25 Movies About The Bible You Should Add To Your Must-Watch List

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible isn't a book — it's a collection of books. How many? There are 24 books in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament in the Christian Bible), 66 books in the King James Bible, and 73 books in the Catholic Bible. So suffice it to say, there are a lot of opportunities for cinematic adaptations. However, while there are plenty of books in the Bible that haven't been adapted into film (we're still waiting for that Mel Gibson-directed Maccabees movie, buuuut we don't think that'll ever happen), there are many more that have — more than we could ever cover here. 

So given it would take you less time to read the Bible than to watch every Bible-based movie, we're going to highlight the top 25 you need to see. Given the Bible has been around for a couple millennia, cinematic adaptations span the dawn of film. What makes our selections "must-watch?" We picked these movies based on the quality of their cinematic storytelling, the authenticity of their adaptations, their cultural footprint, and in some cases, all of the above. 

We're not including "extra-Biblical" movies, basically sword-and-sandal epics that tie into the Bible, but aren't in the Bible (e.g. "Ben-Hur," "The Robe"); movies about saints or the clergy (e.g. "Father Stu", "Silence"); or general faith-based films ("Heaven Is For Real," "The Blind Side"). From massive cinematic epics, to intimate character dramas, here are 25 movies about the Bible you should add to your must-watch list!

While Biblical epics were Old Hollywood's bread and butter, Hollywood's relationship with Bible-based movies for the past 40 years has been, well, odd. Basically Hollywood will make, shall we say, "creative" adaptations of Biblical stories, attempt to attract a faith-based audience, and then wonder why that audience doesn't show up in droves. Enter "Noah," Darren Aronofsky's controversial 2014 adaptation of the Genesis story of Noah and the Ark. 

"Noah" had an all-star cast, with Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Ray Winston, Anthony Hopkins, and Russell Crowe as the titular Noah. You can see the controversy in the divide between critics and audiences' scores on Rotten Tomatoes. The film's controversy stems from director Aronofsky's avowed atheism, including bragging to The New Yorker that "Noah" was "the least Biblical Biblical film ever made." Yep, just what faith-based audiences want to hear. 

However, despite Aronofsky's provocative claims to the contrary, "Noah" mostly hews to Biblical tradition, while its $359 million worldwide box office (the majority of which was earned largely overseas) makes it one of the most successful controversial movies of all time, Biblical or otherwise.

A movie about the life of Jesus Christ, but told in stop-motion, claymation style, à la Rankin/Bass, sounds like a "SNL" skit in really poor taste. However, it is the basis of one of the most under-seen, but definitely one of the best, cinematic interpretations of Christ's life — "The Miracle Maker." The 1999 family film was British-American-Russian co-production between Mel Gibson's Icon Productions and BBC Films (among others), and features a who's who of esteemed thespians lending their voices, including William Hurt as Jairus, Alfred Molina as Simon, Emily Mortimer as Mary, and Ralph Fiennes as Jesus (in the English version; Ioan Gruffudd voiced Jesus in the Welsh version). 

If the idea of Amon Göth and Voldermort voicing Jesus seems off, just remember that Fiennes is a brilliant actor and nails the voice performance. While Fiennes is fantastic, make no mistake, it's not just his performance that makes "The Miracle Maker" a must-watch. As Stephen D. Greydanus of Decent Films puts it, "The Miracle Maker" is: "Quite simply one of the most genuinely profound and noteworthy depictions of the gospel story of all time, in any medium." High praise, indeed. While "The Miracle Maker" is definitely meant for young fans, it's a must-watch for any viewer.

Following the rapid spread of the small screen to America's living rooms, Hollywood had to remind former moviegoers why the big screen was better. Thus, the switch to the wide-screen format under names like "Cinerama," glorious Technicolor so vivid it was like looking at a Renaissance painting, and 3D filmmaking (part one). But people go to movies for stories, so when Hollywood needed epic stories large enough for the big screen, they went to the Bible. One of the first of these 1950s Biblical epics was 1951's "David and Bathsheba," which makes sense, as it features one of the Bible's most famous figures, King David. 

Predating the gold standard of the Biblical epic, Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 "The Ten Commandments," "David and Bathsheba" stars Gregory Peck as David and Susan Hayward as Bathsheba, focusing on how David's adulterous affair with the bathing beauty risks the wrath of God (more famous stories, such as David killing Goliath with a slingshot, are told in flashback). Decades later, critics are still mostly pleased with director Henry King's adaptation of the Book of Kings, though moviegoers are less impressed. While "David and Bathsheba" is more enjoyable as a 1950s cultural touchstone than a Biblical adaptation, it's still a must-watch, ideally at a drive-in movie theater in the front seat of a 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe convertible.

While Jesus Christ is the most famous figure from the Bible, or y'know, from western culture, period, he wasn't prominently featured in the Biblical epics of the 1950s, save a cameo in 1959's "Ben-Hur." The reason is the story of an itinerant preacher who ministers about peace and love didn't exactly lend itself to the epic scope of the medium in the 1950s (which helps explain why Jesus movies have been more prominent since the 1960s). However, that all changed with 1961's "King of Kings." 

Directed by Nicholas Ray, and starring Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus (who famously played Captain Pike in the rejected pilot of "Star Trek") and Rip Torn as Judas, "King of Kings" performs a delicate balancing act — telling the intimate, character-driven story of a peaceful preacher and his followers, but set against the backdrop of a massive, sword-and-sandals-style Biblical epic. It was harder than it looks, which is probably why Ray (the director of 1955's James Dean classic "Rebel Without A Cause") was selected. "King of Kings" largely succeeds, earning strong Rotten Tomatometer scores from both critics and moviegoers. While it may rely a little too heavily on spectacle, "King of Kings" is a more thoughtful and poignant Biblical epic than most.

While there have been plenty of controversial Biblical films, Pier Paolo Pasolini may be the most controversial Biblical filmmaker (yes, even more than Martin Scorsese or Mel Gibson). An avowed atheist Marxist who was mysteriously murdered, Pasolini was also a maestro of Italian cinema, whose contributions to European Neo-Realism put him in the same conversation as his fellow Italian Vittorio De Sica, and French filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. 

Rather than reverence, it is Pasolini's "on-the-ground," "man-on-the-street," sense of realism that makes his most famous film, 1964's "The Gospel According to Saint Matthew," one of the best cinematic adaptations of Jesus' life. Despite highlighting Pasolin's interpretation of the political nature of Christ's message, the film isn't preachy in the political sense, and closely follows the Biblical text, albeit filmed in a fresh, almost documentary style moviegoers hadn't seen before. Perhaps the only Biblical movie you'll ever see taught in film schools, "The Gospel According to Saint Matthew" is a big hit with critics and fans, and a more-than-worthy inclusion on our must-watch list.

Hollywood lured moviegoers back into the multiplex in the 1950s to great success with religious-themed epics like "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur." Hollywood tried again in the 2010s, with literally the exact same stories, only this time with much different results. We won't get into "Ben-Hur" (either the 1959 blockbuster or 2016 flop), as it's an extra-Biblical movie not based on Scripture. The same can not be said for "Exodus: Gods and Kings," Ridley Scott's epic retelling of the story of Moses from the Book of Genesis, starring Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Ramses. 

"Exodus" didn't connect with critics or fans based on its Tomatometer score, while its $268 million worldwide gross on a $140 million budget makes it a bomb on a Biblical scale. Despite not being particularly good artistically or successful financially, "Exodus: Gods and Kings" makes our list simply because it was such a breath of fresh air in our modern cinematic landscape obsessed with sequels, superheroes, and superhero sequels. Besides Bale and Edgerton as the leads, "Exodus: Gods and Kings" features Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, and Sigourney Weaver in supporting parts. 

For fans of the Biblical epic, an all-star cast, and an A-list director filming a big-budget retelling of a story from Scripture just doesn't happen anymore. Sadly, based on this film's failure, it's doubtful it will happen again anytime soon.

Next to Jesus Christ himself, few Biblical figures were more consequential to the spread of Christianity than St. Peter and St. Paul. However, you wouldn't know that based on their respective filmographies. The 1981 TV mini-series "Peter and Paul" attempted to rectify that. Originally released on CBS, "Peter and Paul" retells the Book of Acts of the Apostles, chapters 8 through 28, with a particular emphasis on its two principal figures. 

"Peter and Paul" stars Anthony Hopkins as Paul of Tarsus in a scene-stealing performance alongside Robert Foxworth as the apostle Peter. Despite the outstanding lead performances, "Peter and Paul" was only nominated for two Emmys, both in technical categories, though it won for Outstanding Makeup. However, it's not just the makeup that's outstanding about this movie. At over three hours, "Peter and Paul" is likely to take you more than one sitting to finish, but it is definitely worth it, especially for those who only think of Peter and Paul as the folk singers who wrote "Puff the Magic Dragon."

The late great Richard Harris will be remembered by one generation as King Arthur in "Camelot" and another as Dumbledore in the first two "Harry Potter" films. However, true cineastes will remember him for his greatest performance, as Captain Nolan in the 1977's "Jaws" ripoff "Orca: The Killer Whale." We kid, we kid (kinda). But one film that definitely belongs on Harris' "best-ever" list is his role as Abraham in the TV miniseries of the same name, released on TNT in 1993.

Despite being the patriarch of three great world religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism), and thus the spiritual forefather of literally the majority of the world's population, Abraham's cinematic output has been relatively sparse. Maybe because, when compared to Moses or David, the story of Abraham is less cinematic. What "Abraham" lacks in scale or scope, it makes up for in quality, driven by Harris' lead performance, for which he was criminally only nominated for one award, the CableACE award. Whatever. "Abraham" is a must-watch, not only as one of the best Biblical movies, but as one of the finest performances from one of our greatest actors.

Dreamworks Animation would one day rival Disney for its animation output, with blockbuster brands like "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda." The animation powerhouse kicked things off with the "Woody Allen plays an ant," CG-animated "Antz," followed by one of our must-watch Biblical movies — "The Prince of Egypt." Foregoing the CG-animation techniques inaugurated by "Toy Story" in 1995 that have been in vogue ever since, "The Prince of Egypt" is a classic, Disney-esque musical that uses traditional, hand-drawn animation (with some CG backgrounds here and there), which seems appropriate for its tale of Moses and the Exodus out of Egypt. 

Dreamworks had big hopes, for "The Prince of Egypt," as this is no straight-to-video (and straight to Sunday school) animation job, but a major theatrical release. Besides the stunning animation, "The Prince of Egypt" features a stacked voice cast, including Val Kilmer as Moses and the voice of God, Ralph Fiennes as his brother Rameses, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Danny Glover... yeah, it's a lot. 

Buoyed by its strong reviews from critics and moviegoers, "The Prince of Egypt" was a big hit at the box office too, earning $218 million on a $60 million budget. Sadly, Dreamworks only released one more Bible-based movie, the direct-to-video, "Joseph: King of Dreams," ditching the good book for storybooks, with multiple Shrek sequels.

Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" may be a controversial inclusion on our list (and not just because of all of the other reasons it's so controversial). While it is, of course, based on the Bible, it is technically an adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis' 1952 novel of the same name. However, most of the movie and books' content still comes from the Gospels, albeit filtered through Kazantzakis, Scorsese and screenwriter Paul Schrader's imaginations. We included it, because, let's be honest, every movie on this list takes creative liberties. Besides, you can't have a list of "must-watch" Biblical movies and not include "The Last Temptation of Christ." 

Despite its Biblical basis, this isn't the Jesus you see in other movies, or the Gospels for that matter. As played by Willem Dafoe, this Jesus is self-doubting, uncertain, and oftentimes confused as to God's will. In other words, this Jesus is a lot like most viewers. Thus, "The Last Temptation of Christ" is less a celebration of faith than a rumination on it, using Christ as a metaphor for the spiritual experience, not the source of it. 

Naturally this doesn't sit well with many faithful viewers, though it does make for a compelling cinematic experience, one largely praised by critics and moviegoers alike. There's nothing to say about "The Last Temptation of Christ" that hasn't already been said, so we'll say see it and decide for yourself, and leave it at that.

With a title like "The Greatest Story Ever Told," a film better deliver. In fairness, the movie says it's the greatest story ever told, not the greatest movie ever made, so there's that. Following in the footsteps of 1961's "King of Kings," 1965 "Greatest Story" is once again an epic, big-budget, lengthy retelling of Christ's life by way of Hollywood, California. 

Movies about Jesus' life don't come any bigger. "The Greatest Story" was directed by Hollywood heavyweight and multi-time Academy Award-winner George Stevens ("Giant," "A Place In The Sun"), shot in the Ultra Panavision process (the IMAX of its day), and with supporting roles by multiple stars, including Charlton Heston (the star of "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur") as John the Baptist. Yet at its center is a grounded, touching performance by Swedish actor and Ingmar Bergman-favorite Max Von Sydow ("Wild Strawberries," "The Seventh Seal") in his first American film. 

Your appetite for "Greatest Story" may vary, as you feel every second of the film's three hour and fifteen minute runtime. However, when it comes to epic Biblical productions, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" is undoubtedly one of the, well, greatest.

When you think of "Biblical epic," one movie springs to mind — Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments." Heck, when you think of the word "epic," period, this movie belongs in the conversation. Movies do not come any bigger than "The Ten Commandments," Biblical or otherwise. In an era when Hollywood was luring moviegoers back into theaters by way of massive stories based on the Bible, and moviegoers were showing up in droves, none stood taller than "The Ten Commandments." Make no mistake, "The Ten Commandments," isn't just a totem to a bygone era in Hollywood or American pop culture history. It is a uniquely cinematic experience and artistic achievement that stands the test of time. 

Charlton Heston stars as Moses in a literal cast of thousands (no CG armies here, those are all real-life extras), alongside Yul Brynner as Ramses. While Heston and Brynner deserve credit for keeping this movie grounded, the true star is the director, Cecil B. DeMille. Today, filmmakers shoot movies in studios decked out in green screens that VFX artists later turn into spectacle. Not here. DeMille made one of the biggest movies of all time, and made it look easy too. Even so, "The Ten Commandments" was also an innovator in optical effects, with Moses parting the Red Sea one of the most memorable VFX shots in history. Still boasting across-the-board "Fresh" scores on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Ten Commandments" is not only a must-watch, but the best Biblical epic of all time.