Grade:  B

Director:  Mel Gibson		Released:  February 2004
Writer:  Benedict Fitzgerald, Mel Gibson		MPAA Rating:  R
Players:  James Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern		Running time:  127 minutes

Ratings System

Okay, so the Jews hated Jesus, and the Romans were brutal.  To be honest, I'm neither here nor there on this religion flick.  I understand Gibson's intent in making the movie, and I understand the resulting controversy.  Controversy always ensues when religion is explored in a field of entertainment.  Is this film entertainment?  I don't know, but it was a hugormous financial success, so I guess folks really wanted to see this thing.  If you don't mind watching a torture scene that lasts roughly an hour and a half, you may get something out of this film.  If you're deeply religious, you'll probably get more out of it than I.

That's the thing.  This is the type of movie that only reflects yourself back at you instead of teaching you something new.  If you are a True Believer, I can understand how this film would seriously affect you.  It plays into your hands, it feeds into your existing beliefs, graphically depicting Christ's physical sacrifice for you.  On the other hand, if you think Christ was just some nut claiming to be the son of God, his torture and death won't have much of an impact.  The film is so specific it leaves little in the way of depth, not much for non-followers to grab hold of.

- crocoPuffs