Ever since Mel Gibson filmed The Passion of the Christ is seems like everyone else wants to try and tell the tale of Christ in some way. It doesn’t always have to be about the crucifixion apparently, and some want to take Biblical tales, combine them with some modern approaches and yet still make an effort to keep them in the time period they are supposed to be in.

The Final Inquiry is yet another retelling of the days of Christ, though this time it is set in 33 AD, after the crucifixion and supposed resurrection. With tale abounding through the Roman Empire of the resurrection of Jesus and followers popping up all over Jerusalem, Tiberius (Max von Sydow) has sent Tito Valerio Tauro (Daniele Liotti) to investigate the stories and determine their validity. Along with his servant Brixos (Dolph Lundgren), a captive from the Roman’s attacks in Germany, they begin to question those who had direct dealings with Jesus and witnessed the crucifixion, including the man who sentenced him to death, Pontius Pilate (Hristo Shopov) Tito also meets Tabitha (Mónica Cruz) a young woman who is following the teachings of Christ and begins to fall in love with her.

Simply put, The Final Inquiry is just CSI for a more religiously devoted audience who won’t feel guilty watching something about murder and death since it does have connections to the Bible. The story itself is obviously the work of pure fiction, but it also become extremely apparent what the writers are trying to accomplish. Tito starts asking questions, obtaining evidence, making trips to find other witnesses and so on. The only thing that the story really needs is to have a suspect in the beginning that Tito thinks might be the culprit, decides it’s not the right person, then later finds enough to prove that in fact, it was that person so he can arrest them, just like every episode of CSI that’s ever been filmed.

If the movie isn’t trying to uncover clues to either prove or disprove the resurrection, it’s concerning itself with fighting, the usual, gladiator style, sword and sandal style that would have been common during that era. This might sound appealing, but there are plenty of problems with it. The swords are wooden with badly done silver paint over them, at least they seem as though they are wood. If not, they are plastic and poorly done ones at that, and the armor fits into that same category. The battles themselves are so crudely done, there are high school plays and professional wrestling matches that showcase batter choreography and combat than what is seen in The Final Inquiry. What I’m really confused about is the bloodshed. Now, I’m not against it, and in fact I’m a very big fan, but keep in mind that this is a Christian movie. So, let me get this straight, if it’s a movie that is made for a religious audience, any amount of blood is completely fine because its in the name of the Lord, but if it’s anything else, anything that would be viewed as being a part of the secular crowd, then it’s a mortal sin and I’m going to hell. It’s the usual brand of hypocrisy that is seen with religion where something is bad . . . until they do it, then it’s completely fine, but it needs to include some religious context apparently.

The movie also takes the approach of the death and resurrection as being fact, and I won’t even get into how this belief parallels so many different mythologies that predate Christianity and other modern religions. Often though, it is referred to as a fairy tale by Tito, and the whole point of the film is to prove him wrong and make him into a believer, but the idea of fairy tale does ring loud and clear. Tabitha is to marry Nathan (F. Murray Abraham), a much older man (think Hugh Hefner age) and after she confesses her love for Tito, he savagely beats her in the head. Later, we see her, no wounds apparent, but she wants Tito to bring the follower of Christ to her. So, long story short, they arrive, they pray over her for a while and then leave. Tito returns to his love who still seems dead, he kisses her and then she miraculously returns to life. Okay, maybe she was already alive thanks to the prayers, but regardless, if that doesn’t have fairy tale written all over it, I don’t know what does.

There are no bonus features at all on the DVD, and I’m really not sure what to think about that. On one hand, I’m a bit disappointed as I really wanted to know what was running through the writer and director’s minds on this, but then again, the fact there is nothing extra really didn’t make me terribly upset.

The Final Inquiry is definitely for those who want to see something along the lines of CSI without the guilt, but this is purely a work of fantasy and nothing more. There are a few names and places that connect in with Biblical tales, but that’s about it, and the real lack of originality makes this feature more of an insult to just about anyone, religious or otherwise, than some triumphant Bible story.
 

-mike-