Hunchy's Review of:
The Passion of the Christ (2004) ****
Directed by: Mel Gibson
Starring: James Caviezel. Maia Morgenstern. Hristo Jivkov. Francesco De Vito.
Running Time: (Just for Cinemaddiction) 127 m, color.
PLOT: (I'm sure you all know)
"The Passion of the Christ" is a story that many people are very familiar with. It is very well known within our society. Our timeline is based on the events of Jesus Christ's death and crucifixion (B.C: Before Christ, and AD: After Death). Some may question historical accuracy of the story, which Christians believe to be true. Some doubt that Jesus Christ really DID rise from the dead after his death, but history shows that Jesus Christ did in fact exist. This film is about what Christians, as well as Mel Gibson, believe: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, he died and was born again for our sins. But the movie doesn't focus on Jesus' life story. It focuses on the last twelve hours of his life, including: his betrayal, his capture, his trial, and then his crucifixion and briefly his resurrection (The last shot shows him awakening in his tomb, and as he gets up and walks out of the shot, we see a glimpse of his hand, the nails that once pierced his hand completely gone). Overall, the movie is about the crucifixion and suffering that he went through. The story, since most of us are already very familiar with it, (Christian or not) is told effectively by having the characters speak Aramaic, the language spoken at the time. This is done very well, and the actors show their great strengths by speaking the language very naturally. There are also subtitles in English to help explain what they are saying. This was added partially; because many complained about the fact that Mel Gibson had originally planned on having no subtitles so that the visuals would tell the story. After all, most people know the story well enough to follow it. However, there is hardly any dialouge throughout the movie, only in key places where needed. It is mostly told byits visuals and can very much be viewed as an art film. Jim Caviezel, truly immerses himself in the role of Jesus and captures the classic image of which we are all very familiar with. The other supporting actors are all excellent in their roles as well; especially Jesus' mother, Mary. There are also constant visuals throughout the movie of demons, which add an even deeper depth to the supernatural side of the story. I thought "The Passion of the Christ" was a great movie and possibly one of the best of the year. "The Passion of the Christ" is also a ery contriversal movie. There are many that do not believe the movie to be factual and do not wish to even see it. I believe that anyone over the age of 13 should see this movie, before they pass judgment on it. Whether you believe the story of "The Passion of the Christ" or not, I believe that it should be seen. It's an important movie that shows a man's sufferings and in that element alone, it succeeds.