Image Credit: IMDb.com
The King of Kings is a 2025 animated film from Angel Studios about the life of Jesus, told by Charles Dickens to his youngest son, Walter.
Charles Dickens, a father and writer, is frustrated with his son, Walter, as his son’s obsession with King Arthur leads to disruptive behaviors.
As tensions flare between the father and son, Charles’s wife encourages him to tell their child about the greatest kingly story ever told—the story King Arthur was based upon–the story of Jesus.
Spoiler-Free Review
This movie is a stirring, inspiring, family-friendly film depicting the life of Jesus Christ as he walked the Earth, preaching and healing, dying on the cross, then resurrecting.
Audiences get to see the story of Jesus through fresh eyes as young Walter sees and experiences the story of the Gospel as he pictures what Charles tells him, portrayed as Walter and Charles standing right in the center of the action and watching the events unfold with their own eyes.
With wonderful visuals, faithful recreations of real places where Jesus and his followers dwelled and visited, fantastic voice acting, and engaging storytelling, audiences are bound to get lost in the narrative alongside Walter.
My Personal Thoughts (Spoilers)
This movie moved me in ways I did not expect.
I’m not sure what I expected going into it—I knew it’d be good, but I definitely was not expecting it to touch my heart the way it did. I cried several times throughout the movie, and I was reminded in a quite poignant, stirring, and personal way the meaning and depth of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross.
This is one of those movies that fueled my spiritual fire, drew me closer to the Lord, and reinvigorated my motivation to stay on the path of following Him.
I was very surprised by the cast.
I knew Oscar Isaac (best known for Moon Knight in Marvel’s Moon Knight and Poe Dameron in the Star Wars sequel trilogy) played Jesus Christ in this movie, but when I watched it in the theater, I was surprised to see Mark Hamill (as King Herod) in the credits!
When I looked at the movie’s IMDb page to write this article, I was shocked further. Uma Thurman, Dee Bradley Baker (known for a lot, but notably for every clone trooper in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Squilliam Fancyson & Bubble Bass in Spongebob Squarepants), Forest Whitaker, Roman Griffin Davis (known for JoJo in Jojo Rabbit), Pierce Brosnan, Kenneth Branagh, and Jim Cumming (who’s also known for a lot, but notably for Pete in Mickey Mouse cartoons, and Winnie the Pooh & Tigger in Winnie the Pooh movies) appear alongside Oscar Isaac and Mark Hamill.
Everyone in the cast did a great job portraying these people. Oscar Isaac had such a serenity as the voice of Jesus, Mark Hamill did great as a scheming king, Uma Thurman put gentleness and love into her character’s voice as Catherine Dickens, conveying a great mother figure; Kenneth Branagh’s light voice bounced wonderfully between storyteller and authority figure as Charles Dickens, Roman Griffin Davis spun an electric character full of youth and energy as Walter Dickens, and Dee Bradley Baker never fails to impress with his ability to sound just like an animal as the Dickens’ family cat!
The movie had a very interesting art style, with contrasts of angular facial features and organic shapes.
Image Credit: Angel Studios, YouTube.com
I was struck by the beautiful rendering of the natural scenery too: clouds, mountains, and starry skies were softly rendered and beautifully lit.
I was especially taken with the cloudy skies.
The instrumental music was great. The soundtrack was well-done, with a unique “theme” to the sound.
Finally, the actual story was told very well. It was the Gospel narrative many are familiar with, but the details in how it was told was what made watching a familiar narrative so fresh. Audiences watch the film through the eyes of wide-eyed Walter, who is learning the Gospel for the first time—he and his father appear alongside the people of the Bible like they are actually there as Walter pictures the story, observing and interacting with the events.
Walter and the family cat watching some of the Gospel story, as if they were really there.
Another detail that made this story feel fresh was angels and demons were framed as beautiful or scary, respectively—that was interesting, and I think I like that because of how honest the film was being about good and evil.
Angels were beautiful apparitions of light, but had a powerful impact in their presences and voices. The angel that appeared throughout the film was there to do God’s good will—with their presence so surprising and otherworldly, the angel started his messages with, “Do not fear!”
The enemy, and demons, were whirls of chaotic black smoke. The demons being framed as scary is good in that it doesn’t sugar coat the fact that these are evil, unwanted figures that you don’t want to like, and of course you get to see Jesus defeat them and triumph over them!
How the angels are shown in The King of Kings.
I also appreciate that they did not include depiction or mention of Judas’s extreme actions from his regret over betraying Jesus—I could see that depiction starting some difficult or premature conversations for families. All the movie did was show a tearful Judas trying to give the silver back to the Pharisees, but the Pharisees refusing. The high priest said to Judas in the film, “This doesn’t concern us. Deal with your own sin.” and that’s it.
Lastly, the way they impressed the depth and significance of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross to the audience was truly Spirit-filled. How it was done or depicted is not something I’m willing to spoil. You’ll have to see for yourself!
Conclusion
The King of Kings is a refreshing, Spirit-filled movie that shares the Gospel, full of fun, honest truths, unique storytelling, and inspiring emotions. It’s a great family movie–something truly enjoyable for all ages.
Whether you’re a seasoned Christian or unfamiliar with the Christian faith, the movie breaks down the cornerstone theology of the Christian faith well, and invites viewers into the engaging and wonderful narrative found in the Bible.
This movie originally debuted in theaters on April 11th, but it has done so well that it’s still running at some theaters!
I rate this movie an 8 out of 10!
References
IMDb. “The King of Kings.” IMDb.com, 2025.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7967302/?ref_=ttfc_ov_bk
Accessed 17 May 2025.
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