Review of The Passion of the Christ (2004) by Sapphire G — 27 Jan 2013

Regarding technicalities, Mel Gibson proves again he is an amazing film-maker. He hired a great cinematographer, too. The performances were very good.

Other than that, you have yourself some hardcore torture porn (if you can't take the Saw movies, don't watch this) and some serious dramatic license in recreating a death about which very few details exist. Add to that almost 2 hours of such process...

Since the movie is ripped of Jesus's philosophy, which made him an exceptional figure even beyond the religious realm, the film fails to be more than a record of one of the thousands of barbarities committed by the Romans in Judea. Because yes, Jesus was almost certainly not the only innocent man to be tortured and crucified. In history.

As a side note, I remember I saw this movie back when I still considered myself a Christian, though my disappointment with my church, fellow Christians, religion as an institution, and mostly with the Bible itself upon studying it, were already shaking my early indoctrination and beliefs. This film will always be unforgettable and hold a special place in my heart because it was one of the definitive tipping points in my transition into what I now deem consciousness and freedom from mental slavery. In Gibson's film, all I saw was the exploitative work of a fanatic, analogous to most aspects of religion itself. It was quite sobering in that respect.