The Life of Brian is the best comedy movie that I have ever seen as of now. It's not THE funniest-that would go to Blazing Saddles-but the poignancy, jokes, and songs make it the best.

Not The Messiah..., which I will just call "Messiah" for brevity's sake, is an aria of Life of Brian, meaning it's an opera that re-tells the story with just a few actors.

In case you haven't seen LOB, Brian is the neighbor of Jesus, and he is mistaken for Him, and many people follow Brian believing HE will save the world from sin. The moral of the story is to think for yourself on what you believe, whether it be religious or other kind of ideology.

Since 97% of this movie is singing, that is what holds the movie together, and that's the biggest problem. Most of the songs are forgettable, and I can't even really recall any names, let alone lyrics.

That said, there are some good songs. Near the end, the iconic Always Look On The Bright Side of Life is sung. However, another song follows, which is uncalled for. The song We Love Sheep was good and had a couple of chuckles-that's one of the best Python-related things ever right there. There were a couple other songs that were decent too, but most are meh and forgettable.

Some of the jokes flowed better in the original movie as well. For example, the scene where Eric Idle says he gets freedom, not crucifixion, has better flow in the actual movie and has less power when you know how the joke ends.

Also, for a PG rating, some of the best jokes are toned down, making it less funny. For example, when Brian's Mom originally told Brian that his father is a Roman, Brian asks: "You mean, you were RAPED?" She responds: "Well, at first...yes." Meaning she liked how the sex felt and just went with it. In this version, Brian just has shock that he has centurion blood in his DNA and that's pretty much it.

Also, when Brian tells people that he is The Messiah so they leave him alone, they praise Brain and bow, to which Brain replies, "Now f**k off!" And John Cleese responds: "How shall we off, Oh Lord?" To make it PG, they say "p*ss off" instead, which has less of an effect, honestly.

I could give other examples, but this gives you a basic idea of how I feel about Messiah. If you are a die hard Monty Python fan, this is worth a watch and that's it. Others will want to pass, and would be better off for it. Messiah is not bad, but not great either, and a bit uneven.

All things said and done, this is a decent one time watch for Python fans with some laughs and catchy tunes. If you feel the need for something completely different, this isn't the worst choice to make.

Note: I will not be doing my Christmas marathon that I started anymore, I got too busy. I apologize but it's better for me to discontinue it. Maybe next year. :(

I'll try to be kind - an American with an attitude and no sense of humour. What a surprise. Don't give Jay Harris' review any credence whatsoever. Sophisticated cerebral humour just seems to elude some people. Audiences don't give elated standing ovations for nothing, so you decide who to trust - 5000 lucky spectators at the Royal Albert Hall, or poor humourless Jay Harris...

When I first saw that this had been produced, I feared that it would be one more try to exploit the Monty Python legacy that reached its pinnacle with The Life of Brian movie. Instead, it turned out to be a triumph, that soared, and incredibly managed to exceed the movie itself, although it could never have done so without the ground breaking, risk taking humour of the original movie.

The idea of a Life of Brian opera certainly sounds stodgy and ill-advised, and the first few numbers were perhaps a bit too low-burn, really doing nothing to set the scene or re-acquaint fans of the movie.

After that, highlights from the movie are performed magnificently, with the scoring and the lyrics working in hilarious and perfect harmony. Whilst the oratorio covers a wide range of styles, from Dob Dylan folk mumble to Mexican cantina band, it is primarily classical and operatic. Don't let that put you off though, it's not performed in pretentious style, and in fact the juxtaposition actually enhances the piece. At no time is this more brilliantly demonstrated than when Brian and Judith have sex, operatically. If that doesn't bring tears of laughter to your face, then I have serious doubts about the presence of your sense of humour. It's incredible that it can be puerile and high-brow at the same time, and that is the oratorio's incredible magic.

The piece is littered from start to finish with in jokes that Life of Brian fans will enjoy, but many pay homage to the greater Python body of work. The audience was particularly appreciative of the repeated intrusion of the lumberjack song.

Some of the key moments played out musically include:

Popular People's Front Popped by? Swarmed by more like! Brian and Judith Biggus Dickus Bwian You lucky bastard Crucifixion Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

When the original movie came out, it caused a religious outrageous amongst stuffy Christians the world over, and hopefully, this fantastic show will stick a cracker up their butts again. On the one hand, it's not actually disrespectful of the whole Jesus story, yet it manages to point out the hypocrisy of religion. My favourite lines come at the end of the piece called Hail to the Shoe, where the singers have decided that the shoe is a sign of Brian's divinity:

Hail to the Shoe. Death to those who Have different views Concerning his Shoes And while we kill him let us all pray

I'm not fortunate enough to be as well versed in classical music as Adam Wilde, so there may be even more sophisticated jokes lurking for some of you, but I know this, there has not been a movie in two decades that I watched three or four times in two days, as I have with He's not the messiah. If you're a Python fan, treat yourself to the treat of two decades!

I cringed throughout this piece of garbage. These former MP performers are so desperate to remain relevant they will re-hash anything from yesteryear and spit it in the face of consumers.

Unfortunately yesteryear is to today.

This movie/musical piece sucks.