'The Passion of Christ' is a movie that tries VERY hard to be important and moving, but is WAY too over-the-top to have any real emotional impact. It's the classic case of a film that drowns in it's own style and excess.
The main problem is that everyone in the movie is a caricature. There's not a trace of actual humanism anywhere in this film. Jesus and all his followers are portrayed as perfect saints and every antagonist is a cartoonish villain. From the mega-evil Barabbas, to the saintly Pontius Pilate, to the overly-sinister Jewish High Council...everything in this movie is a completely exaggerated black-and-white adaptation of The Gospels. Sadly, all the anti-semitic controversy was just the result of Mel Gibson's bad characterization.
And what was up with Judas getting chased by CGI demons? Or the goofy devil baby? Or Satan screaming "Noooooooooooooooooo!" in Hell when Jesus dies? Scenes like those kicked the film from epic historical drama down to the level of a TBN 'Omega Code' movie.
But it's when Mel Gibson kicks in with Christ's suffering that the film completely loses itself. Some of the moments of torture might have actually been disturbing, had he not cut to over-acting bucktoothed Roman soldiers laughing every five seconds. And there is only so much you can show before it all becomes tedious. How many times can Jesus fall down in slow-motion before the impact is gone?
I didn't pay much attention to Mel Gibson's interviews or the surrounding controversy...but, in the end, 'The Passion' just seemed like the confused and biased perception of a crazed zealot.
Skip this...and go rent 'The Last Temptation of Christ' or 'Jesus of Nazareth' - two MUCH better films. Or just go see 'Club Dread.'
The main problem is that everyone in the movie is a caricature. There's not a trace of actual humanism anywhere in this film. Jesus and all his followers are portrayed as perfect saints and every antagonist is a cartoonish villain. From the mega-evil Barabbas, to the saintly Pontius Pilate, to the overly-sinister Jewish High Council...everything in this movie is a completely exaggerated black-and-white adaptation of The Gospels. Sadly, all the anti-semitic controversy was just the result of Mel Gibson's bad characterization.
And what was up with Judas getting chased by CGI demons? Or the goofy devil baby? Or Satan screaming "Noooooooooooooooooo!" in Hell when Jesus dies? Scenes like those kicked the film from epic historical drama down to the level of a TBN 'Omega Code' movie.
But it's when Mel Gibson kicks in with Christ's suffering that the film completely loses itself. Some of the moments of torture might have actually been disturbing, had he not cut to over-acting bucktoothed Roman soldiers laughing every five seconds. And there is only so much you can show before it all becomes tedious. How many times can Jesus fall down in slow-motion before the impact is gone?
I didn't pay much attention to Mel Gibson's interviews or the surrounding controversy...but, in the end, 'The Passion' just seemed like the confused and biased perception of a crazed zealot.
Skip this...and go rent 'The Last Temptation of Christ' or 'Jesus of Nazareth' - two MUCH better films. Or just go see 'Club Dread.'