Jesus Christ Superstar

Really bad. Judas is a pretty good actor, but whenever he starts singing you want to skip the scene. Jesus clearly struggles with the high notes that Ted Neeley kicked so much ass on in the 1973 version. The rest of the cast ranges from painful (Pilate) to serviceable (Mary), with the sole standout being Frederick Owens, whose booming bass is perfect for Caiaphas. Please, for the love of Christ, skip this one and just watch the 1973 version.

This is basically a typical, mediocre film adaptation of a musical. Jesus is barely good enough, Judas is far from good enough, Mary is mildly annoying, and Pilate is less subtle than a burning freight train caught in a hurricane during a thunderstorm (even more so than everything else in this movie). Still, some of the songs are handled quite well, so it has its perks.

Worst movie version of JCS... The 1973 version is so much better.

Not a great interpretation of the great musical. The casting is all wrong, particularly when it comes to Judas and Jesus (the two most important roles). It's complete lack of subtlety doesn't help either.

Wonderful recording of the show, videotaped rather than filmed, but giving a greater sense of access to the performers which heightens the "live show" atmosphere. Pradon is a wonderful Judas; Carter as Jesus tends to be a one-note actor, but delivers the goods in his solos. Owens is also a wonderful Caiaphas. The facist reimagining is also very interesting. It's made for TV (and it shows) but ultimately ends up a very satisfying and exciting version of the show

Pradon & Mayall are fantastic as Judas & Herod. The Pharisees & Pilate are also convincing. Unfortunately, everyone else is pretty uninspired (Jesus, Mary, Simon and the other apostles) and the sets look ridiculously cheap, even for a "televised play". The music gets a nice update though.