Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small commission if you purchase items on this page at no extra cost to you. 

Favorites and suggestions abound when it comes to Christmas movies. How often do you get recommended a good movie for Easter?

There just aren't that many.

But we've got you covered with this list of 7 good movies to watch at Easter time. And...our upcoming film FABIOLA will be an addition to great Easter movies!

David as portrayed in David (2025)
Distributed by Angel Studios

In this animated retelling of the story of King David, the makers perhaps for the first time made a cartoon that could compete with a Disney film. With easy to watch animation and catchy songs, the film does a wonderful job of telling the story in a way that is fresh and engaging.

How can it be considered an Easter film?

The film draws a clear parallel between King David and Christ, showing a caring king who gives everything to his people. I feel that it even shows a beautiful relationship between David and his mother akin to that of Our Lord and Our Lady, reminiscent of The Passion of the Christ.

Read the full review here!

Mr. Nezzer, Larry and Bob in An Easter Carol
Big Idea Productions

A favorite for children on this list of Easter films, An Easter Carol is a fun and musical adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol.

In this film, Ebenezer Nezzer needs to relearn what Easter is truly all about and a small fairy comes and brings him back his past and into the future to show him.

Read the full review here!

Joseph Fiennes and Tom Felton in Risen (2016)
Affirm Films

Risen was not a bad Jesus movie per se, but I wouldn't say that it's all it's cracked up to be. A very interesting take on the Resurrection, this Easter movie follows the Roman tribune, Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), who is charged with the burial of Christ.

It also shows the conflict between Caiaphas and Pilate as the Sanhedrin ascertains security measures to ensure that body of Christ cannot be stolen by the Apostles. 

After putting guards on the tomb, Clavius rests assured that there is no possibility that the body will disappear. The next morning, Caiaphas returns to announce that the guards have come to him and told him that the body has, indeed, vanished.

Clavius now must find the body before Caesar comes to review the city in ten days time. He must look high and low, question many people including Mary Magdalene and Bartholomew - he even begins to unbury Hebrew bodies from cemeteries. 

His search leads him to the truth, he just doesn't know what to do with it.

There were a few things that were disappointing about this movie. First of all, the first hour was very good, but after that, it kind of fell flat.

Up until the middle, there was a strong story line, an escalating climax, even a resolution of a kind. The movie would have been very satisfying if it had ended there. But this was in the middle of the movie.

The next forty-five minutes was spent with Clavius following the Apostles to find Our Lord just before his Ascension.

This section did not really have much of a climax or resolution because that had already happened in the middle. It was like the makers tried to cram a few miracles and a little time with Jesus after the Resurrection.

That brings up my next downer: Jesus. He was not feminine in any way, but there was still something about Him that was a little--well, soft.

There was nothing about Him that felt inspiring or hero-like. He didn't speak very much, which was probably an attempt to keep the sacred, but it felt more like a lack of confidence.

There was also no clear conversion of the Roman tribune. He stops hunting the Apostles and goes with them, but it doesn't seem as though he is a Christian at the end. There is no "please, baptize me". He and the Apostles just part ways and he is a "believer" without baptism.

In a discussion with Jesus, Christ asks Clavius what he wants. Clavius responds that he doesn't know. Jesus then asks if he wants a world without war. Clavius says yes. 

This is, perhaps, a "nice" idea, but that is not the point of Christianity. Not everything is about peace all the time. The main goal is to save our souls and to help those around us as much as possible. 

Peace sometimes will not be able to attain. These words being one of the few lines from Our Lord in this movie is kind of strange. Especially considering Christ's unmistakable words in St. Matthew's Gospel: "Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword."

Another inconsistency is that the Apostles are already on fire just a few days after the Resurrection.

We know from Sacred Scripture that the Apostles hid from the Jews in the Upper Room and were afraid until the Holy Ghost descended at Pentecost. Then they were on fire and courageous as lions. 

In Risen, the Apostles seem already overjoyed to suffer for Christ as one of them tells Clavius to crucify him as he crucified Christ. The Apostles also travel to Galilee and leave to preach the Gospel, before Pentecost still. 

It is implied that they are parting ways and each with receive the "Spirit" separately, in complete contradiction to the tradition of them being together with the Blessed Mother.

How would Peter walk out on a balcony in Jerusalem to preach His sermon in tongues if he wasn't even in Jerusalem?

But all these problems are in the second half, so if you just stop the film right when Clavius first sees Christ, it will be a much more satisfying movie.

Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern and Christo Jivkov in The Passion of the Christ
Icon Pictures

The Passion of the Christ may be the best Catholic film ever made. What is more, it is the best film ever made about the life of Christ.

This film follows the events of the first Good Friday, from the Agony in the Garden through the rending of the veil in the Temple. It is a powerful depiction of the suffering Christ underwent for the salvation of mankind, ending with a tone of hope as He is seen gloriously risen just before the credits roll.

Even though it may be too intense for sensitive viewers, I highly recommend that every Catholic—and every Christian—watch this film at least once as a meditation on the mystery of the Redemption.

Read the full review here!

Abe Martell, Shahar Isaac, George Xanthis, Johnathan Roumie, and Noah James in The Chosen Season 2
Loaves and Fishes Productions

The Chosen portrays the life of Christ in intimate detail such as has never been seen on the screen before. It shows the Apostles, Our Lord (Johnathan Roumie), and Our Lady with relatable personalities as well as struggles.

We were gifted this movie right after it came out. Since so many Jesus movies are cheesy and preachy, we were pretty skeptical. 

The first two seasons of this TV show really surprised us with its high quality, creative story telling without departing from the Gospels, and wonderfully realistic characters!

The creators of this show did a great job telling the story of the Gospels in a new and interesting way. The times of Christ are truly brought to life through this show!

Some highlights from the show are...

• The great catch of fish
• The Wedding at Cana and 
• The calling of St. Matthew

The second season opens with Christ's ministry in Samaria, preaching the good news of the kingdom of heaven even to those reviled by the Jews. It follows up until the Sermon on the Mount. 

The third season we were rather disappointed with as it seemed that the story began to depart from the Gospel and move into more mature and less appropriate themes. We have not watched beyond that point.

Our honest recommendation: the first two seasons are engaging and worthwhile. The rest—not so much.

Martin Sheen in The Fourth Wise Man
Paulist Productions

In The Fourth Wise Man, Artaban spends his entire life looking for the King his fellow Magi brought their gifts to. Every time he is at the brink of finding Him, he arrives just too late to give his gifts.

After a long life of search and service to others, Artaban is at last given the chance to find his Lord. 

Once again, he arrives too late. The Man he has brought his gift to is now carrying a cross up Calvary Hill to be crucified on it.

Artaban feels his failure until his death, when he meets Christ who tells him that He has accepted his sacrifices.

Read the full review here!

Charlton Heston in Ben Hur (1959)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Most people associate Ben-Hur with Christmas because of its sweeping drama and biblical setting, but it’s also a good movie for Easter—perhaps even better.

At its heart, Ben Hur is a story of conversion, where revenge gives way to redemption through the power of Christ’s sacrifice. As Judah stands beneath the Cross and hears, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," he realizes that true victory is not in taking vengeance, but in forgiveness.

Read our review of both the 1959 and the 2016 films!

As Catholics, we are blessed to be given far more time to celebrate than the world around us. The world moves quickly from one holiday to the next—Christmas ends, and immediately attention shifts to Valentine’s Day and so on.

For Easter, however, we prepare through Lent, a penitential season in which we unite our sufferings with Christ on the Cross. When this joyous feast finally arrives, we do not rush past it. We linger over the feast, celebrating for not one day, but the full octave. And this is typically when we as a family watch our film.

As Easter Sunday is full of other celebrations, our family typically doesn't watch an Easter film until later in the week.

Easter Day itself is typically filled with awakening to our Easter baskets overflowing with goodies, Easter Mass, enjoying our customary Easter omelets, the egg hunt, and spending a leisurely afternoon together. 

Prepare well so that you can celebrate with the solemnity the occasion deserves.

Dying eggs is an easy and fun thing to do with children. To keep it close to Easter, consider saving this—and any decorating—for Holy Saturday.

The best egg-dyeing kits are the simple tried and true ones. More fancy kits tend not to dry well and can remain tacky after refrigeration and usually bleed onto hands and clothing.

Remember to count how many eggs you made so that you can be sure to collect them all at the egg hunt!

When you do the egg hunt, it is fun to mix in a few plastic eggs filled with goodies such as candy and stickers for the children. Make the game competitive by including a special prize egg or offering a grand prize for the child who finds the most.

Give the younger kids a chance by letting them get a head start before the teens take over.

Catholics abstain from many treats during Lent, saying "no" to the many pre-Easter goodies sold at the stores. Instead we put a lot of emphasis on the fast before the feast. That makes Easter Baskets a very big deal. 

Have your children put out their Easter Baskets on the evening of Holy Saturday. Hopefully the Easter Bunny will stop by and drop off some chocolate bunnies and jelly beans! Small gifts that will help your children fulfill their vocation as students are also appropriate on Easter morning. 

They worked hard avoiding goodies and offering sacrifices during Lent and now they get a little gift on Easter. All gifts come from Our Lord and the hands of the deliverer are not the center of attention. The tradition of the Easter Bunny is very endearing and brings joy to childhood. Plus, all children love being visited by mysterious guests!

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, but preparation can begin earlier. On Passion Sunday—the Sunday before Palm Sunday—the Church veils statues and crucifixes in purple, reminding us that Our Lord is hidden from us.

You can bring this tradition into your home by covering crucifixes and holy images with purple cloth.

On Palm Sunday, palm crosses can be added to your family altar. These small practices help build anticipation and encourage children to remain faithful to their Lenten sacrifices.

The custom of extinguishing candles one by one while praying the Rosary and listening to "Tenebrae" is a nice way of easing into Holy Week. When all light is extinguished, we remember the betrayal and death of Jesus in total darkness.

To listen to the beautiful Tenebrae, please click here...

A mini pilgrimage can be made on Holy Thursday. The custom is to visit the tabernacles, or altars of repose of 3 or 7 churches. On this day, a plenary indulgence can be gained by reciting or singing the Tantum Ergo.

Good Friday can be observed by wearing black and praying the Stations of the Cross at 3 p.m., the hour of Our Lord’s death. The stations according to the Ligouri method is our favorite.

Holy Thursday is the day to finish your Easter preparations: dye eggs, add lilies to your family altar, take down the purple fabric from your holy things, clean and iron those Easter clothes, bake and get ready for the big celebration on Easter Sunday!

Celebrate all week with true joy. 

Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day! Alleluia!

Copyright © 2026. Industrious Family LLC. All rights reserved.

Disclosure: We show products that we think will help you. If you use our links, we may earn ad commissions at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

×

* indicates required

Email Address *