Jesustastic!

[andrewducker]

First review of Passion of Christ from dtaylor.

I was vaguely interested in seeing it.

Don't think I am any more.

Comments

[kurosau.livejournal.com]

One has to wonder though, what did he expect? A cut to black followed by x's over his eyes?

Re:

[andrewducker]

Well, I expected it to be more about his last days. I don't mind bloodshed, but have no interest in two hours of people being beaten up.

Well, not unless there's humorous nihilistic voiceovers to go with it.

Re:

[kurosau.livejournal.com]

It's entirely possible that the film is filled with two hours of Jesus getting the smackdown.

However, you won't know unless you see it for yourself, and frankly, I'm too much of a fan of cinema to risk such an experience on the hyperbole of one person, especially in an age where people vent their personal opinions with such vehemence as to make the Old Testament God seem a Care Bear by comparison. However, your tastes may vary, as may your mileage.

[hfnuala.livejournal.com]

Sounds pretty much exactly like what I would expect a Passion to depict. But then (ex)Catholics are weird cause they fixate on the suffering bit. Penance and all that.

[broin.livejournal.com]

So one tedious, obvious, smarmy, cynical review is enough to kill your enthusiasm? Oy. ;)

[andrewducker]

It is when I've had the reviewer on my friends list for some time and have so far generally agreed with their opinion.

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

Yikes. I too had thought it was about the events of a few days (like JC Superstar, I suppose). I was thinking it'd be interesting to see -- with someone familiar with the texts. But I'm not one for slash 'n' gore for its own sake in film no matter how historically accurate it may be -- give me a bit of the ol' ultraviolence instead, or animation a la Kill Bill, vol. 1.

So, do you think Ms. Constance will want to see it then?

[green-amber.livejournal.com]

I said on Yonmei's jnl I'd go if there was a sex scene..

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

If you're into very, very heavy S/M, yes.

[guybles.livejournal.com]

Personally, I was more put off by the tales of it being voiced entirely in Latin and Aramaic. Two hours of unsubtitled dialogue? No thanks.

[nosrialleon.livejournal.com]

It's got subtitles.

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

It sounds like it does what it says on the tin. (I have been reading Ronseal lately, yes.)

It's a film called The Passion of Christ, and it's about the last 12 hours of Jesus's life, based on the gospels with a nod to the medieval passion plays. And from the review, that's exactly what Mel Gibson's chosen to show, in full-up cinematic detail. So it does what it says on the tin, and I already knew that if it did, I didn't want to see it.

Now, okay, so not everybody has a working acquaintance with medieval passion plays. *glances around* Well, okay, damn few and we're all weird. And I know that having even a fair knowledge of the gospels is likewise a bit unusual these days, especially in combination with a working acquaintance of Roman history. And evidently those large-scale crucifixes showing the crucifixion in scarifying detail are not as common as all that (and anyway, you'd have to be the kind of tourist who wanders old churches actually looking at the artwork)...

...but just the same: I am surprised that anyone is surprised that it recounts what it says it would: the Passion of Christ, depicted countless times in detail in many churches. It really wasn't pretty: no crucifixion was.

[andrewducker]

I'm interested in the last bit of his life, including all the stuff around his trial, the mob choosing to free someone else, etc. And I have no object to some violence. But I have no interest of two hours of people being beaten up.

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

But I have no interest of two hours of people being beaten up.

:-) Ah, but this is one person being beaten up as a deeply spiritual experience: he's being beaten up and killed for you. Doesn't that make you feel special? :-)

[andrewducker]

Yeah, I realised later that my cynicism about religion was going to cause problems. And that people that intrinsically care about Jesus are going to get more out of it than I.

[yonmei.livejournal.com]

You do realise that last comment of mine was meant ironically?

This movie was made to the tastes of people who love this kind of bloody violence, whether because of religious fervour or just because, and is being sold to the rest of us via media hype "you have to go see it so you'll understand what everyone else is talking about". Personally I hope it bombs at the box office, and intend to do my little bit to that end by not going to see it.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

You go see a lot of films. It seems strange to judge this one harshly on one review.

I mean, if Clive Barker reviewed it, he might not mention the gore, due to being fairly desensitised to it, one would imagine.

Maybe you should try it out for yourself.

If you only watched films every few months, fair enough, let the review rule your choices. But hey, you see a lot of films.

And given that too many people will avoid seeing this because of the languages, religious beliefs, believing the hype, scared of the violence.. it's sad when even one person is put off.

[derumi.livejournal.com]

So... It's a Christian snuff film?

haha

[whiterabbitt.livejournal.com]

That was really funny.

[shannon_a]

I read a positive review of the film here:
http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/today.html

And I had pretty much the same reaction you did.

I think Roeper's pull quote at rottentomatoes about says it:
"This is the most powerful, important and by far the most graphic interpretation of Christ's final hours ever put on film."

Other opinions:
"The basic message of Christianity -- love your brother -- is obscured under torrents of blood to the point of benumbing the audience." (Arizona Republic)

"The movie Gibson has made from his personal obsessions is a sickening death trip, a grimly unilluminating procession of treachery, beatings, blood, and agony." (New Yorker)

"An impressive, ultra-violent -- and deeply troubling -- take on Jesus' final hours." (New York Post, another positive review)

Ironically, if anyone else put out a film depicting two hours of torture on any other topic the Christian right would be up in arms. Or maybe they wouldn't, as long as it didn't hint at nasty sex.

[darkoshi]

Hmm. I must say, I was also vaguely interested in seeing it.
Although I had already decided I didn't want to go together with my mom's whole church group (*egads!*) who had reserved an auditorium.
And the part of it being in dead languages was a plus for me.

But now, I don't think I would enjoy it at all. I had read some reviews a few weeks ago. One was by a Christian person who was saying it was a good movie for making people feel how much Christ had really suffered for them... Now I think I get what he was meaning. And that's not something I care to watch for 2 hours, since I don't believe in the "Jesus suffered for our sins" idea.

I wonder what my mom's reaction will be... she's usually quite horrified by onscreen violence.