The Passion of the Christ -- Reaction Thread (Religion Section)

Vanity | Me

[xJones]

Mod, Unam beat me. And I'm off to see the movie. God bless us, each and every one.

[Diago]

Off to see it. Many of the shows in Cleveland sold out hours before screen time!

Besides your reviews, let us know what kind of response there has been in your community.

[nutmeg]

read later bump

[Dajjal]

Watching the film is just catching a glimpse of what it must have been like. You know that, for all the protests about Gibson's "graphic" portrayal, he has provided only a hint at what the true horror of the actual scourging and crucifixion must have been like. And so much of Christ's suffering is off-screen, due to the collapse of time, cut-aways, flashbacks, and camera shots of the soldiers' or crowd's reactions.

As for the charge of anti-Semitism, I think the natural reaction to the film is for the viewer to desire to amend his life and avoid committing the sins which cause Our Lord to suffer so -- not to compound them by adding on new ones. The Jews that brought Him before Pilate and Herod are the ones who needed to convince them that He had broken Roman law and deserved death. Of course they will look bad. (Yet He forgives them.)

I particularly missed the consolation of the women of Jerusalem. We do see three (I think) soldiers gaming with dice at the foot of the cross. But the garment Christ was brought before Pilate in had been torn off His earlier.

[Dajjal]

ping

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

It was incredible. I was in tears at a number of points, and I am not a crier. It was gripping from the very beginning to the very end. It was everything I had hoped and expected and beyond. It was liking watching a Carravaggio. It was incredible. It was just something to see what He went through so that we could be forgiven. Wonderful film, taking a group from my Church to see it Friday. God Bless

[connectthedots]

Thought it was an excellent movie. Most of the dialog was straight from the Bible with really no substantive artistic license. Surprised at how little dialog was in thew movie.

The scouraging was really graphic, especially one of the lashes. You won't have to guess which one once you see it. I did think they did over do the scourging. Can't imagine anyone surviving it do to what would have been a massive loss of blood. Really dragged out Christ carrying the cross.

The visual impact of the entire movie is astounding and I doubt many people will sleep well after seeing this movie, but I suppose that is the intent.

For Christians who are familiar with the Bible, there is really no reason to see it a second time; so I doubt that the movie will benefit from people seeing it multiple times.

When I left the theater I thought that the ending could be used to set the stage for a sequel "The Resurrection of Christ" or some other similar title.

This will undoubtedly be a big box office hit, and even though I am a Christian; I think it would be fair to say that the acting is not so special that I would expect it to receive any major Oscars and maybe only a few nominations.

It is the story that makes this movie so special; a true story of the last hours of the life of Christ.

[Doomonyou]

Going to see it in about an hour!

[bond7]

Something previously unknown is happening. I have been monitoring Yahoo Reviews all day (Go to Yahoo Movies, and click on The Passion of the Christ - user reviews). First of all, the shear number of reviews coming in is staggering - about 4,000 so far ---- before the 7PM and 9PM screenings. They are coming in at 300 to 400 per hour. To put that into perspective, I checked several other movies and Something's Gotta Give, for example, a great movie with Oscar nominations has something like 7,000 or 8,000 reviews after 10 or 11 weeks.

The current champion after months on screens worldwide seems to be The Lord of the Rings with about 79,000. I'm not so sure that number will stand through the Passion's first weekend. What seems to be compelling people to write? Check them out yourself. People are generally finding the movie to be the ultimate moving experience, and one they wish to share. I tried myself to go today and the theater phone was busy the entire afternoon. Just trying to find out if there were seats left. I think we are early in the formation of a potent social and maybe political force. Start factoring something unique into the year 2004 and beyond.

[american colleen]

I COULDN'T SEE IT!

Went 1 1/2 hours before the 7 PM showing and found it had been sold out since 10:30 this morning. It was shown in 4 theatres in this one complex so I was shocked. Particularly since I come from Boston... I figure the way we vote means we are heathens! ;-)

I am so bummed out... until I couldn't get in I hadn't realized how much I wanted to see it. I'll have to find a time I can make and buy the tickets really early.

[Francis Joseph]

I saw the first showing in Saginaw, Michigan, at 11:15 this morning. I can only say that "The Passion of the Christ" is by far the greatest motion picture I have ever seen. Mel Gibson and his entire cast and crew were truly inspired by our Dear Lord in the making of this film. All through the experience I kept thanking God for incredible gift for souls in this post-Christian world so dominated by evil. I also kept thinking about "doubting Thomas" and how our generation is now the first to truly see the perfect enactment of The Passion since the original almost 2000 years ago. Our Lord said to Thomas, "Happy the man who does not see but still believes." Well, thanks to Mel Gibson, everyone now living has the opportunity to truly witness our Dear Lord's Dolorous Passion. This is an incredible gift from God, but it is also a grave responsibility. To whom much is given, much is expected.

Everyone around me in the theater was weeping at certain points, and the scourging at the pillar was horrific. I grasped my St. Benedict crucifix under my shirt as I shuddered with each lashing. My eyes welled with with tears of Thanksgiving for our Lord's immense sacrifice and sorrow for my many sins.

The flashbacks used throughout the motion picture were perfectly placed, and they served to beautifully emphasize our Blessed Mother's role as Mediatrix, the Eucharist, the Holy Ghost, and many other crucial aspects of our Faith.

I can't thank Mel Gibson enough for his perseverance in bringing his vision to the screen. Only God could raise up a Traditional Catholic in Luciferian Hollywood who could make such a glorious movie.

I also believe that the Vatican and the Catholic bishops should be ashamed for their largely tepid, apologetic reponse to this film. Once again, they have shown themselves to be more concerned with offending influential men than honoring God. God, though his instrument Mel Gibson, has effectively circumvented their influence in the world. He is gathering the sheep that they have scattered the past 40 years.

May God bless Mel Gibson and everyone else associated with "The Passion of the Christ." You are all my heroes!

[Unam Sanctam]

Do you mind pinging the Catholic caucus on this one?

[pgkdan]

I thought it was magnificent. A true masterpiece. There are a couple of images that will always stay with me...the scourging, Our Lord carrying the cross, the raising of the cross, the tear falling to earth at the moment He died, but most especially the flashback scene where Jesus splashes his mother with water and then kisses her. That was a wonderful moment.

It was very graphic and of course violent but not nearly as violent as kid's video games and teen slasher movies.

I urge all Christians to see this movie and take someone with you! I hope this movie becomes a great tool for evangilization.

[Dajjal]

Surprised at how little dialog was in thew movie.

Not unlike Mel Gibson's "Hamlet."

I think it would be fair to say that the acting is not so special

I see your point -- this is definitely a director's movie rather than an actor's; but James Caviezel and Maia Morgenstern deserve a lot of credit for "becoming" their characters onscreen, which allowed all the other actors to react to them appropriately.

[pgkdan]

I think it would be fair to say that the acting is not so special that I would expect it to receive any major Oscars and maybe only a few nominations.

I disagree. Jim Cavaziel (sp?) and Maia Morgenstern were spectacular as Jesus and Mary. The woman who played Satan was also incredible. I don't expect any Oscar nominations though, Hollywood is far to wicked to do that.

[Dajjal]

Do you mind pinging the Catholic caucus on this one?

Give a big "SPOILER" warning in the ping.

[Diago]

Simple to use:

http://www.fandango.com/