“The Book of Clarence” is an ambitious twist on religious storytelling.

2024 is off to a wild start. My first in-theater experience of the year was a surprise, thanks to AMC’s Screen Unseen series. To those unfamiliar, this series is available in select theaters, offering moviegoers the chance to watch a never-before-seen film. The catch? The feature remains a mystery until showtime. The only information shared beforehand is the MPAA rating and runtime.

Today’s feature? Jeymes Samuel’s “The Book of Clarence.”

The film follows a streetwise nonbeliever, Clarence (Lakeith Stanfield,) as he risks everything by fashioning himself as the “new” Messiah during the rise of Jesus Christ.

What I love about Samuels is how he shares stories from a predominantly white genre but features a mainly black ensemble and sprinkles the storyline with modern flair. And after his fresh take on the western, he has now moved into bible country.

“The Book of Clarence” is ambitious. It fearlessly puts a modern twist on the biblical epic, diving deep into religion while weaving in elements of contemporary culture to make it more palatable for today’s audience.

Stanfield gives a strong performance as the titular character, adding another rich and impressive role to his diverse portfolio.

Despite its bold big swings and pizzazz, the film is all over the place.

The jarring tonal juxtaposition creates a disjointed story. One minute we are vibing with Clarence in a stylistic, disco-like dance sequence. The next, we have dove into the deep end of Jesus’s final days, crucifixion and all. It was a lot of back and forth leaving me feeling whiplash instead of challenged or entertained.

The concept of religion is certainly an area of discussion that is interesting. And I kept waiting for the film to open up more debate or conversation about faith — something to challenge the audience.

But unfortunately the film settled for more of a conventional storytelling path in its final act, which is probably the most conventional part of the film itself if I am to be honest.

Even though the film is backed by a stellar cast and hip-hop inspired soundtrack, I am not sure how 2024 audiences are going to embrace “The Book of Clarence.”

But if anything, they will certainly embrace Benedict Cumberbatch’s epic five minutes of screen time.