I rented this prepared NOT to like it. Afterall, I'd seen the 1973 film so many times and loved it. How could they improve upon it? Well, they did. The staging and the acting were so much better here. "Simon and the Zealots" was always a part of the original film I'd fast forward through since it didnt seem to move the story at all... seemed like a pointless dance number. Well, here, it finally has a meaning! The relationship between Christ and Judas is fleshed out more (though I really must say this Judas is vocally not as good as the one in the '73 version). The otehr scene that is way better than the original is the trial scene... I mean, it actually is quite grizzly and violent for a musical (though I preferred the 1973 Pilate to this one). The only thing that's missing is the great locations used for the first film. But, for the most part, this is the superior version. A must-see!