 April
2004
This month's review:
The Passion of the
Christ
Why We Should See The Passion of the Christ
My wife and I said very little in the car on the way home after
seeing The Passion of the Christ. We both tacitly
agreed that to talk about The Passion as you would
talk about most movies would somehow reduce its impact and would be
crass. We also both agreed it was like no movie we had ever seen.
After a couple of weeks of mental processing, I feel like I have
some sort of handle on the film. My view is that anyone over 14 or
15 should see it, and Christians (same age range, though some
younger children might be able to handle it) should certainly go.
Maybe the best way to talk about The Passion is to
address some of the questions its release has generated. So here
goes:
Q: Is it Biblically accurate?
A: From everything I’ve heard, yes. There are a few added
elements, such as the wife of Pontius Pilate kindly giving Mary and
Mary Magdalene cloths to wipe up the blood of Jesus after his
bearing of his cross to Golgotha and his crucifixion there. That’s
certainly not in the Scriptures. In general, though, it seems like
an intelligent and accurate distillation of the Gospels.
Q: Does Mel Gibson take too many liberties when he makes Satan
an actual character, since Satan is not a specific personage in the
Gospels?
A: Initially it gave me pause to see the hooded character
who turns out to be Satan, but ultimately it didn’t bother me. This
is the director’s prerogative and part of his artistry. Satan was
certainly in the background of the event.
Q: Is it anti-Semitic?
A: I don’t think it is. The fact that members of the
Sanhedrin shouted for Jesus’ execution and pressured Pontius Pilate
to crucify him is historical fact. Members of the Jewish power elite
don’t acquit themselves well here, but the Roman soldiers who
scourge and whip Jesus come off as really cruel and sadistic.
Besides that, Mel Gibson has said he intended no slight towards
Jews. I believe we have to take him at his word.
Q: Aren’t Mel Gibson’s spiritual views too much on the fringe
to allow him to make a worthy film about Christ?
A: Gibson’s father has been criticized for his supposed
anti-Jewish sentiments, his belief that much of the Holocaust didn’t
happen, and so on. Some have assumed Gibson must feel the same. The
movie feels inspired, however. Whatever Gibson’s spiritual views
might be, The Passion is reverential and powerful.
Q: Isn’t the movie too violent? Do we really need to see all
of the scourging and the continuous whipping?
A: The violence is painful to watch. One might fault
Gibson for focusing too much on it. But the crucifixion is the key
event in human history. If the violence were curtailed, the film
would seem sanitized and “reasonable,” making it a lot easier for us
to gloss over it mentally. The crucifixion wasn’t reasonable.
Q: What if I hate violent movies and violence in general? What
if the movie makes me sick?
A: That viewpoint is fine in reference to most films, but
it just doesn’t apply here. I suggest we grit our teeth, screw up
our courage, and resist any ostrich temptations. The Passion
provides a compelling way for us to understand truly the sacrifice
Christ made for each one of us.
A local reviewer gave The Passion two stars and
criticized Gibson for not adhering to storytelling conventions such
as introducing one’s characters, and for not focusing on the
character of Jesus. Sorry, but that seems like a worldly view. It
implies that The Passion should be treated like any
other movie, as just another entry in the forum of the marketplace
of ideas. Gibson’s story is far more than that.
The bottom line: We should see The Passion
of the Christ and take along a nonbeliever. The Apostle Paul tells
us in First Corinthians 18, “For the message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to use who are being
saved it is the power of God.” The film may seem like foolishness to
some, but it may touch the hearts of others.
Rating: 4
stars
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Index of movie
reviews...
(2003 reviews through present)
Jay Maurer, a member of West Side Presbyterian Church, is
a long-term movie buff and former college teacher of The Film as
Literature. He has written movie reviews for The Good News
(West Side newsletter) since 2002.
If you have comments or questions
about the movie (or play) reviews, please contact Jay at
dramachap@msn.com.
Ratings are expressed in
increments of ¼ star.
A rating of 2 ½ stars or higher is meant to be a recommendation.
1 star: poor
2 stars: minimally satisfactory
3 stars: quite good
4 stars: superb
Criteria for determining the ratings:
- Reflection, either explicit or implicit, of Christian values,
including suitability of language and lack of gratuitous violence
- Quality of the acting
- Originality
- Unity of the entire picture
- Substance, or in the words of C.S. Lewis, weight
Other Christian movie review Web sites:
Plugged In Online
ChristianityTodayMovies.com
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