Over centuries, there have been hundreds of traditional retellings of the life of Jesus Christ, so how do you craft a film in 2025 that feels fresh without it feeling trite? Director Seong-ho Jang attempts to do just that in the animated film King of Kings.
King of Kings takes a unique storytelling approach by not making the film’s protagonist Jesus, but rather Charles Dickens (Kenneth Branagh), who narrates Christ’s tales to his King Arthur-obsessed son, Walter (Roman Griffin Davis). As his father recounts each story and parable, Walter becomes more captivated by the heavenly king instead of earthly ones. At times, we see Walter so engrossed in the narrative that he himself appears as a spectator in the stories themselves.
If you’re wondering where on earth Jang derived this premise, it’s loosely based on a true story: Dickens himself wrote a unpublished book for his children entitled The Life of Our Lord. While this approach is intriguing, the premise wear thin at times. The film takes quite a long time to introduce the characters and shift into the Christ stories, which are by far the most interesting and engaging parts. Flashback interjections to Dickens’ time feel drawn out, leaving you wanting for these scenes to be over quickly so you can go back to the Christ-centered stories of the film.
Despite this secondary group of characters and setting, King of Kings tells the full Christ story, from his birth to resurrection, with many stories in between. The film tells a mix of familiar and lesser-known stories and parables of Christ, such as Christ casting demons from a man into pigs, which still interest children just as they do Walter.
The film surprisingly boasts a strong voice cast in addition to Branaugh. Uma Thurman as Catherine Dickens Thurman, Mark Hamill asKing Herod, Pierce Brosnan as Pontius Pilate, Ben Kingsley as High Priest Caiaphas, and Oscar Isaac as Jesus Christ.
The animation is distinct, resembling wood-carved stop-motion puppets at times. Produced by Mofac Studios and distributed by Angel Studios, it’s refreshing to see smaller studios still getting in the game and tackling topics and markets often ignored by mainstream titans.
While not groundbreaking enough to appeal to a non-Christian audience, King of Kings knows its target audience well—Christian families—and no doubt is poised to become an Easter classic for years to come.
King of Kings hits theaters on April 11, 2025.
★★★
