Review of The Passion of the Christ (2004) by Jc E — 26 Mar 2016

What better way to prepare my heart and mind for the ´Kors vandring in Oslo on langfredag´ than to watch this masterpiece by Mel Gibson? There have been many films made on the life of Jesus Christ and I have seen the majority of them.

Gibson's passion of the Christ is undoubtedly the most stupendous and superb, beautiful beyond words. I love Mel Gibson's masterful and highly accurate interpretation of the end of the road for Jesus Christ on earth.

It was obvious that director Gibson gave it 100% and a million times more for this precious offering to all Christians who had watched it. So meticulous was Gibson, that actors spoke the language of that time.

And so Jesus spoke Aramaic, the hated Pharisees and Sadducees spoke Hebrew and the Romans spoke Latin or Italian. Every screen shot was perfect. The Mediterranean semi desert climate and the breathtaking ancient sandstones of Jerusalem, the roman soldiers´ costumes, the ugliness of the hedonistic lifestyle of roman rulers.

Absolute dream cast. Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ and his mother the Virgin Mary were no doubt the key roles. But other supporting roles, like Judas, Satan, Pontius Pilat, Magdalen, Saducees, Pharisees, and roman soldiers were just as critical and must be perfect to make this film so supremely wonderfully didactic and inspiring to all who believe in the Messiah.

There were many original takes by Gibson on the story of Jesus Christ. The spookiness of the female Satan and her deadly stare gliding from one point to another and carrying an ugly baby with accelerated raging sickness.

The brilliant Judas' act of betrayal and the destructive remorse that followed, The gruesome whipping and butchering of Christ with tassel whips that had iron spikes at the end tearing away chunks of flesh not just from Jesus´ back but also from his chest.

The via Delerosa and the helper helping Jesus to carry the wooden cross that weighed a ton. What must be the most poignant seen was the final contact between mother Mary and her beloved son. At Golgotha, the enactment of the crucifixion cannot be more brutal and heart breaking.

The breaking of the knee caps of the two criminals on both sides of Christ and the piercing of the side of Jesus´belly that released a stream of water and blood wetting and staining the roman soldier that did it.

The reaction of Satan in a God forsaken parched place when Jesus breathed his last. The earthquake that followed and the splitting of the Jewish synagogue. Looking at the critics' reactions. One can conclude that one can either love it or hate it.

For the critics and those who hated it, I am curious of their reactions if they had read the relevant sections in the gospel. Are they not what Jesus had describe of some who will never be drawn to Him and his message? If I may quote from the gospel of John 12:40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart.

..". Mark 4: 11-12 And Jesus said to his twelve disciples. " To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside every thing is in parables, so that they may indeed see but do not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven".

The most egregious wrongful accusation of this film and of Mel Gibson are they are anti-Semitic. Instantly this is entirely bull crap because Jesus and his mom, the Virgin Mary, all the disciples were all Jews.

These Jews are so endeared by Gibson and all Christians!! Only specific groups of Jews, the Sadducees and the Pharisees were disliked.