Yesterday, my wife and I had the opportunity to watch The Passion of the Christ. I ducked out of work early, dropped off the kids at a friend’s house and caught a 4:00 showing. We got there a few minutes late, but decided to watch it instead of waiting another hour for the next showing. Surprisingly, there were less than 30 people there, so we got good seats.
We don’t go to the theatres much and it’s been years since we’ve seen a movie on the big screen. And I can’t even remember watching a film within a week of it’s release.
Overall, I thought Mel Gibson made a bunch of good decisions about the film. Sure, there are some things that are contrary to how I interpret the Bible, but they were minimal.
I’m glad he decided to use original languages. It added to the authenticity of the film and also makes it a “universal” film, not just an American film. I’m also glad he added subtitles. I would’ve understood little of what they said, even though I’m familiar with the text.
The film is indeed violent and bloody, but it’s not gory. Mel Gibson doesn’t try to shock people with the violence, but just tries to depict what actually could’ve happened.
However, the film has some parts that are over dramatized, like the demon possessed kids. But actually I’m glad he did it that way. If he had just tried to depict an accurate portrayal, it would’ve, at best, just been a documentary. But in order to make it to the big screen, it had to have had elements of a dramatic movie.
I particularly liked the part of Pilate. I’ve never thought about how much Pilate had tried to not have Jesus crucified. But in the film, it’s obvious that he tried hard.
One thing I was disappointed with was it showed Jesus crucified in the palm. Whereas in reality he was crucifed in the wrists. But, I guess very few people know that.
A significant part of the movie was quoting the Bible, which I’m very glad he did. And actually, it was those parts that touched me the most. In particular, when Jesus quoted John 15:13, it struck me. “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Which also brings to the point of the anti-Semitism accusations. It wasn’t the Jews that crucified Jesus. Ultimately, Jesus himself chose to lay down his life. He willingly layed down his life so that we can have life.
Overall, the movie was done very well and definitely worth watching. And I’m glad it’s having such success so far and making a deep reach into society.