Despite what the detractors have said about the movie, I found it to be a beautiful film. The scourgings were hard to watch, as was the nailing of Jesus to the cross. But as a Christian, I could see beyond the surface violence. What stood out to me was the steely determination of Jesus to go through this, to fulfill his mission.
I thought it was interesting that Mel didn't play to the audience's emotions in this film. I was afraid the theater would be filled with hysterical weeping, but it was not. But I think any decent person would be choked up with emotion, not so much because of empathy with Jesus for the pain of his sufferings, but because of his love and tenderness for us -- the ones he paid the price of sin for. There was one scene that particularly got to me. It was where Mary was trying to get close to her son, and John led them around the crowd to a narrow enclosed intersection where Jesus was to walk through. He fell under the weight of the cross, and after being encouraged by John to see her son, Mary knelt next to him and said, "I'm here." Then Jesus said, "Watch as I make all things new," then stood up, hoisting the cross back onto his shoulder, and he literally embraced the cross in a loving way. At that point, I lost it.
Mel Gibson wove some powerful non-verbal communication into the film, for example, when Jesus squashed the head of the snake in the Garden; the view of the crucifixion scene from high above, and a single drop of water -- a "tear from the Father" -- falling to the ground; the way that when the Pharisees returned to the temple, the earthquake hit (they crucified Jesus to save their position and their religion, and in doing so, they lost both); the brief resurrection scene -- Jesus, now alive with resurrection power, nail holes in his hands, standing up and walking back out into the world. Very subtle, but powerful.