The Passion of the Christ (2004)

The Passion of the Christ

• This was truly one of the most eye-opening and emotional movies I think I’ve ever seen. Mel Gibson made a phenomenal movie, and it really makes you realize the immense pain that Jesus had to go through in the last 12 hours of his life. Nobody realizes how cruel the crucifixion process actually is, and this movie does a great job of showing you. It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever sit through, and though it’s horrifically disturbing and pretty graphic, it’s something I think everyone should see at least once in your life. The story in this movie is based on 12 hours leading up to Jesus’s death, and the primary source of information was the four Gospels. Now I know there are some exaggerated moments in this movie, but I’d say a good chunk of it is Biblically accurate. While it follows Jesus’s pain and suffering, it also gives you flashbacks of his previous teachings and meetings with the disciples, which I thought was cool. It also gives you a break from seeing the graphic nature of the torture and crucifixion, so it gives you a quick mental break. This movie does a great job of showing that even though Jesus was Son of God, he was also human, and that he was one of us. The acting in this movie was incredible, and every single character added something special to the story. Jim Caviezel does a fantastic job as Jesus, and he does a fantastic job of showing his pain, and you really sympathize with him. The crucifixion scene was the most emotional scene, and seeing him bloodied and beat up hanging on the cross was truly gut-wrenching and heart-breaking. The score was really good, and I loved the use of the different themes. During the scenes of Jesus’s teachings (and the more laid back scenes), you get a really good Middle Eastern theme, with a calm sound to it. However, when you get to the scenes with the pain and suffering, the themes are tragic, nerve-wracking, yet also triumphant. There is also the use of a choir in a few scenes which really enhances the emotion of the music. The setting and architecture was extremely good, and it helps give the movie it’s authentic feel. One small complaint about the movie is how there are a few scenes where Satan is represented, and they don’t make a whole lot of sense. But, Mel wanted them to be open for interpretation, as well as showing how Satan was present and loved to torment in times of trouble. Overall, this movie was extremely emotional and eye-opening, and I would highly recommend that everyone see it at least once in their life. Like I said, it really shows you the true horrors and cruelty of crucifixion, which is educational, yet horrifying. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now!