FR MOVIE REVUE: THE PASSION OF CHRIST (post your comments here)

2/24/04 | FR MOVIE REVIEWERS

[Liz]

All the world is waiting for the powerful message in Mel Gibson's ground-breaking film, The Passion of Christ.

Post here your own personal reactions after seeing the film set to open tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. Passion has previewed in some areas.

Also post reviews and pertinent comments from your state and area's newspapers and publications.

[Texas2step]

I am watching to see how the movie affects people, here on FR, in my neighborhood, throughout the world.

Will you be watching the movie?

[MizRiz9]

Moab was Lot's son/grandson (by his daughter). Ruth was a Moabite.

[Just mythoughts]

Yes.

Ruth a very interesting women.

[eureka!]

"The movie has to be pretty good since Bakala reportedly had a hissy fit."

Sorry, I don't know who Bakala is...

[philosofy123]

I love you Mayor. God bless you. It would be great to see a nice resurrection movie.

[Just mythoughts]

Psalms 22 penned by King David, hundreds of years prior, taught by Christ on the cross, seals the acts of the who, what, where, when, and why of things.

What would come out of the mouth of the high priest was prerecorded, so it was predestined.

Pauls tells recounting Psalms 22 in Hebrews 2:12 and the cites IISam. 22:3 in verse 12.

Paul then continues in Hebrews 2:14

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and

blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same;

that through death HE might destroy him that had the power

of death, that is the devil;

Interesting that Christ became salvation for those who would believe and also the one who would be able to give the death sentence, to the devil.

[The Mayor]

I love you Mayor.

Why Thankyou!

[angelrod]

Can anyone tell me what disciple was with both Mary's at the crucifixtion? Also, what was the meaning of Satan carrying the evil looking baby?

[Naked_Liberal]

“The Passion of the Christ” takes the phrase “He died for our sins” to a new level of appreciation. There is no way one could, after viewing the film, walk away unaffected by the experience.

The story was heart wrenching, to say the least and intense in every sense of the word. But it wouldn’t have had the same affect if the character had been anything even like Mel Gibson’s Brave Heart. But here the viewer “knows” the person of Jesus Christ and even knows the basic story that he professed being the Messiah and he “died for our sins.” And it’s this affinity for the character that gives this film even deeper application.

Yes, the movie was violent and you personally experienced each stripe of scourging and you felt each pounding of the nails in His hands and feet, but it was no more violent than if you had seen Gibson’s Brave Heart. The difference between “The Passion” and “Brave Heart” was the intensity as well as the continuity of the graphic scenes. As the movie dragged on, you felt you were there as a witness to the execution of the Messiah. And you walked away from the movie feeling humbled as well as having a broken spirit.

“The Passion” was spoken in Aramaic and Latin with constant English subtitles. I thought that the words at the bottom of the screen would have detracted from the movie, but there were many times I felt that it wasn’t even necessary to have them since the story was so well known. There is one scene that is a flashback to the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus is talking to a crowd of people. The subtitles are flowing across the screen but I ignored them because the tone and inflection of His words seemed to transcend everything.

The question about anti-Semiticism arises concerning this film and it’s a valid point. And the answer can be whatever the person viewing the film wants it to be. Yes, the Jewish high priests sought the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Gospels spell that out very clearly. Ciaphus, the high priest went to Pontius Pilate seeking that the punishment be carried out. Pilate, not wanting to have any part in it, tried passing the task off to Herod. Herod saw that no Roman laws were broken by Jesus, thus passed the task back into Pilate’s hands. And it was only under the threat of a Jewish uprising that Pilate agreed to carry out the task. That’s factual, according to biblical history.

But what’s ignored by many critics is that though the High Priests demanded the crucifixion, the Romans carried it out and did so beyond what the High Priests even could have imagined. What is ignored is the look of horror on the faces of the Jews after they see the bloodied Christ standing before them after the scourging. What is ignored is that though the High Priests were technically complicit in the crucifixion of Christ, the Romans carried it out and did so on a large magnitude. Yet, no one is condemning the Romans, the Italians for the horrible act. If the Jews are to be considered complicit, then should also the Italians. But in all actuality neither of them are being held up for accountability. The theme of the film is that Jesus willingly laid down his life and that He died for the sins of mankind. Thus no blame is laid at anyone’s feet.

But as much as the movie was breathtaking and extremely devastating to the human spirit, what struck me more was the reaction by those attending the film. I was struck by the fact that there was a tremendous amount of clapping. But what hit me the most was that the audience didn’t seem to want to leave the theater once the film was over. Most had tear swollen eyes, but they seem dazed as if they were deer stuck in a headlight. I sensed a collective emptiness that longed to be filled. Here was a group of people who had just come to the realization of the depth of Christ’s love for them, that He died for them, but now walked aimlessly, needing direction. It was almost like they were asking, “What do we do now?”

The purpose of the movie was to invoke an immense realization of why Jesus Christ died and it accomplished that task more than adequately. But now it puts the onus on the viewer to take that knowledge and form their own Holy Grail. Hopefully, it will encourage people to take that dusty Bible off the shelf and read it in depth and make some life changing decisions. But either way, no one watching the movie, walked away unscathed. Will they just lick their wounds and act like it was “just a movie” or will they walk even closer to the risen Lord Jesus Christ?

[Prolifeconservative]

My wife and I went to see "The Passion" at a Matinee yesterday. We were moved beyond words.

I saw nothing but love in this movie. That is all there is to take from it: LOVE! With every lashing on the back of Christ I saw love. When his flesh was repeatedly ripped open from the shards on the whips, I saw love. When he cried out in excrutiating pain I heard LOVE. When He was mocked and ridiculed and stripped of all human dignity I saw LOVE. When the nails were driven into his flesh I saw love. When he drank from the cup in which He knew was gall, I saw love. As he hung from the cross in such excruciating pain in which none of us shall ever know or fathom, I saw love. As he suffocated, I saw love. When he gave humanity His Mother as he died on that cross, I saw love.

HE didn't have to do it, yet HE DID, so all can be saved on the last day.....That, my friends, is LOVE!

[Aquinasfan]

Jesus, through His pain, turns to him and says: "This day you will be with Me in paradise!" I always lose it at that point. I can't help it. I wonder if that exchange is in the movie.

It is. You won't be disappointed.

[George from New England]

Can anyone who has seen the movie, explain their interpretation of the scene where satan is holding the child?

What is the message that Mel was trying to portray here?

[Aquinasfan]

So she died shortly after the resurrection?

Not shortly after. She plays an important role in the Acts of the Apostles. I don't know what tradition says about her age at "death."

and her death would of been in Judea?

I don't know. You'll have to do a web search. Please let me know what you find.

[UB355]

index

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

The next message seems to be, if you're a follower of Jesus, then we should take revenge on whoever it was who killed him because they killed him in such a cruel and undignified way.

That is the exact opposite of what Jesus taught and what Christians believe. We don't take revenge, we forgive. Yes, even as brutal and viscious a murder of our Savior as that, we forgive, not look for vengance. Anyone who says differently and claims to be a Christian is as guilty as Judas, betraying the teachings of Jesus.

That is what non-Christians just don't understand at times: the message really is about love and forgiveness, even of this horrific event.

[RobRoy]

My wife and I bought the tickets for a group from our church including our pastor and his wife and daughter, our retired pastor, and a small group from our church. I have been anticipating this film since I first heard about it almost a year ago.

When we walked out of the theatre, I was reminded of the story of the emperors new clothes. Everyone was silent, but I wanted to shout that THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES. To say I was dissapointed in the movie would be an understatement. It just wasn't very good. I shed no tears and couldn't even relate to the characters. No matter how I tried, I did not see Jesus on the screen. I saw an actor playing Jesus. I didn't see human flesh being ripped - I saw a rubber body suit being ripped. I didn't see blood - I saw "ketchup."

As I get older, I am finding that it is harder and harder for movies to suspend disbelief.

I didn't need this movie to understand the suffering Christ endured. And it could not show the REAL suffering (non-physical) Christ endured.

I also noticed that, even though I firmly believe the story, it looked like a fairy tale in this movie. Those that are hostile to Christianity will not be in the least moved by this movie. However, it may be a good evangelical tool to those on the fencepost. To wit, the only non-Christians in our group - my daughters two 17 year old girlfriends - were sobbing through most of the movie.

[Helms]

"Some Jewish leaders have said the movie is anti-Semitic because it places blame for Jesus' death on the rabbis depicted in the film."

They still don't get it.

Christianity surpassed Judaism and some have said that the Jews were beaten by their own game.

The Passion starts with Christ going into another / altered state of consciousness. The Jewish patriarchs are a subplot to the larger part of redemption.

There was a thorough feeling of inevitability and Christ prompted this perfect suffering and with Christ battling Satan.

< Hint: The evil character/ Satan is like Mary (anti-Mary)herself and was carrying around a deformed baby anti-Jesus. These were simply events as vehicles for Christ's crucifixion. They were all mob motivated and this during a time when the end of the world was at hand.>

The role of women in the film is awe-inspiring. They are always near and suffering too. This where by they way, the Muslim religion falls down, in its positioning of women within its religion.

This is a Great Film.

[oldfart]

Yeah. We got there a bit late and, while we had seats, we had to sit separately. The young couple next to me started out as young couples always do, hanging onto each other and playfully patting each other's legs and thighs. By the time the movie was well started, they were sitting upright, hands in their laps and totally focused on the screen. When the credits began to roll, it was as if they didn't even know each other.

I'd heard that the film was too violent for some and that an occasional viewer might be expected to leave rather than sit through the whole movie. Except for myself, I didn't see a single person leave until the lights came on. I'm old and kinda gimpy, so I had to get a head-start to get out of there before the rush--- which never happened.

There was a group from a local Evangelical/Pentacostal Church waiting outside to hand out flyers to exiting patrons. I knew several of them since my daughter had gone to their Church for awhile. They couldn't understand why there wasn't a huge crush of people leaving the theater as is the case after ordinary shows. I told them, "Go see the movie, then you'll understand."

[Ignatz]

However, from my many readings of the Gospels, this film appears to tell just part of the story of Jesus...the ugliest part.

I appreciate your forthrightness, MM.
The death of Jesus the Christ was an event that literally changed the entire history of the world; indeed, it is the history of the last 2000 years of the world, taking into account the effect it has had on believers, of course. But because of the effect on believers, and the huge numbers of believers, non-believers such as yourself have also been affected. Perhaps from an intellectual/historical view you would find the story (and the movie) meaningful, your belief or lack thereof notwithstanding.
As for the "ugliness" of the event: for believers, what is ugly to see here, is incredibly beautiful to perceive.

Iggy

[Paradox]

I am something of an agnostic, with some early catholic experience, so "lapsed" would be putting it quite mildly. However, the story of Jesus to me is one of the great stories of all time, fact or fiction. It gets to me. I too am affected by his exchange with the thief on the cross.

I have a brother who made me aware of a christion band called "Third Day" (pretty big time really), anyways, they have this song (many of them actually, especially the "Love Song"), but they have a song called Thief, check out the Lyrics, I bust up when it gets to the end. Great band, some great tunes.