Runester

Movie Review: The Passion of The Christ

Lisa and I went to see this movie on the first Sunday after it’s release. To my surprise (but not Lisa’s) the theater was crowded with movie goers to see this very film. I thought most of the fervor would have died down, since the movie was released four (4) days earlier. Oh well. There appeared to be whole church groups there, possibly straight from a church service.

The movie, itself, was good. Parts were so raw and brutal that they were hard to watch. The only parts that were not exactly as the gospels described, were the scenes with an androgynous Satan slinking around in the background. These scenes didn’t change the story at all, but they were an example of artistic license on the part of Mel Gibson. Personally, I liked them … they helped frame the ongoing brutality in a wider context – i.e. the battle between good and evil.

Other parts of Jesus ministry were seen in flashbacks, such as the last supper and the sermon on the mount. As Lisa pointed out, there could have been more of that and less suffering. The absolute best moment in the movie was the very last scene. I hope I am not giving anything away when I say … Jesus rises from the dead. To see it in such an under emphasized way after having watched so much blood and suffering makes the movie feel like it ended on an incredible victory instead of a defeat. Which, I suspect, is the whole point.

As for the supposed anti-Semitism … sorry, I didn’t see it. Not all of the jews were painted as hateful and murderous, in fact several members of the Sanhedrin spoke out on behalf of Jesus and were then physically removed from the proceedings by those in charge. Further, it was a Jewish man who helps Jesus carry his cross to Golgotha, and it is a Jewish woman who comes to wipe his brow and offer him some water. Hardly villains! On the other hand, the greatest callousness is on the part of Pontius Pilate who knows Jesus is innocent and has him executed anyways, for political reasons. Further, the sheer gusto of the Roman soldiers who beat and flog him make them seem absolutely demonic. To be fair, we should have heard from Italians that this movie was anti-Roman …

Another disturbing critic I heard about the movie, was that it was a two hour long session of human torture. I tried to prepare myself for that … only to discover it was not true. The hardest scenes to watch are the scourging, but this is not the whole movie nor even the majority of it. I have seen a great deal more violence (and gratuitous at that) in Quentin Tarantino movies such as Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, and Pulp Fiction. For some critics to actually come out and declare this movie “S&M Pornography” is not only completely wrong … but offensive.

Anyway, it looks like Mel will make his money back on this project – that’s good. It’s worth seeing, but probably not more then once. Also, we were taking bets on whether or not it will get any nods at all next Oscar season. I say no, Hollywood would never reward a director for making an independent film that’s pro-religion and also financially successful. Who knows, maybe I’m wrong.

In Other News

I am returning to Michigan for five days, starting Monday. This time I am flying in, instead of driving. I should have more to post to this BLOG when I return.