Review Mike Richeson

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Reviews | Send mail to The Voice Mel Gibson's 'Passion' is shocking, brutal Jim Caviezel was struck by lighting and accidentally hit in the flogging scene during filming. -Press release photo When the movie theater offers Kleenex tissues to moviegoers, you know the experience will be heart wrenching. And "The Passion of the Christ" certainly is. The violence that never seems to end is not numbing so much as it is overwhelming and often unbearable. The scourging scene is so horrific that the crucifixion almost feels like a relief. Almost. Mel Gibson wanted to create a movie that would push people over the edge; he wanted them to understand the enormity of Jesus' sacrifice. He succeeded. Whips, nails, thorns and hate create the backdrop for the most incredible love story in history. The actors speak in Latin and Aramaic with English subtitles flashing on the bottom of the screen. The characters are so well portrayed, however, that the English words are unneeded. The movie grips from the beginning to the end. Although this film barrages the audience with an overpowering amount of emotion, it rarely feels contrived. Only Pilate's philosophical crisis and conversation with his wife about the nature of truth feels fake. The startlingly brief resurrection wasn't disappointing; it just didn't feel complete. The victory of Christ rising from the grave should have packed more punch. One of the great triumphs of the movie is that just when you feel like you can't take the torture anymore, an incredible moment of hope gives a needed respite. As a horribly whipped and bloody Jesus staggers under the weight of the cross, his mother Mary rushes to him. Maia Morgenstern, who plays Jesus' mother, perfectly embodies the agony of a mother clutching at her condemned son. At this point, Jesus looks at her and says, "Look, I make all things new." You could hear people catching sobs in their throats. The movie begins with Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane. Here Gibson introduces us to Satan--the great deceiver is an androgynous creature in the movie--as Satan tempts him to give up his burden. Rosalinda Celentano, who plays the father of lies, should go down in movie history as one of the most frightening characters ever. The great battle of God vs. Satan is a running theme throughout the entire movie, from Satan's confusion about who Christ is, to Jesus' ultimate victory over evil upon his death. Christ's sudden crushing of a serpent's head in the garden is a brilliant allusion to Genesis 3:15. Gibson finally created a film with a powerful Christ, someone who convinces you that this person raised the dead at his command and felled Roman soldiers with his words. Most of the audience did not move even after the credits began to roll. Many cried; others sat in complete shock. No one left unaffected. Mel Gibson wonderfully portrayed a powerful Savior who laid down his life by his own accord, and raised it up again by his own authority. "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Everyone must see this movie. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Reviews | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2004 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.