Review of The Passion of the Christ (2004) by Spangle — 08 Mar 2016

Bordering on torture porn at times, The Passion of the Christ may very well be one of the most divisive films of all-time. Personally, I loved it. Though brutal, the film showcases Mel Gibson brilliantly using extreme violence to provide visual evidence of pain and suffering that sin brings.

The prolonged scenes of torture were obviously a little much, but further exemplified this suffering and the price Christ paid for us to have salvation. Where The Passion of the Christ overcomes this extreme violence is in its portrayal of Jesus.

Easily the best portrayal of Jesus that I have ever seen, Jim Caviezel was brilliant. The dialogue for Christ was on point, as was Caviezel's delivery and, to me, mannerisms. I was frequently almost moved to tears as I watched Caviezel's Jesus truly exemplify what I believe Jesus to be.

Additionally, though she had no dialogue, Rosalinda Celentano was brilliant. A menacing and evil presence, she captured the true visual essence of Satan and every time she was around, it sent chills down your spine.

Now, I should mention that the film is unabashedly anti-semitic. While a drawback, this is not something that deterred me from truly enjoying this film, though I am unsure that I ever want to watch it again.