films seen
1
average score
0.50*
nationality
status
Alive and kicking

Movies


The Message

Al-Risâlah
1976 / 177m - Kuwait
Drama, War
0.5*/5.0*
The Message poster

The origin story of Islam, packaged as an overblown 180-minute epic. As someone who isn't religious, nor appreciates the classic epics, my expectations were very low and I pretty much got what I was expecting. It's dubious this film earned its reputation based on pure cinematic merit.

Read all

In 7th century Mecca, Mohammed is fighting against the moral decline. He claims to have received a vision from Gabriel and tries to convince the people to worship only one God. Mohammed decides to fight the rulers of Mecca, but after some scuffles, he chooses to negotiate a truce to spread the word of God.

The film is split between lengthy (and uninteresting) dialogues and epic battles, but neither managed to pique my interest. The performances are weak, the direction is uninspired and there are some serious pacing issues, which make the runtime an even bigger hurdle. Even if you're a dedicated Muslim, there must be much better sources to learn about Islam.