I revisited this movie for the first time in about seven years recently, and it held up well, intensely riveting and moving, directed with a scalpel. Each scene contains so much attention to detail and planning to get every shot right.

It goes without say that anyone who would take offense to the religious subject will automatically be biased to review it in a negative light. Simply put, some people don't believe in religion or the Bible, but it is very hard to deny the historical truth behind the story.

In college, my professor who taught a class about the Bible was also an Oxford professor. Since my college was not a religious one, I was surprised at how seriously a hardcore academic like him taught that class, trying to make it as intellectual and studious as possible. He went over the history of religion, basically a rendering of the evolution in history through all known ancient civilizations, from Greece to Rome, from ancient tribes to middle eastern civilization, to Israel. Essentially, historically speaking, there has always been the existence of a belief in gods, and what originated as basically pantheism and moved to polytheism, eventually evolved into monotheism, the belief in one god.

All one has to do is observe a map of the world to see Israel's location, smack dab in the center of the convergence of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Anthropologists have recently released studies suggesting that this area was a critical point in man's evolution out of Africa, and the first known civilizations arose very close by in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, so even scientists understand the significance of the geographical region in history. Unfortunately for Israel, on what is known as the fertile crescent for a reason, their land and borders were constantly under attack from foreign invaders from east Asia, Persia, Assyria, and Egypt, among others, as they were brutally and violently overtaken by savages throughout ancient history, often essentially turning them into slaves.

The tides finally began to turn once Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and back to the promised land, where they continued to ward off invading forces who wanted their land. Moses handed down the Ten Commandments, and somewhere around this era monotheism began to spread, new kings of Israel became heroes, and new prophets arose in Israel's culture that were inscribed into the Old Testament. The most notable was Isaiah, who predicted the coming of a savior hundreds of years before (Isaiah 53).

As the Roman Empire expanded and inhabited Israel, its people once again had to deal with oppression and attacks on its culture and religion. Naturally, many sects of Jerusalem were hoping for a savior to come as the prophets prophesized, who would free them from slavery and redeem them and their faith. Then came along Jesus of Nazareth, born in a time where King Herod was slaughtering in mass newborn babies, hearing the rumor that a savior was coming. Not much is truly known about Jesus' early life. Even the Bible leaves it out, as it essentially begins documenting his life at the very start of his ministry, thought to be around the age of 27 years old. However, some scarce stories of his childhood arise like the wedding where he turned water into wine.

So what you have here is a historical retelling of the last days of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ around what would be the third decade A. D., most scholars would say around 30-33 A. D. during Roman occupation. Rumors of war were widespread, and political tensions were hot, as Jerusalem was looking for a savior, but with the political climate and Ceasar's rule, leaders were caught between war and obedience as their decisions.

Jesus came along preaching a new doctrine, performing miracles, and gaining what was a originally a small but loyal following near the Sea of Galilee, which eventually began to spread far and wide once word of his miracles and teachings got out. Rome was afraid of the rumored Rebellion, and the religious leaders were offended by Jesus' confidence and successes. They viewed him as a threat, both politically and religiously, and this is the point where The Passion of the Christ begins, at around this point.

Religious or not, most historians agree that these events really occurred, but whether you believe in the miracles, that Jesus was indeed the son of God, a prophet, a good man, or something else is a matter of faith.

When I watched it recently, my mind became absorbed into a combination of views simultaneously interpreting the film, from the perspectives of theists, atheists, agnostics, and scholars, and this time around I couldn't help but think about humanity's imperfections, how life is not perfect, and how most people who are born into this world can only interpret it based on what they see around them at the time. But reflecting on how people are bullied, made fun of, outcasted, and gossiped about as early as high school, starting to think about how peer pressure begins to set in with temptations to do drugs, mischief, and duplistic behaviors, you start to think back to how having faith really is a natural human inclination. Sometimes the pressure and pain is so much that teens and adults can no longer take it. Additionally, health problems from injuries to genetic disorders, as well as minor aches and pains and skin rashes like acne, and even more serious illnesses are practically inevitable at points in most peoples' lives (and most religions are engrained in suffering, especially Buddhism),so you can appreciate how having Faith through hard times can truly save someone's life. While doctors and surgeons are necessary, the person has to also WANT to survive, WANT to live, WANT to have a better future and life and follow the prescriptions and show up for the medicine, therapy or procedures. This, too, requires an act of Faith and goodwill, a strong will. With life being so hard at times, often out of one's control, watching the Passion of the Christ can make you question everything only to conclude that having Faith in God and a higher power, while not for everybody, can certainly come in handy and help people, especially certain people at certain times, through difficulties and pain. If not, they would simply give up and never improve or improve their lives, or get through tough periods. Otherwise, like the ancient Israelites, they would only be slaves, whether literally or metaphorically.

Jesus' message was one of goodwill, love, faith, hope, and courage, among other things, and monotheism historically only strengthened and spread further throughout the world after the crucifixion. It was a watershed moment in both World History and Theology that literally changed the entire world forever. Soon enough, the Roman Empire would indeed fall, giving way to a new Israel and a new world. Christianity would spread far and wide, and with the archaeology discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the existence of Jesus' life was only solidified and confirmed even more. In 325 A. D., at the Council of Nicea, Emporer Constantine essentially made Christianity the official religion of the remaining Roman empire, and bishops and religious leaders came to the agreement that Jesus was divine. That's just how History played out. What you had was centuries of wars, savage invasions, slavery in Israel paving the way for monotheism, and eventually Jesus' coming and ministry documented in the New Testament.

The Passion of the Christ is undeniably a well-made movie, excellently produced and directed, with admirable performances from all, a historical period piece, faithfully adhering to Biblical events, that even non-believers will have a difficult time honestly denying is a masterpiece.

9/10.

Oscar winning "Braveheart" director Mel Gibson sets a whole new standard for Biblical epics in "The Passion of the Christ," an inspiringly original but incredibly visceral account of the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth between his arrest in Gethsemane and his crucifixion at Golgotha. Everything everybody's told you about this two hour & six minute, sincerely-made, moodily filmed, but sadomasochistic saga rings true. However, "The Passion" does NOT qualify as remotely anti-Semitic. Sure, it is blatantly Anti-Pharisee, but not anti-Semitic. Anybody who calls "The Passion" anti-Semitic is naïve beyond belief. The anti-Semitism accusation is so general as to be inconsequential. You can condemn the actions of a handful of men (in this case the self-righteous Pharisees),but you cannot condemn an entire race of people (in this case the Jew) for the actions of a heinous few. Indeed, several Jewish characters in "The Passion" come to Jesus' aid. Labeling "The Passion" as anti-Semitic is as ludicrous as describing The Bible as anti-Semitic. Were these sentiments not sufficient, the central message of Gibson's "Passion" pleads for the audience to forgive your enemies.

The violence registers off the Richter scale. The torture scene where the Roman soldiers compete to inflict the most damage on the Son of God gives new meaning to gratuitous violence. Okay, isn't violence in any form gratuitous? In this instance, gratuitous violence suits the situation, because the torture and crucifixion of Jesus were about as gratuitous as violence can get. Nevertheless, chances are you may not survive this torture scene, especially if you haven't seen a gory R-rated movie. The graphic crucifixion scene reminds us of the heartless savagery of public executions in New Testament times, too. Gibson must have spilled several gallons of Karo syrup mixed with red food coloring for this scene as well as the 45-minute flogging scene to emphasize the violence as it has never been stressed before in spectacles like "King of Kings" (1961) and "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965). Perhaps the only movie to rival Gibson's "Passion" for its documentary realism is the obscure 1966 Italian art film "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" that portrays Jesus as an activist.

The largely unknown cast adds to the authenticity. Actor Jim Caviezel's exploits as the cinematic Jesus have been well-documented in the news media. Indeed, he took an accidental lashing during the scourging scene and nearly passed out from the impact. Later, lightning struck him on the cross. Happily, throughout "The Passion," Caviezel delivers a nuanced performance that never overshadows his messiah character. Unlike most Jesus movies, "The Passion" gives us a Christ who looks and behaves as an ordinary individual. This Jesus isn't a blond, blue-eyed loafer with shaven armpits in an immaculate white robe. Gibson shows Jesus the carpenter finishing up a table. When his mother Mary (Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern) brings him a bowl of water, he splashes it on her in an example of a playful mother a son relationship. This unusual scene of Jesus clowning is a welcome relief from those sanitized and solemn depictions of Christ as a man with no sense of humor. Earlier, Caviezel gives us a glimpse of Jesus' humanity in Gethsemane when he chides his drowsy disciples for failing to stay awake. At the same time, this Jesus is no weakling. During his first encounter with Satan, Jesus stomps the Devil's snake into the ground and gives Lucifer a dirty look. By the end of "The Passion," Caviezel doesn't have to act and looks virtually unrecognizable under all the blood, gore, and crown of thorns. Aside from Caviezel, whose acting credits include "Angel Eyes," "Frequency," and "The Thin Red Line," Gibson wisely cast no-name actors. As Mary Magdalene, a tastefully subdued Monica Bellucci of "The Matrix Reloaded" is the only other big-name Hollywood refugee. Hristo Shopov takes top honors for his thoughtful performance as the conflicted Pontius Pilate, while Italian actress Rosalinda Celentano of "The Other" makes a creepy, androgynous Satan. She is enough to send a shiver up or down your spine. Collectively, however, the actors who impersonate the sadistic Roman soldiers give the movie its gut-wrenching quality with their savage shenanigans, especially when they flip the cross over to beat the protruding nails sideways. These guys give new meaning to evil!

Loosely based on the Synoptic New Testament gospels as well as the book of John along with the Catholic Church's 14 Stations of the Cross, "The Passion" champions celluloid realism, but falls short of strict theological authenticity. Reportedly, Gibson also relied on the visions of two nuns: the 17th century Mary of Agreda and the 18th century Anne Catherine Emmerich. What "Saving Private Ryan" did for W.W. II movies; what "Pulp Fiction" did for crime movies, what "Star Wars" did for science fiction movies, "The Passion" does for Biblical epics. When the actors speak, they utter their lines in either Latin or Aramaic to give this chronicle a convincing sense of historicity. Don't worry, the subtitles are easily read. Ironically, for a movie about Christ, "The Passion" doesn't preach as much as you might expect. Instead, Gibson lets the visuals tell the story. He intersperses several flashbacks throughout, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the Last Supper, but "The Passion" focuses largely on the agony of Christ.

If you watch movies for recreation, "The Passion" may be more than you counted on seeing. If your faith drives you to watch "The Passion," you may find yourself sorely tested, particular when those Roman soldier wield their scourges. Whether you're saved or secular, "The Passion" remains a seminal movie for our times. Despite some minor technical flaws which you may miss because you're caught up in the action, "The Passion of the Christ" emerges as a cinematic revelation.

Today is February 25th, 2022. 18 years ago today, The Passion of the Christ was released in theaters. I was 5 when it came out. My parents went to the theater to see it, and left my sister and myself with a babysitter while they were gone. When they returned, I asked them if I could see it when it came to DVD, to which they, in unison, responded: "NO!"

I was shocked. Growing up in a very devout Christian home, I was a bit stunned to be FORBIDDEN from seeing a movie about Jesus. Later I would find out it was Rated R, but how could a movie about Jesus be Rated R?

I would ask others about the movie and hear about how violent it could get, but I never got to see it until I lived with my Grandma when I was 14. And even then, she warned me more than once that it was very intense.

And it indeed is. The Passion of the Christ is a visualization of the last 12 hours of Jesus's life on Earth- and chronicles how rough His crucifixion was. I've heard complaints before that the movie focuses too much on Christ's suffering and not as much as His teachings. This complaint seems rather silly, though.

When we say "passion", we tend to mean, for instance, how I have a passion for movies. However, the word "passion" has a Latin origin meaning "to suffer." The title The Passion of the Christ literally means "The Suffering of Christ". The title gives away the film's plot and it's purpose.

The movie's portrayal of Jesus's suffering IS very intense. Again, it earned the movie an R Rating, something very few faith based movies get. In fact, many Christians will avoid R Rated movies, except for this one.

One example of how graphic the violence gets is in the whipping scene, the most gruesome scene in the film. Pilate condemns Jesus to a severe flogging before sentencing Him to crucifixion. Some Roman soldiers handcuff him to a pole and spend 3 minutes flogging His body with a whip.

Afterwards, they get bored of this and grab a cat-o-nine tail, a whip with 9 HOOKS at the end. For the remainder of the prolonged scene, we see the hooks skin Jesus alive- first on his back, and then on his stomach and face. Finally, a Roman soldier sees this and stops it.

It's undoubtedly a hard scene to watch, and is sure to bring tears and disgust. Non-Christians may watch it and think it's just mindless violence. But believers will understand the point director Mel Gibson is making, that Jesus suffered this much for our sins.

This point can be seen clearly with the verse that opens the film, Isaiah 53:5: "He was wounded for our iniquities, He was crushed for our sins, and by His wounds we are healed."

To those who think the movie goes overboard with the violence, I suggest looking up Isaiah 52:14, which in paraphrase predicts that Jesus's face on the cross would be marred beyond recognition. We can still recognize the face of actor Jim Caviezel by the end of the film, so the actual crucifixion of Jesus would have been much, much worse then what is shown in 2 hours here.

My reaction to this film the first time was quite strong. I don't cry at many movies, but this made me cry the hardest the first time. Now, some movies are harder for me to watch now- Grave of the Fireflies, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Letters To God, to name a few. But seeing this for the first time 8 years ago, I had a much stronger understanding of how much Jesus endured for us. It did make me feel guilt, but I was also uplifted at this revelation.

Now, with this film I should address the elephant in the room- the controversy behind the anti-semetic remarks of Mel Gibson. When the film was about to release, there were accusations of Jewish hatred seeping throughout the motion picture.

I personally think that's silly due to one factor- Jesus Himself was Jewish. If this movie has a message of hating Jews, then this movie is asking you to hate Jesus, when few Bible movies have made me love Him more.

That said, the film does focus on Pharisees following Jesus very closely and laughing at his misfortune. However, many Jews are seen in a positive light apart from Jesus- such as The Mother Mary, Mary Magdelene, Apostles like John and Peter (save for his 3 denials),and a woman who offers water and a cloth to a bloody, parched Jesus.

Setting aside Gibson's (inexcusable) drunken rant 2 years later, there is nothing in this 126 minute film that would make one hate Jews. The movie is simply chroncling Jesus's act of love by God becoming man to die for mankind's sins.

I complain often of "Bible" movies that stray Scripturally and theologically from The Bible, like Noah and Exodus: Gods and Kings. While Passion does take some liberties, such as Satan tempting Jesus numerous times to renounce who He is to save Himself from torture, the film does stick very closely to the Gospel accounts of the Crucifixion, and many quotes come straight from The Gospels. This helps the film's power even more.

While The Passion of the Christ is a very hard movie to watch, it is a movie everyone should see at least once. Due to my love for it, I have actually seen it around 16 times in 8 years, although I've gone a couple years without seeing it.

You don't have to think it's perfect or a film to see twice, but it should be seen as a deeper understanding of Jesus's purpose on Earth in the Christian faith. The Passion of the Christ is one of the best Biblical movies ever made, and a great cinematic portrayal of God's love.