Spotlight Reviews
 Best movie ever by far
This film breaks the ceiling of amazon.com's five star limit. Regardless of your religion, loyalties, or personal beliefs, to remain unmoved by this film means you're Satan himself.
The film revolves around the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life on Earth. As a viewer who's actually read the New Testament before laying judgement on the film's accuracy, I'd say there was extremely little deviation from the original Gospels. The film is an overwhelmingly emotional roller coaster ride beginning at Jesus' mock trial under Pontius Pilate to His crucifixion and resurrection. The fact that the entire script was spoken in Aramaic and Latin lends credit to director Mel Gibson's seriousness in portraying the events as accurately as possible. The film was violent and bloody, but no more than the average reel spewing forth from Hollywood nowadays, none of which receive so much as a blink for their levels of gratuitous violence. But then again, none of those films promote Christianity. Hmm.... The film was no more anti-Semetic than "Schindler's List" was anti-German or "Seven Years in Tibet" was anti-Chinese. This film simply portrayed events as we know them historically. The Jewish high priests happened to be one group of people who wanted Jesus dead. The Romans and Pharisees were the true villians of the movie, nor was Jesus spared betrayal by even his own Apostles. The movie does, on the other hand, show two Jewish high priests defending Jesus' innocence at his trial, and it shows Simon being mocked by a Roman guard for being Jewish. These two events I do not recall reading in the New Testament, lending creedence to Mel Gibson's effort to make the film NOT anti-Semetic. The high priests condemned Jesus to death, but it was the Roman guards who took true sadistic pleasure in His suffering. The violence and bloodshed served a purpose. It was to show what Jesus went through, the amount of pain He suffered, for mankind. Reading it in a few Biblical passages is one thing, viewing it on the big screen for two hours straight puts a different perspective on it. The entire movie intertwined scenes of Christ's suffering with scenes of Him earlier in time giving sermons on love and forgiveness. This served to cement the fact that Jesus did not just practice what He preached. The most emotional scene was probably when Jesus was being nailed to the cross, the whole time praying for God to forgive His persecutors. I've seen the film three times since it premiered five days ago, and I plan to see it many more times before it comes out on DVD. To warn you, the film makes you feel about an inch tall, but it is a much needed reminder of just what sacrifices were made by Him on our behalf. The closing scene was my favorite, and I hope you watch to see what it is. Amen and Hallelujah!  A Religious Pageant without the Good Friday Spell
Some of the more artistically interesting human faces abound in the Mel Gibson's uncannily popular movie THE PASSION OF CHRIST. Filmed in rich earth tones in Italy, the costumes and large supporting cast of Romans and Jews give enormous variety to what is otherwise a rather extended monotone story. One can applaud
Gibson's verismo recreation of the last twelve hours of Jesus' life and like a Good Friday church service the agony of the stations of the cross are orchestrated for powerful emotional effect. Jim Caviezel is the much beaten and suffering and crucified Jesus, but the events of Jesus' brief thirty-three years on earth are only slightly suggested. As with all of the ancillary characters we only are allowed to see only the agony of Mary and Magdalene and the sadomasochism of the Roman soldiers. Little else is there to take this pageant beyond the blood and gore of the Passion. And had Gibson been content to leave his vision there, the visceral effect would have been more moving. Portraying Satan as a morphing female and as deformed, taunting children is over the top and pushes the film into near parody. Yet the fact that PASSION is a moving experience for millions of moviegoers is heartening: there is enough power in this film to touch people's hearts and today that is good.
Praise God! For He is Risen!
I have been a Christian since I was 7 yrs old, however I like many strayed from Gods chosen path. When I saw this movie I was not only moved to tears but found my life changing in the most wonderful of ways! I prayed for forgiveness of my sins again because all of what Jesus endured, he endured for us. He didn't have to, ya know? And I now have the blessed assurance that I will go to Heaven! Amen! This movie is very graphic but the graphics are uterly necessary if we are to grasp the truth of what Christ endured for all of us. I hope that you will see this film and that Christ's journey will have a profound impact in your life as well! God Bless! | 
