The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" needs little introduction. The controversy surrounding the film and the larger-than-life undertaking of the film itself has already earned over $117 million. Not since Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" in 1988 has an artistic interpretation of Jesus been so hotly discussed.
On a technical level, the film hits and misses. The costumes are absolutely terrific. They are just exotic enough without being fantastic. They are elegant, but not flamboyant. The colors of the costumes define the look of the film.
The cinematography is pretty solid as well, but seemingly half the movie is in slow motion. There is so much slow motion, in fact, that it is almost jarring when somebody moves at regular speed. I understand the artistic decision, but do we really need to see Mary creep through a boring crowd at the speed of grass?
Some of the technical misses are big ones. There is one principle CGI effect in the entire film, a raindrop. One would think that enough money would be budgeted to create a convincing computer-generated drop of water... but no, such was not the case. The animation was poor enough to shake me from the movie. Even worse were the sometimes-cartoonish sound effects, no doubt used to match the slow-motion camerawork. The creaking wood sounds like an effect from a haunted house and the sounds of Jesus being beaten seem straight out of "Indiana Jones."
Despite its fair share of technical flaws, "The Passion of the Christ" is a tremendously powerful film. Mel Gibson is able to get away with breaking a lot of rules because the story has such a strong cultural context in our society. Characters such as the apostles and Pontius Pilate need no introduction or background story; the intended audience knows exactly who they are.
Director Mel Gibson is Catholic and it shows, though I can't imagine the film would cause any disagreement with Protestants. There is a definite focus on communion, Mary and other religious symbols; but regardless of your faith, they are artistically appropriate.
As for whether the film is anti-Semetic, this reviewer didn't perceive it that way. Gibson takes a number of steps to clarify that that is not his stance; one Jewish leader leaves the judging of Christ in protest, Jesus claims sole responsibility for his fate in the film and a factoid at the end of the movie sympathizes with the Jewish people. In truth, this is a film that did not earn the controversy it received.
"The Passion of the Christ" even carries a message for non-Christian viewers: how horrible human beings can be to each other. The character of Jesus is portrayed as a man who is senselessly brutalized by the horrible, ugly nature of mankind. Make no mistake; however, this film is intended for a very specific audience.
"The Passion of the Christ" is a theological film that is able to stand on its artistic merit alone. It's worth seeing just for the spectacle.
Due to the controversy sparked by "The Passion of the Christ," Mouse has abandoned his normal format to devote his entire column to this movie. He'll be back in normal format next week.
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