Mel Gibson's film The Passion of The Christ is an astonishing, breathtaking achievement, as film and ministry. I went with a friend last night, mainly because I was curious, considering some of the glowing reviews the film's received (most notably from Ebert & Roeper - here's their review; they gave it two very enthusiastic thumbs up), and the grosses it's racking up at a phenomenal pace (in just 12 days, it's already crashed through the $200 million barrier in North America alone). As a Christian, I was also interested to see just how Gibson tells the tale of Jesus's "passion."
To quote Roger Ebert, as far as Jesus's suffering for Mankind's sins, "this movie makes it real." Oh, that it does. I wouldn't, as so many reviewers have done, call it violent so much as intensely graphic - we, the viewers, see and feel every lash of the whip taken by Jesus, we see his skin being rent, we see him covered in blood and dirt. It drives home like nothing's ever done the extent of the suffering Jesus went through to, as Christians worldwide believe, cleanse the world of its sins. I've never been so moved by a film as I was by The Passion of The Christ. Gibson has achieved his goals here, both as a Christian and as a filmmaker. I'm no fan of Gibson, but this film is not just amazing as a depiction of Christ's final hours; this is Art with a capital "A." Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel is most worthy of a third Oscar nomination for his work here (he was previously nommed for The Right Stuff and The Natural, 20 years ago). The Passion is luminous without having that vaseline-on-the-lens look to it; the visuals are simply stunning. Composer John Debney's score accents and augments the film without ever overshadowing the on-screen content. And all of the actors, but most notably Jim Caviezel as Christ, give sterling performances - in foreign tongues, no less! Caviezel's performance is a class in acting in itself - he says everything that needs to be said without even speaking, his face is so expressive. The film is in Aramaic and Latin, with some subtitles; some dialogue is unsubtitled, but it's a testament to the acting and directing here that all of the context makes things very clear.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Thomas, I continue to be astonished by the range of opinion, and the passion of those opinions, on this movie.
2 - Rich
The Passion of the Christ' Having Unexpected Impact: Film and Surrounding Debate Might Be Lessening Hostility Toward Jews, Says IJCR Poll:
http://finance.lycos.com/qc/news/story.aspx?story=200403152036_PRN__SFM108
3 - John Fisher
I would like to write to Mel or Ken so can I be helped to contact them. I am an inventor and want to show them my world beating invention, serious needing this please. phone no brisbane australia 07 3633 0497
4 - Tristan
JUST what we need: a world beating invention!!!!!
and it cracks me up that these people make these remarks about "how it really shows just how much suffering Christ really went through for us" ~~~~
when there isn't even a shred of actual historical/archaelogical evidence that this "jesus christ" ever actually was a real human being that actually lived---or perhaps "he" was just a compendium of various myths and fairy tales promulgated by a very mysterious and secretive cult in the 1st century.