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Thanks for the thread.

First, I am writing this this morning instead of last night because I was emotionally exhausted and plain 'ole tired last night. Which goes to the review.

I left the theatre drained. I practically didn't exhale until I left was in the hallway after the movie. I had read about this movie for almost a year and watched the interviews and saw the hype. I was prepared to be disappointed.

This movie exceeded my expectations. It was better- and different- than I expected.

There are tons of specific reasons for the brilliance and powerful emotion of this film, but I'll try to be succinct (I wasn't too successful at this as I spoke about it driving home with my wife afterwards, but I'll try-- BTW- my wife.. she started crying about 1/2 way to 3/4 of the way thru... she couldn't talk about it in words at first, but at home she told me it started with the scene of Mary wanted to help Jesus when he was carrying the cross and her flashback to when He was a child)....

*** The story beatifully intervoved the Passion with flashbacks of Gospel first party preaching by Jesus.. These Gospels EXPLAIN why the Passion was necessary (for those reviewers- especially the one in the NYDAILY NEWS who didn't get it-- it was that God's LOVE for ALL MANKIND is so overwhelming that he became Man and died for ALL of our sins)

*** The story brilliantly shows the inhumanity in ALL of us.. by all of the different characters in the movie.
The Roman Guards-- brutal, sadistic, evil

Pilate-- a weak man, who thinks he sees the Truth, but saves his own skin from Caesar by allowing/permitting/seeing to Jesus' death (btw, IMO the role of Pilate is Gospel accurate and people who have a problem with Pilate seeming "benign" have a problem with the Gospels, not Mel Gibson.... He "washed" his hands of the deed, and put it up for a vote, because he hoped for a sparing of his life... but in the end, permitted the horror to occur.. Not exactly a noble figure in my view.

Caiphus-- likey the most controversial of the characters. I presented as an almost evil man... people might say that it characterizes Jews in some way and is the heart of the anti-Semitic charges. I see it as him being a man who is selfish of his OWN POWER and will not let it go.
Again, part of EVERYONE'S human nature, that must be fought as we move through life...

Mary- incredible portrayal. Very few lines in the movie, but her presence was palpable throughout. Deserves an Oscar (not that it matters in the scheme of things though, obviously)..

There are so many others, but to me.. the bottom line is that these characters represent (with exception of Mary).. the human flaws in all of us.. there is a battle of good vs. in evil in each of us, and throughout history....due to Original Sin.. and Jesus came to save us. History repeats itself and the human characteristics that oversaw Jesus' curcifixion plays out throughout history... to the evils of the Holocaust and Pol Pot in Cambodia, to the everyday vices and avarices that each human soul battles with...

To me the message was simple. Based on Gospel.

Believe in him, try to practice his very very difficult teachings, and you, me, and we all will be better off.

Appreciate your thoughts on this ground-breaking artistic and intellectually satisfying film.

As for the religious angle.....

The History Channel has been rerunning an hour show on Who Killed Jesus that contains some interesting material.

Some people say that Mel's film portrayed Pilate as too sympathetic for what his actual role was in Christ's death.....you say he was weak.

The HC show emphasized that Jesus infuriated Caiphas by throwing the moneychangers out of the temple. This was Caiphas' reasoning for bringing Jesus before the chief priests of the temple and the fact that Jesus was preaching things that Caiphas considered a challenge to his own power.

The chief priests had no power to get rid of Jesus. They needed Pilate --and Roman law that prevailed---to do that for them.

But Pilate, as a Roman leader, had no say over Jewish transgressions and had in fact said he thought Jesus was innocent. Also, Pilate was sensitive to his wife begging him to save Jesus.

So Caiphas cleverly changed the charge the chief priests made against Jesus, and instead made Jesus' crime look to be as sedition against Rome: Caiphas told Pilate that Jesus said he was king of the Jews---an affront against Rome---which helped Caiphas turn Pilate again Jesus.

That rather explains Mel's portrayal of Pilate.

I too needed time to think and yes to breath after I saw the movie yesterday afternoon.

I agree with what you have said. But, I am still wrestling with the whole good v. evil thing in regard to the High Priests. Weren't the priests doing what they were required to do? Priests were the ones ordained by God to carry out blood sacrifices. Jesus had to died, there wasn't an alternative.

I believe we keep thinking about the death of Jesus as a murder rather than the sacrifice it was and had to be.