The Passion of the Christ

I was hesitant to watch the movie because of all the reports I had heard about the level of violence. However, my curiosity finally won out and when my neighbour got the DVD, I simply had to watch it.

I loved it! I was absorbed in the movie from the very start and it never let go. It was intense.

Yes there was violence, and yes Gibson didn't shield us one bit from the enormity of it. It is graphic and in your face, however it is NOT gratuitious violence. It was simply a portrayal of what actually happened (well, if you believe in the bible). Of course, I still had to cover my eyes at some points. (Interestingly, some movie critics who complained about the level of violence in this movie are perfectly happy with the senseless blood and gore of Hollywood flicks. Go figure.)

I found the pacing fantastic. The use of the languages of the day actually helped the authenticity of the movie. I think that was an excellent decision by Gibson. The cinematography was breathtaking. The portrayal of the Devil sent shivers down my spine. The final scene with the Devil and the final scene of the movie were absolutely perfect. I won't say more because I simply can't give that away.

The movie followed Jesus only during those last hours of his life from the Garden of Gethsemene to the tomb. Sprinkled throughout were flashbacks that did a fantastic job of linking Jesus' life and teachings to his crucifixtion. One could almost see his apostles watching the events, remembering what Jesus had said, and experiencing a mini-revelation, finally unerstanding what Jesus meant.

Another thing I loved about the movie was the excellent use of eye contact. So much was said without words. Like the rest of this movie, it was powerful.

Also, those who have done some research into the Passion will realize that Gibson drew from a variety of sources to flesh out the biblical story. Writings and from various Saints were used. There is so much symbolism and so much depth to the movie. As I said, fantastic.

Finally, all the "bit characters" in this story were fleshed out with their own personalities, constraints, hopes, and viewpoints. The Romans were not all carbon copies of each other. Nor were the Jews. And along the way, we saw characters touched and moved by the events taking place.

Definitely a movie to see, and absolutely a movie to talk about afterwards. All in all, an excellent movie that made the last hours of Jesus' life more real.

VIDEO:

The Passion of the Christ arrives at blu ray with MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 2.40:1 encode. The film's colour palette, initially beginning with purposely blue light to showcase a heaven symbol, is full of a wide range of colours. We have the bright colours like the yellows of the sun and sand. Also the darker colours of the night and the deep reds of blood showcase excellent detail considering the amount of darkness to the image. Speaking of detail, one of the most impressive aspects is the wide range of costumes used in the film. The detail and lifelike feel to these costumes is amazing. Detail is exceptional, either in close ups of the characters (take a look at the scourging sequence as painful as it is). (4.5/5)

AUDIO:

The Aramaic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is truly exceptional. In the film's dark opening sequence, the track creates an astounding environment that surrounds listeners, with insect and other small creature life surrounding the listening area, coming from every direction in a 360-degree sound field. Debney's score, in a word, is downright amazing. He captures each and every essence of the film with such subtlety. His softer moments (see `The Olive Garden'), where he enlists a chanting type method is haunting and memorizing fully drawing us to the pain and torment Jesus was experiencing at this point. He then moves to quite possibly one of the best pieces written for a film of this nature in `Mary Goes to Jesus'. Sound effects, too, are precisely replayed; the bag of coins Judas receives from the Pharisees early in the film for his betrayal of Jesus spills before him onto a stone floor, the coins scattering and clanking off the surface to realistic effect. (5/5)

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS:

This movie was nominated for the following Oscars (2005):
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Caleb Deschanel

Best Achievement in Makeup
Keith VanderLaan
Christien Tinsley

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
John Debney (should have won), but lost to Brokeback Mountain (Gustavo Santaolalla)

It has an estimated budget $30 million; however, its worldwide gross was a staggering $604 million! It is the highest grossing 1) foreign language film, and 2) religious film in the history of the movie history.

TRIVIA & GOOFS:

The movie doesn't begin with credits, but only with a verse from the Bible: "He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53; 700 B.C.

During production the film was originally supposed to be titled simply "The Passion". However in October 2003, it was revealed the Miramax studios already had a movie in production with that title. Mel Gibson retitled the film "The Passion of Christ". He retitled it yet again a month later in November 2003 to "The Passion of the Christ".

Mishaps that happened to Jim Caviezel (portraying Christ) during filming:
(1) He was being accidentally whipped twice, which has left a 14-inch scar on his back.
(2) He also admitted he was struck by lightning while filming the Sermon on the Mount and during the crucifixion, experienced hypothermia during the dead of winter in Italy.
(3) He experienced a shoulder separation when the 150lb cross dropped on his shoulder. The scene is still in the movie.

Did you know that Jim Caviezel was given a prosthetic nose and a raised hairline. His blue eyes were digitally changed to brown on film?

Because of their experiences during film production, many of the cast and filming crew converted to Catholicism after the completion of the film. Among those who converted was an atheist who played Judas Iscariot.

Originally, the second confrontation between Pilate and the Sanhedrin included a line where the Sanhedrin say, "His blood be on our heads and on the heads of our children!" Although this line comes from the Gospels, Mel Gibson removed the subtitle of the line to avoid further allegations of the movie having an anti-Semitic message. The actual line in Aramaic was left in the movie. His fear of anti-Semitic message now presents a strong irony to his actual telephone outbursts with his ex-wife!

Gibson's hands nail Christ to the cross during the Crucifixion scene. Gibson said "It was me that put him on the cross. It was my sins that put him there." Gibson also supplied the foot of Jesus (washed by Mary Magdalene) and the arms that tie Judas' suicide rope. His crying, screaming voice is heard during the latter scene.

As Jesus carries his cross, the blood on the cross disappears and reappears between shots.

The loin cloth dripping in blood Jesus was wearing before he started carrying the cross changed back to a clean loin cloth as soon as he started his journey.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This film's depiction of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus was a strong and powerful one. It is very realistic, and extremely well done. The release date of just prior to Easter Sunday is certainly not by coincidence. The very detailed and realistic video, together with Debney's haunting score, was a powerful combination that will keep you in your seats. When you see how Christ died for all our sins, you will weep with everybody else. Highly recommended.

Finally, I notice that it is a habit of Amazon.ca to put reviews for standard DVD into the blu ray section of the same movie. So, before you read a review in the blu ray section, please kindly look at the date, so that you do not waste your valuable time. I hope this point and the above review are helpful to you.

This is the most passionate, and vivid interpretation of the Gospels that has ever been put on film. You can hate it or love it, but you can't deny what it is. Yes, there were a few things I was a little unhappy with, but the overall effect of the film does not lie, or waste time for that matter. It does what it's there to do. Any non-believers can be offended by it for doing what it set out to do, if you want films that are wishy-washy and can't manage to stick to a point, this isn't the film for you. Of course it's controversial! Of course people hate it! But then, for a "disgusting" film, it did rack up, what... $600mil at the BO? Well deserved for Mel Gibson's refusal to compromise in a world that wants him to. You can't dispute that, this film deserves respect, not arrogance.