I'm seeing it tonight with some of my friends from my church's college group...My sister (who I live with) just saw it on Wednesday and said that it was very powerful.
Thanks for the mini-review Anthony, I imagine that after I see it my thoughts will strongly echo your own.
Thank you very much for your review, Anthony. I have thought about it a lot in the last two days, and this is what I came up with.
I wasn't there when it happened. I will never be able to experience it. I will have to trust the bible on how it unfolded, and on what I learned from how the priest who was teaching me the backgrounds when I grew up. I think I am going to pass on seeing the story through Mel Gibson's eyes.
When I look at the cross that's hanging in my bedroom (or any other cross for that matter), I feel love and comfort. I am afraid that if I go see that movie, these feelings will be overshadowed by the enormous amount of fake movie blood and slow-motion torture scenes.
Thanks everyone for your opinions. And especially THANK YOU for keeping this discussion open, friendly and polite.
Not really sure what I can say after seeing it but wow. I've heard accounts of the severity of the physical beating that he received, including specifically what that style of whip would absolutely shred someone's back. It's completely different actually seeing it.
I'm definitely grateful for Mel Gibson and the whole crew that made this happen, for though there are some historical inaccuracies, the movie is very powerful and many people are seeing it.
My wife and I went to see it last night, and aside from echoing the WOWs and restating again how incredibly powerful and affecting the film is I just want to add this one thing...
There were a few younger children in the audience, presumably with parents who pushed adise the R rating to take their kids to a Jesus movie... DON'T. Had this film -not- been about Christ, it would surely have had an NC-17 rating. Leave the kids at home and tell them about the film later and how it affected you. Let 'em see it when they grow up.
As you know, I wasn't looking forward to being part of the herd, crushed in to see and over-hyped film. I did see it, I wasn't crushed. In fact, the theater was only 75% full. To the films credit, they're showing it on five screens, so that's still quite a few people viewing it. (I saw it in Emeryville, CA, USA).
The only real bad thing I can say about the film is the story was difficult to follow, and that has nothing to do with the subtitles. The movie assumes you know the story in advance. I did read this story previously, as many of us have ;-). ut in the movie I found myself consistently leaning over and whispering, "Who's he?". "Was that that in the story originally?"
Also, for the first 15 minutes it was a little slow getting started.
On to the good.
The violence is absolutely overrated. Not worse than most oter block-buster films I've seen. Certainly nothing like Braveheart, Patriot, Pulp Fiction, Gladiator, or half a dozen mobster films I've seen. Yes there is a lot of blood, but I saw very little gore. No heads nor arms chopped off. Just a LOT of hitting, slapping, whipping, and superficial skin damage. My wife is fairly conservative, she thinks it's not suitable for children under 12.
The Passion is just that, a very passionate and moving story. I cried twice, my wife cried throughout the film. I'd recommend it to anybody who either wants to learn from other's interpretations of an important story, or anyone who enjoys drama for it's own sake.
(Oh yeah, and off topic, the woman in the seat in front of me was using a wireless Palm Pilot before the film started. We need to do some more evangelism!)
(Oh yeah, and off topic, the woman in the seat in front of me was using a wireless Palm Pilot before the film started. We need to do some more evangelism!)
LOL, if there was a movie called The Passion Of The Palm I would love to see screens cracked and buttons ripped off :wink:
BTW, I think The Passion was on Real Time With Bill Maher last night.
It's not even so much the blood or the gore that makes me feel bad. For me it's more the cruelty, the injustice I can't stand.
Wow Karina, this is what always bothers me the most!
My wife and I saw the movie last nite, and I must say that Mr. Gibson did an absolutely incredible job of bringing the 14 Stations of the Cross into vivid, brutal reality.
I won't dwell on that part, but instead, I'll make observations on the audience that attended. I've never gone to a movie where the theatre was so quiet and somber. It was if everyone was holding their breath thruout the entire performance. Looking around, one could see tears running down cheeks and folks tightly gripping their armrests or their partners when the torture was so keen ( which was most of the movie ) as to be almost uunbearable and heart breaking to watch.
When the lights came back on and folks started heading for the exits, there was still total silence in the crowd. I think the multitudes were numbed by what they had just witnessed, although I'm sure most knew the story explicitly. I also witnessed a courtesy among the patrons that I've never seen before in a theatre. Folks waiting and letting others out of their seats to get into the main aisles, nodding to each other with small smiles without words being exchanged. It was if everyone knew Luke's "Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last" verse.
In that light, I think the movie made people self examine themselves, and if even for a very brief period of time, no matter what race, color or creed, everyone was each others brother and sister, and there was a peace and a kind of understanding between all.
Personally, that made the event totally worthwhile for ourselves.
Thanks for your brilliant adaptation of an event that changed humankind Mel.
I also have a comment to Jon, and in fact to anyone else who wants to take their kids to see this film as several church groups are planning on doing just that:
PARENTS: PLEASE see this film BEFORE taking your kids to it.
Group leaders/teachers/etc: PLEASE consult the parents of any kids in a group BEFORE taking the kids to see it.
First of all, I saw the movie today, so you don't have to worry about me. I would NEVER show my students anything I hadn't pre-viewed, to do so invites problems from a myriad of locations.
That beign said, the movie was as moving as many say, and a good wake up call whenever someone thinks THEY have it hard...
And Karin, I agree with you - Looking at a cross should give peace & love as that's what He stood for. Looking at a crucifix, however, should give a sense of sacrifice and remind us all of how His death embodied how we should live, in my opinion (Apologies for waxing religious... but as Anthony said - its really hard not to!)
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