‘The Chosen: The Last Supper Part 3’: Finale Achieves Cinematic And Spiritual Greatness
(REVIEW) It looks like “The Chosen” isn’t tired of winning yet. After a headline-grabbingly good first weekend where the first part in its three-part theatrical Season 5 release scored No. 3 at the U.S. box office, the series decided to outdo itself in its second weekend. The second weekend saw “The Chosen” at two spots in box office top ten: Part 2 was at No. 3 again, while Part 1 finished at No. 7.
This is a well-deserved success. Both Parts 1 and 2 of “The Chosen: The Last Supper,” the show’s fifth season, have been among the best the series has ever made. And upon watching “The Chosen: The Last Supper Part 3,” I can definitively say that not only does the finale stick the landing – cementing this season as the best of the show so far – but at times it approaches cinematic greatness and even a form of “religious art.”
The series continues its wrap-up of Holy Week with the same level of quality that the other two parts did. The dialogue, the camerawork, editing and acting are all in top form. The show leans into the fact that it’s approaching the end, with many callbacks to the beginning season between characters and characters looking back on how far they’ve come.
READ: ‘The Chosen: The Last Supper’ Season 5 Premiere Lives Up To The Pre-Easter Hype
Many scenes continue to feel padded the way the last two episodes did, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. When it works, we get really great and moving character moments – like the one between Mary and Nichodemus. When it doesn’t, it feels like we’re just killing time before the finale – like many of Pontius Pilate’s scenes. Likewise, the extended flashbacks of the apostles in their early days before meeting Jesus are hit and miss.
One thing I’ve noticed this season, and it becomes even more apparent toward the end of the third episode, is how the ratio of made-up material has shifted much more toward Scripture. In many ways, this makes sense logistically. The Gospels give so much more detail on Jesus’s Last Supper and death than any other period of life, so there’s just a lot more fleshed-out sections to pull from. But it also feels fitting in another sense. The idea behind “The Chosen” was to help us see Jesus better by detailing His life and the people around Him. Now, after five seasons of doing just that, they can retell the story with little changes, and we see it with fresh eyes.
And that brings us to the crescendo of the season — and maybe the entire series so far. Easily one of the greatest cinematic achievements of the whole series is the extended sequence of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Everything that the series does well, faithfulness to Scripture, creative flourishes that make the Bible come alive and the brilliant portrayal of Jesus (played byJonathan Roumie) comes together similar to Jesus’s garden agony as Mel Gibson’s Jesus's passion and crucifixion in “The Passion of the Christ.”
We stay with Jesus step by step: Through the lows of his pleading with God to find another way to avoid suffering and to the highs of his reaffirmed commitment to obedience. Much of this is drawn directly from Scripture, punctuated by visions of Old Testament scenes and moments where he confronts his disciples for falling asleep. Roumie gives everything in this performance, and the scene never lets up. It’s beautifully shot — many frames resemble those of oil paintings — yet it never loses momentum.
READ: ‘The Chosen: The Last Supper Part 2’ The Best Middle Chapter Of The Series Yet
It’s in moments like these that “The Chosen” feels like it’s approaching something that could be called “religious art.” By that, I don’t just mean art about religious topics. I mean art that functions the way worship does: Not by telling you to worship God, but by offering an experience of God so palpable, so real, that it inspires worship naturally and voluntarily. There were moments in the garden scenes that did that for me — and that’s a rare thing to experience in any film, Christian or otherwise.
This has always been the secret to the popularity of “The Chosen.” It’s why a crowdfunded series ended up reaching box office heights this Lent. People don’t watch this series because they love it. They watch it because they love Jesus. And the show, through its artistry and creativity, helps people see Him more clearly. It succeeds because film has a unique power: It can offer pure experiences that go beyond what words can capture.
As a Christian and a movie lover, I’ve always believed in the good that could come if Christians learned how to share their love for Jesus through this medium. I’m just so glad I’ve lived long enough to see them begin to do exactly that.
“The Chosen: The Last Supper Part 3” is in now in theaters.
Joseph Holmes is an award-nominated filmmaker and culture critic living in New York. He is co-host of the podcast “The Overthinkers” and its companion website theoverthinkersjournal.world, where he discusses art, culture and faith with his fellow overthinkers. His other work and contact info can be found at josephholmesstudios.com.