The Passion Of The Christ

[Bartwald]

For some reason I can't get round to reviewing it for my site - hell, I can't even decide on how to RATE The Passion with stars! Really - that's one of the most difficult movies for me to add or subtract a star or a half.

Here and now I'd just like to let you know that yes - I liked the movie all in all, and that yes - I wanted the flailing scene to be over though I'm a horror fan, and that no - I don't think it's perfect.

Also, I think that everything that Mel Gibson added to the story (the children tormenting Judas, the creepy child of Satan...) is actually very good and helps to create a unique feel for this film; probably some more of those would be welcome - especially at the end of the movie when it starts going too perfectly, uh, by the Book.

But what I wanna know is... what did YOU guys think?

[Heineken Skywalker]

I saw this when it first opened, so it's been a while. Instead of trying to recall what I thought, I have cut & pasted my review from a different site here.

The pros: First of all, It's easy to see why this movie could have such a profound effect on followers. It doesn't, for a moment, shy away from the brutality that was inflicted on Jesus from the moment of his arrest to his crucifixion.
The actors are all top notch, with special recognition to Jim Caviezel as Jesus and Hristo Shopov as Pontias Pilate. The character of Satan is effectively creepy without being over the top or a horror movie cliche. The production design, makeup, effects, sets, costumes, etc. are all excellent and kudos to Mel Gibson on believing in this project so much that he financed it himself and it looks like every penny is on screen. This movie is bold, courageous & artistic.

The Cons: Having said all that, personally, it just wasn't a very moving dramatic experience.
Even though we've seen it in other movies and some of us have read it, this film could've done with more backstory and character development. Except in a few short flashbacks, we see almost none of Jesus' sermons or miracles. Was he a blasphemer, or was he in fact the messiah? The movie allows other people/characters to voice their opinions, but we, as an audience, don't actually get to see enough of it onscreen.
I think his sacrifice would have had a much more profound effect in this film had we been able to see at least 30 - 45 minutes of story before the arrest. Gibson has to remember that not everyone who is going to see this movie has read the bible, seen other films about Jesus, or even caught "Jesus Christ, Superstar" on stage. Imagine if Gibson had started his own film "Braveheart" with the capture of William Wallace and proceeded to just show his torture and disemboweling without the almost three hours of story & character development that preceeded it. There'd be no emotional tie when the character dies. That's the effect I got from this movie. It feels incomplete.
The parts that almost brought tears to my eyes are the couple of moments we get with Jesus and his mother, Mary, in brief flashback. More of that would've given the audience a more emotional connection to the characters, I think.
As it is, the movie is more of an endurance test. How much pain, blood & suffering can you watch before you wince, cover your eyes or turn away? I winced a couple of times, mostly at the scourging, but after a while, even that starts to get old. Sometimes less is more, Mel. Less gore, more story.
There are some images in this movie that will stay with me a while, but I don't think that I'll be revisiting this film again for a long time.
6.5/10

[Bartwald]

Yeah, the revisiting count may be low in my case, too. And Mel Gibson definitely assumed people would know his characters background pretty well - it's literally the last several hours from the life of Christ; no long flashbacks, no detailed explaining who's who. To be honest, though - that's why I liked The Passion! I was very afraid that it may become a summary of Christ's whole life when first of the flashbacks started, and was then unspeakably relieved that it wasn't going to be so, after all. Then again - I'm pretty selfish about it, I guess, as I know the background story pretty well.

One more thing: Hristo Shopov really was very good as Pilate!

[cyber256702000]

Ok, I haven't review this movie yet because I know that my review will upset a lot of people, but honestly I thought this movie was terrible. I will admit that Gibson effectively did what he set out to do, but I just don't feel that it was necessary.

I was really interested in seeing this, Gibson is a great director and all the controversy peaked my interest. When it start I was into it. The first 30 mins are very good. There is story there and you get to know some of the characters like the Roman leader who must choose Jesus's fate. That was my favorite part of the movie.

Than the movie falls flat.

We get to the whipping. Non-stop whippings, with no real talking. You watch horrified for about 10 minutes and than when you think it is over, they turn Jesus around and whip his other side. As effective as it is at first, a 20 min. whipping scene had me shocked and disgusted, but than it tended to get a little boring. My mind numbed up to the violence and it just seemed to go on and on.

After the first 30 mins. Mel ran out of any real plot. I know that it IS supposed to be the last 24 hours of Christ's life, but not enough happened to warrant 2 hours worth of film.

When he is carrying the cross to his final resting place it seemed like every three steps Christ took he fell (and he always fell in slow motion) and than got gang beat by the guards, just so you could watch him fall (in slow motion) once again three steps later and get beat again.

It seemed like it was all just Gibson making more and more gore scenes because he didn't have two hours worth of story.

I would of liked to of seen some of the good things Jesus did, but they didn't show really anything except the torture.

Was this movie powerful, yes it was. Was it a good movie, no and I don't think I am ever going to see it again.

If you took some of the things I just said as blasphemous in any way, I am sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone.

[Bartwald]

It's OK with me, cyber. It's your right to dislike Passion - what counts is that you're giving good reasons why it is so.

[LivingDeadGirl]

I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it yet. I'll probably just wait until it comes out on DVD & watch it in the privacy of my own home. When I went to see Kill Bill 2, people were exiting after seeing Passion & some of them were just bawling...I was like Whoa...but I do live in the Bible belt, so I dunno...it's just hard to explain my reluctance to see it.

[cyber256702000]

Good luck with that. Gibson has come out and said he doesn't plan on releasing the movie on dvd, because it won't have the impact. He made it himself with no studio backing so I am sure he can do that.

[ZapRowsdower]

Well, according to IMDb (I think yesterday in fact), the Passion is set for an August release date.

[Father Red]

Count me as one that liked The Passion.

Unlike others, I didn't find the gore to be overly unsettling. If you actually consider the damage a flail of that sort would do, it's quite toned down. Consider as well that Christ (or at least the actor who played him) was a thin man. It never once showed the bones snapping (which certainly would have happened because of his lack of, well, meat) and it also never showed it fully tearing through him.

To be brutally honest, son of God or not, the man would have been torn in two by the flail, not just ripped up and bloody.

I also don't think it went on too long, it serves in showing the suffering (the most important thing in this film) and certainly didn't go on as long as it actually would have. One has to consider there that at that time the Romans were a bloodthirsty crew at best. Finding a man who could take that beating without passing out/dying would certainly have prompted much worse torture.

Enough of that though. There were some very powerful scenes in the movie aside from the torture. Satan's mocking of the Madonna for instance (most people call it "Satan holding that fucked up baby") was well done, as was the torture of Judas.

This is also the second movie ever to make me cry (the first being Yoda's passing in RotJ). His "See mother, I make all things new" scene when he was carrying the cross got me good.

I've rambled on too long though, in a conversation no doubt forgotten.

[Bartwald]

Smitty didn't join our disussion here but he expressed himself fully in a review here: fracturedmovies.tripod.com/passion.html

Check it out, guys, 'cause it's good!

[ZapRowsdower]

Thanks for plugging in my review, Bart. ;D

[Bartwald]

Oh, no problem at all.