Saturday, March 27, 2004

Whoa.
Well, as I said, I went and saw Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". And just as I suspected, it was a great movie.

But before I start praising the movie, I think it appropriate to first complain about my experience.

My first complaint is this: Nachos with lukewarm cheese do not a good snack make. Trust me on this one. (What's even worse is a plastic dish-thing filled with nachos, with only enough lukewarm cheese for 1/4 of the chips!) One other thing that detracted from my viewing experience was the stereotypical talktative couple. No more than four feet away from me was a couple in their mid-sixties who WOULD NOT SHUT UP. The war in Iraq, the gay marriage issue, the debate over "Passion's" supposed anti-semitism, they went through it all! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FILM! If not for the subtitles, I would have missed half the dialogue in this film! What's worse? The woman's cell phone went off a record four times during the film, and each time she had the gall to answer it!

This next complaint wasn't really a bad thing, just made me feel a bit uncomfortable: My brother and I were the only people in the theater who were under the age of 60! And since we came in with nachos and soda, we received more than a few cold glances, with one couple going so far as to mumble amongst themselves (obviously so we could hear without them confronting us directly). Heaven forbid that HEATHEN NACHOS be brought to the LORD'S MOVIE! >_< And then there was the crying. No, people weren't dropping down on their knees and screaming scripture quotes, but there were enough tears and sobs to dampen the experience. Surprisingly, my grandmother was completely unphased.

Now, as for my thoughts on the movie? It was great! A truly thought-provoking experience, with some of the best acting I've ever seen. Despite the small language barrier (everyone speaks either Latin or Hebrew, fortunately with English subtitles), the emotion conveyed (both verbally and physically) is done so to perfection. The casting is also spot-on, but not exactly what I would call remarkable. The only person I recognized was the woman who played Mary Magdelene (she also played Persephone in the Matrix Reloaded [and looked good in both roles! HOTCHA!]).

A lot of people have complained about the gore being "over-the-top, unnecessary", etc. Well, I tell you it's not. I will admit that there are more than a few stomach-wrenching scenes (seeing the flesh torn on Jesus' back with hooked whips, for example), but none so horrible that I couldn't stomach it. It's all used in perspective, to show what happened to Jesus before and during his crucifixion, as reported both in history and the Bible (and combinations of the two). Also, the injuries are shown in an extremely realistic way. Props to the makeup/"special effects" crew of this film: At times I was positive that the actor playing Jesus was truly being tortured. I'd love to know how they pulled it off...

The overall message of the film, to me, resonates rather well. The film seems to take away all the pomp and contradictions within the Bible and strip it down to the core lesson. I'd reiterate it, but I think that the film will have different meanings for everyone who partakes, the same with anything else.

And as for the purported anti-semitism within Gibson's film, well, I didn't see any. Yes, it does portray Jews being cruel (inhumanely so, at times) to Jesus, but in retrospect, it shows more than twice the amount of Jewish characters trying to help him (such as the one who carries the cross for him). Thus, the movie doesn't really put the "blame" on any one group.

Overall, I'd suggest that anyone watch this movie, Christian or not. Just try not to laugh at the hilarious-looking "demon children" in one scene, as it will result in droves of old ladies glaring daggers at you.

Now THAT'S "Fair and Balanced"! Fox News should learn a lesson in impartiality.
Comments (0)