What is The Last Temptation of Christ's IQ Score?

The Last Temptation of Christ has an IQ Score of 165/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient framework, placing it in the Masterclass tier. The score breaks down to 42/50 Cognitive Stimulation, 41/50 Educational Value, and 40/50 Craft & Quality.

Is The Last Temptation of Christ educational?

The Last Temptation of Christ is strong on educational value, 41/50 on TVI's rubric, which covers academic content, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, life skills, and knowledge transfer.

How does TV Intelligentsia calculate IQ Score?

TV Intelligentsia's IQ Score is calculated as round((Cognitive Stimulation × 0.4 + Educational Value × 0.35 + Craft & Quality × 0.25) × 4), scoring titles from 0 to 200 across five tiers: Masterclass (≥160), Stimulating (≥130), Competent (≥100), Passive (≥70), and Numbing (<70). The framework is published at tvintelligentsia.com/methodology/.

The Last Temptation of Christ , IQ Score 165/200

The Last Temptation of Christ has an IQ Score of 165/200 on TV Intelligentsia's Intelligence Quotient rubric, placing it in the Masterclass tier.

By Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH·Updated 2026-06-17·Methodology

dramareligiouscontroversial

165/ 200

Masterclass

Measurably increases domain knowledge or cognitive capacity

Score Breakdown

Cognitive Stimulation/50

Educational Value/50

Craft & Quality/50

IQ = round((Cognitive × 0.4 + Educational × 0.35 + Craft × 0.25) × 4) · How we score →

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Why you should trust this score

Scored under Jordan Robinson, MD, MPH

Physician and founding editor. Maintains the adult catalog against the published rubric and reviews the rubric application.

Methodology

Published rubric, v1.2

Formula

round(C × 0.40 + E × 0.35 + Q × 0.25) × 4

Database scale

2,338 titles, version-controlled

TVI Canon

Martin Scorsese →

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The TVI Take

Scorsese's 1988 Nikos Kazantzakis adaptation that produced the most sustained organized Christian protests of any American film. The 'last temptation' sequence, Christ on the cross imagining the alternative life he didn't take, is theologically more serious than the controversy suggested.

Willem Dafoe's Jesus, Harvey Keitel's Judas, and Peter Gabriel's score are the film's structural commitments. Required viewing for understanding Scorsese's religious preoccupation.

Where to Watch

Rent