Andrew Lloyd Weber originally composed Jesus Christ Superstar as a musical play, before it was made into a musical movie. The play follows the events of the last few years of Jesus' life, as written in the gospels. For the most part, the movie faithfully follows the play and history.
In the beginning, one gets to know the characters. One sees Jesus interacting with Judas, Peter, and Mary Magdalene quite a bit, among the other apostles and people. Two key events are shown, first, where Jesus tears apart the market place set up in the temple, and second, where he rides into town on an ass over a road covered in palms.
Events are fairly mundane until Jesus' betrayal by Judas, and then the action picks up, all the while everything being said in song. Jesus is taken before Pontius Pilate, where the people condemn him to crucifixion. He is whipped while at the same time Peter denies him the proverbial three times as three people accuse him of being one of Jesus' friends.
Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Ch...
Christ before Pontius Pilate, Mihály Munkácsy, 1...
Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pontius Pilate prese...Finally, Jesus is nailed upon the cross, and hoisted to the sky, although no scene was shown with the two criminals that were supposed to be there with him. Then, a new morning comes, and one can see the cross, empty against the sun, and a figure, assumed to be the risen Jesus, walking up the hill towards the now empty cross.
I enjoyed the movie for the most part, although at times the fact that they were singing got real old real quick. I couldn't understand what they were saying half the time. The scenery was hot and dry looking, and there was plenty of dust as expected. I found the costume to keep one's attention as half the time it was robes as expected,