But the story of Esther, as it comes from the Bible, is not a romance - at least not primarily. If anything, it is a political thriller. On the one hand, we have Xerxes, the young king of Persia, who needs a new wife because the previous one was disrespectful and disobedient. On the other, we have Haman, an ambitious man who, because Mordecai won't give him the respect he thinks he deserves, is driven by jealousy to destroy Mordecai and his people. And then there is Esther, the young woman caught in the middle, who comes into the king's court, "for such a time as this." As circumstances turn out, only she can save Mordecai and her people from Haman, and she does so by using her position as the king's new bride.

While there is opportunity to glamorize court life and make marriage to the king something to daydream about, the main plot is one of genocide, equal to the Holocaust. To play that down in order to give the girls a little romance betrays the heart of the story. I don't believe Esther was the silly teenager portrayed by Tiffany Dupont. Nor do I think Xerxes was the star-struck romantic portrayed by Luke Goss. And Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, who plays Hegai, the Royal Eunuch, is just plain terrible. Why in the world would they have cast someone with a speech impediment in such an important role? Most of what he says is totally garbled.

The simple, straightforward story as it comes to us from the Bible has been so altered and convoluted that it is almost unrecognizable as the story of Esther. Characters' motivations have been changed, there are key characters, like Prince Admantha, that don't even exist in the original, and the plot has been changed to a different story entirely. Most of the characters end up in the same place as the Bible story, but how they get there is totally different.

What is really unforgivable is the fact that, rather than letting God be the hero of the story, the filmmakers introduce a magical pendant that produces stars of David on the wall. According to the new plot, the magic pendant is actually responsible for changing Xerxes mind, not God, because when he gives the reason to Esther, he says, "I saw the stars." God is not even involved in delivering His people. Even though God's name is not mentioned in the book of Esther, we all know who delivers the Jews in the end. It's not a magic pendant. That's a different religion.

Why would Fox Faith change a story that has become one of the most beloved in both Jewish and Christian tradition? Why would they base it on a novel and instead of the Bible account, which is so clear? Why would they spend so much money on sets and costumes, and then ignore script, directing and acting. And why would they introduce a magic pendant into the story? This film is a real mystery.

Conclusion? Fox Faith has laid a big, expensive egg, and one on which they probably won't get their money back. To date, it's made less than $14 M domestically. Any more like this, and they can close down their new "Christian" division. Maybe they should get some real Christian filmmakers in there to show them what a Christian film is, plus some decent directors, writers and actors. Anything but what they're using now.

Rated PG

Waitsel Smith, June 2, 2007

Text © 2007 Waitsel Smith. Photos © 2006 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.