Inside April 20, 2004's Issue

The Black Eyed Peas hit/miss with 'Elephunk'

Tokyo Express‚ a 'hidden jewel' of local Asian restaurants..

Weisberger novel has good intentions but overall seems a 'bit below par'

'The Passion' tries to scare its audiences into believing

By Scott Hale
shale00@highlands.edu
Staff writer
Movie Review

The day following the opening of “The Passion of the Christ” my cousin called me and explained that he had come across an extra ticket. With all the controversy surrounding the film, I knew that the movie would be perfect to review.

I met my cousin at his church where we heard an hour-long speech about how “The Passion” may be the best film ever made, a very bold statement to say the least.

There were at least 300 people packed into the lobby of the Mount Berry Square theatre. Over the course of the film I felt a variety of different emotions. The two that stick out in my memory the most are shock and disgust.

About 15 minutes into the film, the movie turned from a decent drama into a brutal gore fest. I was appalled at the abomination which Mel Gibson (“The Road Warrior”) had created.

The movie itself was not that bad‚ but overall this film really upset me. I felt like I had fallen victim to yet another marketing ploy. The film had a good sense of atmosphere, but it was the way it was being presented to the people that disturbed me.

During key points in “The Passion” ministers held up signs they had made referencing the Bible. This not only freaked me out, it distracted me from the film.

After the film was over, the lobby was filled with crying people. It was in this moment that I understood what Gibson was trying to do.

He was employing a scare tactic that Southern Baptist ministers have been using for years. “Jesus did this for you,” they would say, and remember the pain and suffering he went through or else you will surely suffer fire and damnation.

Many people are taking this movie way too seriously‚ forgetting the messages of love and forgiveness that Jesus preached. Gibson is also capitalizing on the faith of our great nation, and it is working perfectly. The film has already grossed over $320 million. I wonder if Gibson gave his 10 percent to the Lord.

On the other hand, this film is the best rendition of Christ's last 12 hours as of yet, but historically accurate it is not. The presence of the Devil and demons was added to make things more dramatic.

The cinematography in the film, however, was great, and the sound track was very melodic. If you are of the Christian faith and absolutely have to see this movie, go into it with an open mind. I just couldn't get past the gore and the way the film was presented.

If I wanted to watch a film that tried to scare me into believing in God, I would have stayed home and watched “Event Horizon.” I give “The Passion of the Christ” a 2 out of 5.

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