. Charles tells Walter that Jesus gave his life for the sins of mankind. Walter sees himself on the water, falling underneath like Peter did. Jesus reaches down to pull him out, while Jesus himself sinks underneath. Walter ends up in front of the giant cross.

With the story nearing its conclusion, Walter comes to acknowledge what he has learned through the tale of Jesus. He sees himself in front of Jesus’s tomb, with the giant stone moved away after the third day. Walter is surprised to see Jesus having resurrected. Jesus smiles at him before walking away into the sunset.

After the story is over, Walter goes to excitedly wake up his siblings to tell them the story he just heard. Charles thanks Catherine for encouraging him to tell the story. He looks over at his manuscript, which is the beginning of his own story, “The Life of Our Lord”.