Those with even the most casual interest in history, especially biblical history, will find Marco Bazzi’s documentary, Crucifixion Quake, fascinating. The movie is a thorough document of one man’s journey to uncover the where and when of the last moments of Jesus Christ.
There is a lot besides the captivating subject matter to hold one’s interest in the film. The opening several minutes draw the viewer in with the anticipatory nature of a movie trailer. Furthermore, the documentary is shot in the rich, deliberate style of a music video, with smooth camera movements and gorgeous imagery that underscore the ethereal substance of the film. Bazzi interviews experts that espouse compelling facts surrounding geology, carbon dating, and even Jungian theory.
“An unnamed geologist…controversially claimed to have pinpointed the exact date on which Jesus was crucified…”
Most engaging of all is the method with which Bazzi chooses to construct his material. An unnamed geologist narrates his own story about losing his reputation and standing in the academic community following the publication of a specific article in which he participated in 2012. This article controversially claimed to have pinpointed the exact date on which Jesus was crucified, prompting uproar throughout religious circles. Now, in an effort to regain his professional stature and set his detractors straight, the geologist is going back to the scene – Israel – to gather evidence and hopefully put an end to the debate once and for all.
As a history buff, this documentary should make me froth with excitement. However, the problem with Crucifixion Quake, and it’s a big one, is the geologist himself. I can’t recall a time in a movie, never mind a documentary, when there has been such an unappealing, self-aggrandizing egoist at the center.
"…the geologist's view of himself...is as some sort of savior of humankind."
