Film Review: THE KING OF KINGS (2025): A Powerful and Accessible Faith-Based Animated Film from Angel Studios

The King of Kings Review

The King of Kings (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Seong-ho Jang, written by Rob Edwards, Jamie Thomason and Seong-ho Jang and starring Oscar Isaac, Pierce Brosnan, Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker, Jim Cummings, Dee Bradley Baker, Fred Tatasciore, Roman Griffin Davis, James Arnold Taylor, Vanessa Marshall, Mick Wingert, Imari Williams, Frank Todaro and Ava Sanger.

Angel Studios and director Seong-ho Jang bring the story of Jesus Christ to the screen in a successful animated effort, The King of Kings. Faith-based films aren’t in small quantity these days, but The King of Kings ably tells its tale straightforwardly and is easily digestible by younger children who will be moved by the powerful story this film tells.

Framed by the plot device of Charles Dickens (voice of Kenneth Branagh) and Catherine Dickens (voiced by Uma Thuman) teaching their young boy, Walter (Roman Griffin Davis), about the death and resurrection of Christ, the film tells how everything came to be regarding Jesus. While the computer animation is certainly impressive enough, the emotions the film is able to stir up for its viewers makes it an enjoyable rendition of the hard-hitting tale that was prominently featured in many other films before this one.

Oscar Isaac expertly voices Jesus. This film shows Jesus, the son of God, and how he works miracles which make him become a despised figure in a time when people weren’t ready to witness the workings of someone as mighty as Jesus was. This film cuts back and forth between scenes where Walter integrates himself and his cat in the action as the tale is being told and sequences of Walter’s dad, Charles, telling his son this inspirational religious story.

There are plenty of biblical characters who come and go within the picture such as Pontius Pilate (Pierce Brosnan) and King Herod (Mark Hamill). Anyone who has read their bible will know the meaning behind these characters and this movie may serve as a sort of Cliffs Notes version of the greatest story ever told. Angel Studios has crafted a movie that is perfectly edited to maintain young viewers’ interests while giving them the bullet-pointed highlights of the story which include the crucifixion and, at the end, the resurrection.

One scene will certainly hit viewers hard that has Jesus lifting Walter up as he is falling in the water and as the boy rises, Jesus plummets deeper into the water. It’s moving no matter what your faith is as is the scene where Jesus is hung on the cross and talks to two other crucifixion victims beside him. Besides the foundations of the story are scenes where we get to learn about Jesus whose life is paralleled to that of God. Jesus is certainly well-developed here, and the movie integrates the tale of Adam and Eve to teach Walter the origin story of how sin started and why Jesus died for our sins.

While I didn’t mind the framing device with young Walter, the movie may be confusing to younger viewers who won’t understand that Walter really isn’t in the scenes where we learn about the teachings and life of Jesus. He’s present in the scenes due to the way the film functions, but Walter can’t change the fate of Jesus which may make younger viewers frustrated as they are probably used to the more fictional aspects in modern-day animation.

Isaac voices Jesus with dignity and give him an emotional edge that differentiates this Jesus from other recent characterizations of the almighty son. When Forest Whitaker is heard voicing Peter, it’s clearly Whitaker’s distinct voice that makes the character of Peter leap off the screen. As people turned their back on Jesus and eventually crucified him, Jesus decided to quietly turn the other cheek and suffer for the sins of others. It’s a powerful story that is told in a way that will excite children who will not be bored watching this famous tale unfold.

There are a few basic problems with the film. Some of the story is oversimplified, even for kids, which may leave older viewers questioning why some important material was glossed over. Like I said, this is a Cliffs Notes version of the tale, but it’s nevertheless remarkably powerful in its presentation of the key emotions which come from the inspiring story of Jesus.

While The King of Kings is perfectly timed for Easter and it’s unique in terms of its impressive animation, some viewers may feel that the middle of the end credits where the film asks audience members to pay it forward by scanning their phones to donate so other people can see the movie may be a little too “forward” considering the power of the themes the movie displays. Perhaps, they should have given a hand-out at the theater with information on how to pay it forward rather than integrating donations into the end credits.

Still, The King of Kings is an experience like no other that allows the audience to absorb and learn the story of Jesus Christ in an emotionally moving, yet simplistic way that will leave viewers looking to read more of the story behind the story this film offers its audience. Emotionally uplifting and heartwarming despite its sorrows, The King of Kings is a winner.

Rating: 7/10

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