"Reverent, respectful, well acted and well-paced..."

That is Steve Greydanus's description of "Pope John Paul II," now available exclusively from Ignatius Press. The regular movie reviewer for National Catholic Register writes:

Earlier biopics, including Hallmark’s Karol: A Man Who Became Pope, end with the 1978 conclave — an approach that omits the drama of the modern era’s longest and most important papacy: the first papal visit to an Iron Curtain country, Poland, leading to the rise of Solidarity and the breakdown of Soviet control; the 1981 assassination attempt; the triumph of World Youth Day; the Holy Father’s struggle against his increasing frailty and loss of motor control.

Reverent, respectful, well acted and well-paced, Pope John Paul II does about as good a job at covering its subject’s life as could be hoped for. The two-part miniseries neatly splits between the pre-election Karol Wojtyla and the reign of Pope John Paul II, with Cary Elwes as Wojtyla up to the conclave and Jon Voight as John Paul II from the conclave to his 2005 death.

Both actors succeed at evoking the speech, style and physical presence of this most media-exposed of popes. Elwes particularly excels at projecting Wojtyla’s formidable intellect and passion. Voight is especially good at realizing the Holy Father’s pastoral spirit and iron resolve.

Pope John Paul II is a fitting tribute to a great papacy, benefitting substantially from the active cooperation of Vatican insiders, authentic locations in Poland and Rome, and a solid supporting cast.

Click here to watch video clips from the movie and interviews with Jon Voight and Cary Elwes.