8 Onscreen Resurrections for Easter Sunday (PHOTOS)
The story of Jesus Christ has been told time and again through every artistic medium. This Easter Sunday, look back on biblical stories onscreen with the help of some cinematic classics as The Chosen unveils its version of The Last Supper and more in The Chosen Season 5, in theaters as of March 28 and coming to Prime Video this June.
From Ben-Hur to The Passion of the Christ to more recent films such as Mary Magdalene and Resurrection, there are several worthy onscreen adaptations of the resurrection of Christ tale. Here, we break down eight that are moving and worth the watch as you prepare to see The Chosen: The Last Supper.
The Chosen, Season 5, Premiered in Theaters, Friday, March 28
This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s The Chosen: Special Easter Issue. For a deep-dive into the wildly popular series and its upcoming fifth season, pick up a copy of the issue available on newsstands and order online here.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Is there a more rousing re-creation of the Resurrection than the victorious moment from director Mel Gibson’s controversial film? Following the harrowing Stations of the Cross sequence that divided audiences with its brutal authenticity, we see the silhouette of a stone being rolled in front of the tomb’s entry and then away from it as light floods the space, casting a beam across the now empty Shroud of Turin. As composer John Debney’s orchestral score swells, the camera pans to the beatific face of a risen Jesus (Jim Caviezel, above). As Christians know, even that is not the end of the story, and Gibson has announced plans to explore the aftermath of this miracle with his in-production 2026 sequel, The Resurrection of the Christ. — Damian Holbrook
Risen (2016)
Seeing is believing for Roman tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes, above), who is tasked with recovering the missing body of Yeshua (the Hebrew name for Jesus, played by Cliff Curtis) before rumors of a resurrected Messiah cause an uprising. While the biblical event is not depicted onscreen, the shock and awe Clavius feels when he finds Yeshua sitting among His followers is palpable. It sends Clavius down a path of curiosity over the inexplicable events unfolding before him. — Meaghan Darwish
A.D. The Bible Continues (2015)
A sequel to 2013’s The Bible, this dramatic series from Mark Burnett and Roma Downey begins with the Resurrection and goes on to depict the first 10 chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. In the premiere, a mighty rumble shakes the earth as an otherworldly being rolls away the stone from the tomb of Jesus (Juan Pablo Di Pace, above). Christ appears to Mary Magdalene and His stunned Apostles, asking, “Can’t you believe your own eyes…. Blessed are they who have not seen Me and still believe.” — Lisa Chambers
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
Faithful to the Gospels to the end, the reverent 1965 film biography of Jesus (Max von Sydow, above) reveals the Messiah to his disciples in a euphoric climax accompanied by Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus. Jesus emerges from the clouds, clad in a white robe, with stigmata visible on His hands as He issues His final commands (“Make it your first care to love one another and to find the kingdom of God”) before vanishing in a beam of light, declaring, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” — Matt Roush
Resurrection (2021)
Hope doesn’t die on the cross! Executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett used footage from their sprawling 10-part miniseries The Bible for this big-budget film celebrating the events surrounding the Crucifixion of Jesus (Juan Pablo Di Pace, above). His rise from the sepulchre is shown as a blessed event preceded by a glorious light in the night sky witnessed by the faithful and fallen alike. The story then follows his Apostles’ efforts to spread the word of the Lord after His ascension. — Damian Holbrook
Mary Magdalene (2018)
Resistant to the path laid out for most women of her time, Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara, above) rejects the idea of marriage and motherhood to follow Jesus (Joaquin Phoenix) in this gorgeously shot movie. The story highlights her pivotal role as His “apostle of apostles” and the first to see Jesus resurrected. The sequence demonstrates the deep bond between them and prompts Mary later to set out to spread His word. As the movie’s tagline promises, “Her Story Will Be Told.” — Meaghan Darwish
Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
Franco Zeffirelli’s historical and Gospel-based NBC miniseries depicts the Christ story from His supernatural birth to the Resurrection. In the emotional final scenes, Mary Magdalene (Anne Bancroft) reveals the good news to the disciples, followed by the risen Jesus — played by British actor Robert Powell (above) — quietly assuring them: “Don’t be afraid. I am with you every day to the end of time.” With a religiously sensitive script, the film earned critical praise and huge ratings. — Ileane Rudolph
Ben Hur (1959)
The Oscar-winning epic, subtitled “A Life of the Christ,” stops short of the Resurrection but foreshadows the miracle as Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston, above) and wise man Balthazar (Finlay Currie) mournfully witness the Crucifixion, which Balthazar describes as “the beginning.” In the ensuing fierce storm, Ben-Hur’s mother and sister are cured of leprosy, and Ben-Hur reveals, “I felt His voice taking the sword out of my hand.” The final shot depicts the empty crosses atop the hill of Calvary. — Matt Roush
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