PASSION OF THE CHRIST REVIEW:

hmm, there's a lot to say... first of all, i'd like to say, i truly enjoyed the movie... mel gibson is a very talented director... combine that with his strong religious faith, and this is what occurs... the movie is also very well crafted... let's start w/the bad sides... (i'll try not to spoil the movie too much, but if you want the ending, just read the ends of the gospels :D)

some scenes/stuff could have been done without... me and jon sorta agreed with this, like:
-jesus w/the table and mary his mother scene... humorous, wasn't UNNECESSARY, but could have been without... i think gibson was just fooling around here :D
-the raven at the cross... you'll understand when you see it
-the person playing the devil was nice, but at the same time, the very last scene was unnecessary... TOTALLY unnecessary...(i find it funny how all the secular ppl analyzing the movie thought it was too violent, but didn't say anything about this scene being unnecessary) also, you might not have gotten what was going on when it looked like the devil was carrying a demented child... i had an idea, jon was wtf on that one
-the high priest should have been slightly more hesitant; he knew that jesus was the messiah... he is depicted as totally callous until the very end when the temple is torn in two
-who is that girl who offers him a drink but is pushed away? it's not mary... not his mother either... me and jon couldn't figure out who...
-and there's a slight inconsistency when they hammer the nails into his palm, not his wrist...

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ok, that said, this is an excellant movie... however, i will say this: it is NOT recommended for the person who is not a christian and doesn't have a good understanding of the bible; i say this because after seeing the movie, i now understand why so many secular ppl write this movie off... it COMPLEMENTS the gospel, but doesn't provide the entire picture... that's why you hear ppl either say:

-the movie is too violent(they don't see how the hatred of the crowd makes jesus' love for them and unwillingness to fight them even more appearant)
-or, the fear that anti-jewish feelings will occur(ppl might think that jews had to be the most thick-headed ignorant ppl to allow this tragedy to occur and get pissed, but so far, that hasnt occurred, god bless)...

also, there are often cutscenes that go away from the main crucifixation scene... this is good in movie directing, because it you keep exposing the audience to blood and gore they get numb to it... stick in a few cheerful scenes, and it makes the blood and gore seem fresh and still exciting... but some of those cutscenes are impossible to pick up if you're not a christian... for instance, the way they depicted the time when jesus forgave mary for being a prostitute was very short, too short for a nonbeliever to get, but long enough that a christian would be "bam, i know what's happening" (i especially liked the camera angle which they did this scene... makes jesus look that much more powerful, and the others that much more weak)

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that said, throughout the whole movie, i was just seeing every prophecy refulfilled in front of my eyes and going bam with the exact verses that came up... "my bones are out of joint... they will look on the one they have pierced... etc..."

it was awesome how throughout the movie jesus keeps looking to his father for strength... probably my fave quote of them all was when he was about to be whipped, and looked up, saying, "father, my heart is ready..." i wish i had that type of heart...

i did not cry(:D) during the movie, but my throat occasionally got really stiff, and i think it was when one of the ppl crucified next to jesus stated that he deserved to be condemned, but pleaded that jesus remember him, and that jesus said that he would be next to him in paradise, that my throat got pretty stiff... also, when they pulled his bones out of joint, i had a similar feeling...

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so what did i think mel was trying to depict with this movie? that jesus came to DIE... many ppl don't really realize that jesus came to die in the most horrific death possible... this movie, in my own words, says JESUS DIED with a huge exclaimation point near the end... it makes you realize how terrible the suffering jesus had to go through, how it was so terrible that jesus is stressing so hard as he was praying before he was captured, debating whether to run or stay(further complicated by the devil tempting him by saying "no one can carry this burden... too heavy... no")... often, even us christians know about the crucifixation, those of us who do our hw can even explain scientifically how gruesome and how it occurs, but i bet none of us truly can take it if we see it full color in front of our eyes with jesus suffering so hard(he mustve fainted like 6+ times going up to the hill)... this movie is good to nail that point(no pun intended) into our heads... secular ppl won't get it, they think this movie is too gruesome... they don't understand what mel was trying to do...

secondly, the other main important aspect is that love kept Jesus from saving himself... this IS a film of love, not hatred(contrary to what the other critics say)... power is demonstrated in what we do do, as well as what we don't do... jesus could have EASILY turned against the crowd, walked through them, performed miracles to save himself... but he chose not to, although the taunting and the pain must have been insanely difficult for him to take... in this way his heart and strength are elevated beyond anything you can think of... in most of the film, he remains fairly silent even as he is being taunted, spit upon, whatever...

and yet, even as christians watching the movie, we knew that if we were there right beside him, we would be so scared, we would run... like peter, or be hesitant like all the others... we would not be able to stand by him... not of us would... humanity is at its worst, but christ is at his very best...

i hope that the reader of these words, whoever that may be, if you go see this film, that it strengthens your faith, or if you're a nonbeliever, forces you to again seriously question who jesus of nazareth really is... that's all from me on this point... saying even more would more or less be overemphasizing previous points... til then, god bless