Yeah, I know it’s too late to react. I get that but it is only now that I was able to acquire a full copy of Mark Burnett‘s version of The Bible TV Series. I promised once that once I will be able to watch it I will write a review about it, although when the trailer has been showed late March before what the Catholic call as the Holy Week. I was able to watch one of the trailers and I was disappointed at it right away, not because of the CGI, or of the casting but because of some misquotations of the characters of what was written in the Bible.
It’s simple really, if I am the author of a Book and someone will ask to make a film out of it. I would definitely insist that they stick to my Book than make a film out of what I had written. The problem of the Film producers today is that they always perceived that Christian movie goers who love to watch films that are based from the Bible are IDIOTS who cannot determine a film that is entirely written based on their own interpretation or from the one that is taken from the Word of God.
To be BLUNT and FRANK, Mark Burnett hired writers who are either UNBELIEVERS or has another version of the Bible. Most part of the series was basically an open insult and blatant perversion of what is written in the Bible. They should have titled the series by episode instead rather than entitling it “The Bible” since they didn’t really follow it religiously and were not true to the spirit of the Book as they say in their Disclaimer.
So, I am going to write a blow by blow review on its episode to guide those who haven’t watched it yet, but for me and my kids the entire series was a big LET DOWN. Why entitled it the Bible when it has skipped so many important characters and stories, it should have been entitled The Skipping Bible Film.
The 1st episode “The Beginning” covers the Creation and the story of Noah down to Abraham. When it comes to CGI, it was pretty good there is no doubt about it that they’ve indeed hired the best CGI creator in the business. The costumes are too flashy, you will instantly know that the film is intended for TV, it’s not a silver or big screen material. Most of the time you will have that feeling that you are just watching a Play in a theater, you could tell that the actors are just ACTING OUT their parts.
The series started to be messy right away, after the creation they followed it with the Story of Noah right in the middle of the flood. I may not know what was in their minds when they’ve decided to skip the part where they have to show why there was that big flood in the first place. But right then and there I knew that they have omitted that best part where it explains why God caused that great flood. All that was shown was the murder of Cain to Abel and the following scene relies on the narrator. If I am not familiar with the Bible I will then assume that the reason God caused such a great flood was because of that scene.
After the Great Flood came the story of Abraham (they really have fast tracked the story to conserve time), it started with Abraham’s coming out from the country where he and Lot was staying. Once again, they skipped one important character and story, The Tower of Babel. I guess the writers thought it has no significant and is not that important….
What was disturbing in the series is that it was way OFF from what was written in the Bible. in Genesis 13:1-6 it says that Abram and Lot were rich in flocks, herds and tents. However, in the series, there is no sign that the character of Abram was rich, the actor was rugged looking and looks like an ordinary, poor shepherd and in the series the reason that Abram and Lot’s herdsmen were fighting is that they lack resources and it has been emphasized that they were dying in hunger that is why Lot’s wife persuades Lot to separate from Abram.
After this, Abraham then met three strangers in which one of them resembles the Lord Jesus Christ. After telling him the good news, the two angels left for Sodom and Gomorrah for God is going to destroy these two cities. Another scene that could be misleading was the conversation between the Lord and Abraham, when the Lord told him that He’s going to destroy the city and Abraham defended it asking several questions which can be read in Genesis 18:23-33. The Lord’s answer after Abraham’s question was “I will not destroy it”, it implies that the Lord knows the number of people who are righteous in that two cities. But in the TV series the Lord’s answer to Abraham was different,When Abraham asked the Lord if there are 50 righteous people in the city will He still destroy them. The Lord replied if “My ANGELS” find fifty righteous people He is not going to destroy it. Let’s back off a little bit and think this line over. Does this line denies one of God’s attributes which is His being an Omnipresent God? The Bible clearly says in Gen. 18:26 in answer to Abraham’s question if there are 50 righteous people in the city. The Lord clearly says in this verse, “If I (in the entire passages you will not find a single passage that He said If my Angels, The Lord always says if I find)” Isn’t it misleading and deny God being an all knowing God?
Another character that caught our attention, even my kids laughed so hard about it was the character of the two Angels and their apparels or their clothes. The Angels looked like occult members in Red Hood what is worse is that they looked like a character in RPG Assassin’s Creed, with their sword and all. What is funny is that after they’ve blinded the people that were after them, they were on their way out of the City one of them did the Jet Li or Donnie Yen kind of thing, swinging his two swords from left to right while flipping in the air. WHAT THE HECK was I watching? I guess the writer was either a fan of the Assassin’s Creed RPG and a lover of Jet Li or Donnie Yen.
The next part of the story that they’ve skipped was when Sarah asked Abraham to send away Hagar . The series showed a part where Abram sent Hagar away but skipped the part where God talked to Hagar while she and Ishmael were in the wilderness (Gen. 21:16-21). I guess this part isn’t that important for the writers as well.
Again, one of the very important part of Abraham’s story that they’ve injected a different twist was the part where Abraham was about to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. In the series, when Abraham was about to struck Isaac with his knife a voice called out his name and when he lifted his eyes on the mountain he saw a man in Red Hood. That’s it..the man just called out his name which is way different from what is written in Gen. 21:11-14. The Angel talked to Abraham..he just didn’t call out his name to stop him from sacrificing his son.
Well, I guess they were running out of time that is why they have to cut it short and skipped the dialogues. After all they were airing in a Paid time and the episodes has to run within the allowed time by the network. There it is, the 1st episode ended with the Creation, the Great Flood and the story of Abraham.
If I will let you guess what would be the 2nd episode be, you’ll assume it would be the story of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. None of them for they have omitted these three very important stories in their version of the series and they proceeded right into the story of Moses. That is why I said it would have been better if they a have just entitled it “The Skipping Bible TV Series”.
“5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Proverbs 30:5-6 (KJV)
collective thoughts 