Film Journal:
Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar has never been one to shy away from a challenge and in his latest effort Agora, he presents himself with a doozy. Employing the style and conventions of ’50s-era biblical epics like Ben-Hur and The Robe—from the lavish sets to the international casts to the often stilted dialogue—the writer-director of such terrific films as Abre Los Ojos and The Sea Inside attempts to craft a serious and distinctly secular drama exploring Christianity’s early years.
