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shanster [ 10.0 ]
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Such an experience, I can't deny it its due. This first viewing was just for the impact; I'll view it again, and probably view it more critically.
Second viewing-This time I saw it as art. I have viewed a lot of Western art, and the theme of the passion is one of the most common. This falls right in line with many of the beautiful, realistic depictions.
For Pete's sake, would people please stop mentioning anti-semitic? Did the Germans complain that any of the Nazi movies were anti-German? Did Southerners complain that Roots was anti-Confederate? This is just history, you can't go back and edit it so that the only bad people are Caucasian conservative males. Portraying one bunch of a larger group of people does not atumatically disparage the entire group.
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chapter11 [ 6.5 ]
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Hmm. Growing up in the church, having Bible lessons and sermons flung at me once a week for the first 20 years of my life, you'd think i'd get a lot out of "The Passion of the Christ" but .. well, not so much. Gibson has taken interesting liberties with the material, some for the better (the Satan figure is an incredible plot device), some for the worse (all the confusing flashbacks), and it's not that i have an issue with the film's faithfulness-- after all, i liked "The Last Temptation of Christ" a LOT more, which is about as faithful to the source material as, I dunno, "Jesus Christ Superstar"-- but it's just like, man, is THIS your bid for converts? Make a brutal two-hour film about a lengthy ass-kicking and hope this will make people see the error of their ways? Or was "The Passion of the Christ" intended for those who were already Christians-- in which case, you're playing to a pretty slight minority, but I understand the idea. I will tell you that during the film I was moved. This film made me flinch, made me cringe, and made me come as close to tearing up as any other movie has-- the camera is devastatingly steady when Jesus is being tortured, and I just wasn't prepared for the flogging scene; i suppose i'd thought that the worst would come at the end of the film, when Jesus was finally crucified, and therefore had my guard down when the large jagged whips were ripping out chunks of Christ's flesh. Jim Caviezel is commendable casting. Monica Bellucci is distracting, because we're supposed to be concentrating on Jesus Christ's sacrifice and instead it creeps into our consciousness that, man, she's really hot.
I guess my biggest complaint is that Gibson never saw fit to throw a bone to those who want to see the film, but don't know much about the story, and wonder why some random guy got pulled out of a garden while his boys sat by and watched, and why they decided to beat him up, and why he died and why everyone in the audience is crying and why the hell he gets up at the end. There should be more backstory-- not a long, Jesus-centric biopic, there's enough of those already, but at least some _context_, man. Oh, and don't let your friggin' kids see it.
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Wizard [ 4.0 ]
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I can't say that everything feels wrong about this film, but ultimately it fails. I could describe the film with two words: "too much". First of all it doesn't bring anything new to the table. The direction is heavy-handed. The devil that can be seen every now and then was unnecessary. The film is also way too brutal (the crow on the cross, anyone?). The film is also slightly anti-semitic because of the choices Gibson has made.
Ultimately I can't even say what the point of the film was. Will this film bring young people into the churches?
Non-Christians must have got the impression that Christianity is a religion that is built on fear, opression and violence. There is nothing likeable about this religion the way it is presented in this film.
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gamer27 [ 10.0 ]
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Breathtaking. Emotional. Just Plain Brillient! Mel Gibson made his mark on Hollywood with this religious epic film. I never cried at a movie theater ever before The Passion of the Christ. For one thing, this movie is NOT ANTI-SEMETIC. I can see why alot of Jews thought this, but Jews arn't responsible for Jesus Christ's death, we all are. Some of the most brutal and emotional scenes I have ever seen in a movie are displayed here. I admit I started crying when Mary had flashbacks of young Jesus, and when he was beaten to a pulp with whips. The violence in this movie is a necessary part of the movie, Mel really tried to make the beatings look as disgusting as possible and I applaud him for it. It really showed me what Christ endured for our sins. As a Christian, I grew tons of respect for Mel for making a moving and powerful experience and standing up for what he beleived in. Possibly the best movie of 2004.
**** out of ****
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RyanSpradlin [ 7.5 ]
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I can see where all the Jewish people are coming from. There are parts that could most definitely be taken as anti-Semitic. The fact that every scene with a crowd of Jews protesting in favor of killing Jesus also includes Lucifer wandering about as a part of the landscape included with the Jewish faces in the crowd could definitely be taken as a stab at Jews in general. I personally wasn't offended and really didn't think there was anything too condemning about any of the groups being represented in the movie, but I can see where that whole argument stems from.
Other than that, I thought the colors and scenery were incredible. Mel did a great job of making the colors stand out. I actually thought the bald Satan was one of the most entertaining things to watch in the movie. I got a little tired of the comical and barbaric faces that all of the persecutors and toturers of Jesus made. It was almost like watching a sci-fi carnival scene in some parts with all of the vivid colors mixed with one-second glances of overly exaggerated evil-faced, middle-aged men. And, since there is no such thing as a spoiler with this particular movie, I'll go ahead and say that I didn't really need the naked, fresh faced, just out of the shower, well-groomed Jesus in the cave at the end. It just didn't look right. All in all, it was definitely worth seeing. I didn't find it to be nearly as gory or moving as people have been ranting on about, but it was well worth watching.
In the end, the underlying message of Christ was well delivered and I guess that is what he was shooting for. I can appreciate that even if I am a dirty heathen.
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mike [ 9.5 ]
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Just saw "the passion of the christ", and while its almost like I'm at a loss for words, still...
It was as some have said, a film that ends with execution. How pleasant of a film can you make something like that? Some said it was far too bloody, that it had no spirit, that it was filled with suffering, and offered little in the way of love or salvation. I guess they all forgot, or perhaps did not realize that this is after all, a film about his death, not his life.
I had a few issues with the film. It was over the top in some of the depictions, with a heavy emphasis towards catholicism (understandable considering Gibson's background). I loved that it was in Aramic and Latin. I do however question if the common people spoke so beautifully. And I can really understand why the Jewish leadership took issue with the film. It does not paint their forebearers in a good light. I will try and take the movie for what it is: one of many possible tellings, of one of many possible stories, of what may have possibly happened, a very long time ago.
This movie is not for children. This movie however, is for most other people, not to derive some deep meaning from. But perhaps, though it they can be reminded of how brutal humanity can be, how much suffering a man can take, and maybe even a lesson in forgiveness.
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DokBrowne [ 7.5 ]
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It feels blasphemous to write this movie off with a 7.5. I can't remember the last time I took a movie so seriously before, during, and after I watched it, yet I wouldn't qualify it as "great". It has power, it moved me, and most importantly to me personally, it gave me a whole lot to think about (rarely has my mind been so engaged during a film), but ultimately, I wasn't wowed by the production. Well-done, and we'll all remember it for lending a striking sense of reality to a famous religious event, but, aside from the extreme violence and polished visuals, this could easily have been an ABC movie of the week, like that one that aired just a few days ago about Judas. I caught the last 10 minutes of that, and while it was obviously inferior as a production (a shortage of extras, sparse set design, abbreviated dramatic impact, barely serviceable acting), it felt pretty similar to Mel Gibson's phenomenally-hyped, uber-controversial work of art. Both are insanely melodramatic (as will always be the case with religious stories, since the storytellers - hell, religious people in general - are such shameless zealots about this stuff), kind of dry, and feel more like devout lessons built on a hook (Judas's perspective/the torture that Jesus really experienced) than something more awe-inspiring and memorable (like how critics complained that Chris Columbus was too faithful with "Harry Potter", although all things being relative, I think he did a perfect job). Mel Gibson's intent clearly seems to be to create a religious epic of sorts for this generation. Sure, his hook is that it's only about the crucifixion, and it zeroes in on the theme of Jesus suffering for our sins rather than trying to encompass all (or even more than one of) the ideas and important events in the Bible. But still, this is obviously supposed to be something big, something extra special. Which is why it feels to weird to report that it just...isn't. Jesus preaches, Jesus suffers, Mary cries, Pontius ponders, Roman soldiers cackle, Satan creeps around...it's all pretty rote. There's plenty of slow motion, though! I fully accepted Jim Caviezal in the role (despite my otherwise negative opinion of his trademark sleepiness), but it's nothing I would herald. He's good, he doesn't misstep, and he never calls attention to himself as an actor. In a way, that deserves a lot of praise, I guess, but you'd think SOMEONE could make a remarkable performance out of the most polemic and revered figure, like, EVER. Then again, there's the innate problem of the character being so passive. Not much to work with there. Which is why this was one of the most brilliant casting decisions in movie history. The hopelessly unengaging Jim Caviezel playing the boringly serene, one-note Jesus? Perfect. Made for each other.
Anyway, don't believe what anyone says about this being a beautiful, life-changing film for the ages or some such spectacle. There's no art here, no incredible vision, no urgent sense that something profound is happening to you the viewer. In other words, there's nothing amazing about this movie. It's deserves credit for some aspects, but it's not nearly the masterpiece that it pretends to be. For Mel Gibson, it's a very personal project, and that's fine; he must be proud, and he deserves to be, but he should keep that pride within himself and in regards to his personality, because as a filmmaker, he hasn't done much more than a competent job here. "The Passion" is what Kevin Costner's "Open Range" was to westerns: an impressively executed and occasionally refreshing exercise in genre formula. The End.
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jeff_v [ 7.0 ]
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I thought The Passion of the Christ was pretty good. You could regard the story as pure science-fiction and still be moved by the display of sacrifice. That is, if you can wrap your mind around the concept of one man atoning for all sins, past, present and future.
The film is as anti-semitic as it is anti-Roman, or anti-human race. Which is to say, it's not at all. It depicts a world full of many wicked people (cartoonishly wicked, in most cases) and it's this ugly world that Jesus saves from itself. There are a few sympathetic Romans and Jews in the film, but they're a minority. The film doesn't aim to villify a specific group of people, but rather to implicate (and forgive) everyone, including all of us in the present day. This probably rubs a lot of people the wrong way, being mighty presumptious and all, and I can see how it might even offend a good number of folks.
My main complaints with movie are stylistic. Gibson O.D's on the slow-mo. I guess it has a sort of ritualistic flavor, as it tends to signify those moments that were intoned week after week in church, but it gets old quick. The music at times works against the material, especially in the final scene where it adds a militant and threatening underlining to what need only be glorious. Also, Gibson decided for some reason that the film needed a spooky bald Satan to haunt severeal scenes, ocassionally with a midget in tow. What the fuck in my opinion. The cheap horror movie tactic felt out of place to me. The one other thing that rang a false note was when Jesus cried out, asking why God had foresaken him. This line is in the Gospels of course, and is in every Jesus movie I've ever seen, but due to Gibson/Caviezel's conception of Jesus as a strong, resolute being, it seemed out of character in this movie. In fact, Jesus isn't someone you can really relate to in this film (like you can Dafoe's Jesus); it's through the supporting characters that you recognize various struggles of faith. The film's emotional power comes through accessing Jesus through the eyes of Pilate, Peter and Mary deux. (For me, the most devastating moment came via the dude on the cross next to Jesus.)
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Tomcat [ 9.0 ]
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A raw, emotional powerhouse of a motion picture. Gut wrenching and sometimes hard to watch, but Mel Gibson does a great job of bringing the realization what Jesus to life. One of the most important films of all time.
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.2 |
| No. Ratings | : 13 | |
| No. Reviews | : 10 | |
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