Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

shakercoola A historical epic about the birth of the Islamic faith and the story of the prophet and disciples of Muhammad ibn Abdullah who, according to Islamic doctrine, was sent to present and confirm the monotheistic teachings preached previously by Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. It is a fabulous story with intrigue and drama and one of very high production values and a spellbinding musical score worthy of its Oscar nomination. The battle scenes at Badr and Uhud are spectacular and compelling viewing for 3 hours. In accordance with the beliefs of some Muslims regarding depictions of Muhammad, his face is not depicted on-screen nor is his voice heard. This is, I believe, not only rightly so respectful, but it works creatively too by lending an atmosphere and mystery, and because it is a story about faith alone. Watching this film - the English language version - in the same month that it is finally to be released in the Middle East after 42 years make it a little more special. The film will now reach twice the number of Muslims than there were in 1976, and so it is high time the rest of the world embraces the story of the 7th Century Messenger.

SnoopyStyle This chronicles the rise of Islam led by the prophet Mohammad. Director Moustapha Akkad got the backing of Al-Azhar in Egypt and respecting Islamic tradition, Mohammad is not portrayed in the film. Anthony Quinn plays Mohammad's uncle Hamza. Irene Papas plays Hind, an enemy of the new religion.There are issues of accuracy and religious propriety which are beyond my purview. I don't have anything to judge a large part of this movie. Quinn is the big name but he's only a supporting character. In fact, the leading character is not portrayed at all. This leads to an intriguing aspect of this movie. Without a lead, the movie is not a focused narrative. What it is is a fascinating recounting of a religious movement. There are big action scenes for the battles. The actors are experienced. I am reluctant to give this a rating since a lot of this is beyond me.

svorva As a critic, The Message poses a challenge. The story of Muhammad is the crux of the Muslim faith. The Message naturally demands a more serious approach than your biweekly romcom. This film necessitated a pause so I could reflect on the purpose of criticism. I admit, I almost submitted this review with a higher rating in an act of pandering. That would have been a popular move, but disingenuous. After all this more than a hobby, it is my immortal soul at stake. So for those already infuriated, please bear with me.Originally, I watched The Message to answer one question: Why is this movie in the IMDb Top 250? I had never heard of this movie before, and I would likely not have ever seen it if it had not cracked this questionably prestigious list. Some IMDb users have grown increasingly frustrated by movies not in classical canon receiving such an honor. These non-USA made, low vote count films, often receive strong vitriol in user reviews and message boards. My best summary of this contempt is these films lack objective quality, rather, they appeal strongly to a subset of the community and do not deserve a general recommendation. I think the voter statistics suggest that not only is The Message an example of this phenomenon, it is the prime example. Bollywood movies were previously the go to offenders. These films garnered on average approximately 40% 10/10 votes. Superhero movies, consistently overrated and raised by a large sub-community, garner a similar percentage considering their slightly elevated position. Shawshank Redemption currently reigns supreme, and only convinces 53% of the populous it is perfect. 60% of users rated The Message 10/10. Compare this anomaly to Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which currently ranks one spot bellow The Message, has only 18%. Admittedly, IMDb uses black magic to come up with the top 250. Even so, The Message dominates true rivals like films in the Top 30 which only score 10/10 percentages around 30%. Excuse the excessive use of numbers. I want some outside verification when I say The Message speaks very strongly to some and less so to others. This is not a suggestion that the people who voted 10/10 are wrong or should be discredited.Unfortunately, I believe this opinion gap is primarily based on source material. This marginalizes the debate over more subjective intricacies. As a non-Muslim, this film failed to engage me spiritually. I can appreciate the perspective and education the film provides, but it obviously did not affirm my faith. Beyond that, the quality of filmmaking leaves me hard pressed to suggest The Message over other epics. The subject works effectively as a narrative. Acting and cinematography were solid, similar to Hollywood flicks of decades past. The most differentiating characteristics were how The Message dodged sacrilege. As entertainment, The Message is simply too long. There were many scenes that seemed unwarranted which makes one feel every minute of the three hour run time. I am sure there is a scholarly reason for every line, but, as an outsider, I am taxed. The challenge of not depicting the central character is also met inconsistently. In some scenes, the presence of Muhammad is tangible, his direct manifestation is not necessary. These moments do not feel like a director struggling with an inconvenience, rather mastering this obstruction for effect. Sadly, just as many scenes are clumsy. I simply cannot believe The Message is engaging enough independent of religious context to support such a devoted following.Despite my lukewarm critical response, I am overjoyed that this film exists. The Message provides a perspective that is consistently marginalized in contemporary society. And if this outlook is delivered in the form of an entertaining epic, who am I to complain? More importantly, I am glad others have enjoyed such a strong reaction to this film. Many have shared their own personal account of watching The Message. It seems clear that a movie is providing a spiritual experience for thousands. No, I did not personally share these feelings, but I can relate. For me, it was Andri Rubilev. Simply as a lover of film, I am happy knowing people I have never met are experiencing a film in a way they might not have ever thought possible. The Message is an achievement because it is rare movie that demonstrates film's overwhelming potential.

ghent1 I'm no Muslim but I am interested in the story of Islam since it's the final of the monotheistic religions, as the Muslims say: its "seal". This is a seventies epic in the same style of Zefirelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" and "The lion of the desert". All three movies feature a magnificent Anthony Quinn. The movie is very enjoyable and well made. Beautiful shots, great cinematography, good score, great acting. Of course it brings a very short version of the story of Islam, mainly chronicling the most important political and military events but leaving out loads and loads of elements. At 3 hours one cannot expect more. This is why I would have preferred a miniseries double that length, as in "Jesus of Nazareth". That gives time to settle in, to give much more information, teachings, etc. Of course the movie is not as it could have. Islamic creed prohibits the depiction of the Prophet: you never see Muhammad nor do you hear an actor as his voice. That's quite a handicap for the movie. The same goes for the most important people around him. Next to none are depicted in the film: Fatimah, Aisha and in general the whole family of the Prophet, Ali, Abu Bakr, and the other first four caliphs etc. The result of the above is a movie which brings the most important "earthly" sides to the advent of Islam, but lacks a bit in spiritual depth. It also brings the story of Islam without including all its most important pioneers. Though I respect this, I find it a great pity. Nonetheless, even with these limits the movie still deserves 7/10 if alone for the beautiful photography, the acting of Anthony Quinn and the beautiful depictions of Islamic holy sites at the very end.