Details
- Title
- The Passion of the Christ
- Director
- Mel Gibson
- Cast
- James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Claudia Gerrini, Maia Morgenstern, Rosalinda Celentano, Hristo Jivko, Sergio Rubini, Hristo Shopov, Luca Lionello, Mattia Sbragia
- Length
- 126 min.
- Released
- 2004
Review
Remember the stations of the cross.
Let me just start off by pointing out what a ludicrous set of beliefs you people have.
Stylistically, this movie is pretty hokey in a made-for-TV sort of way. It feels like nothing so much as one of those Sci-fi channel Dune things (which have more of a claim to that Greatest Story Ever Told title than the bible (though the honor still goes to Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)).
Some of the shots are kind of nice, but they get ground under the supremely unjustified, apparently belabored sense of grandeur. A lot of it seems like they were trying to make it like Lord of the Rings, but without any of the talent behind (or in front of) the camera.
Boy, those Romans sure were dickheads, huh? Most of the movie is just the Romans (the dickheads) whipping our hero. The best part of the movie is that they cast Steel (Gary Klar, uncreditted in Passion) from Romero's Day of the Dead as one of the dickhead Romans. And those Jews. Those dastardly Jews. Why do they have to be such jerks? So the movie is under fire from the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, but what about the Roman anti-defamation league? Where are they? They sure get short shrift in this movie.
Anyway, the movie sure is bloody (and by movie I really mean the Jesus part of the movie), and some of it is pretty convincing, but the exposed ribs are not.
Go see it if you are looking for a couple yuks, don't expect it to justify Christianity or anything.
Recommended related movies:
Clockwork Orange (Kubrick, 1971)
Multiple Maniacs (Waters, 1970)*
The Life of Brian (Jones, 1979)
* Really, go rent it, its like The Passion of Christ, but with a rape scene involving a giant lobster.
- Rating
- 3/8
- Reviewer
- Pat Jackson
- Published