Cheap The Passion of the Christ (Full Screen Edition) (DVD) (James Caviezel, Monica Bellucci) (Mel Gibson) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Passion of the Christ (Full Screen Edition)

Focus on the story...
This movie will be the center of discussion for many months to come. I know that people read these reviews to see whether other people share your viewpoint. This is not a movie that is clearly black or white in terms of its appeal. The effect of this movie on me, is one of awe. Awe for what Mel Gibson was brave enough to venture....awe for the performance of Caviezel, Bellucci and other members of the cast....awe for the cinematography, costumes and sets....awe for the respectful reaction of the sold-out theater audience with whom I viewed this theater piece. But most poignantly, the story of a man, beaten, flogged, kicked, punched, and brutally murdered....not by Jews, not by Romans, but by the sins of all humankind. If you are a believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I hope that you are, you will view this movie as an emotional reminder of the faith that you hold true. Even if you are not a Christian, you can appreciate the most severe forms of cruelty ever known to man, and learn a lesson from humanity to know that all human life is respectable. I am not in any position to tell anyone to see, or stay away from this movie...it is entirely a very personal decision that you have to make for yourself. If you do see it, you will be, at the very least, moved and perhaps, your life could be transformed.

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Mel Gibson's passion
I thought this film was very good. Mel Gibson succeeded in what he was attempting to do, which was not to tell the life story of Jesus but to portray his last 12 hours on Earth. These last 12 hours are interspersed with stream-of-consciousness flashbacks (The Sermon On The Mount, The Last Supper, etc, etc) to allow many of the events to be placed in some form of context. Again, Gibson succeeds at what he's attempting. All of the performances are excellent. The only scene that took me out of the film was the scene with Herod; which although may be historically accurate just came off as Gibson not liking homosexuals too much (see also Braveheart). But this is a minor gripe. I also did not see the movie as anti-Semitic. I believe that if you are already prone to being anti-Semitic, the movie's not going to change your mind, what with the Pharisees and the angry mob demanding Jesus' death. But not all Jews are portrayed as evil. I'm thinking specifically of the common man who helps Jesus carry his cross to Golgotha. In short, this was a small group of people who were demanding his death, I think only a weak-minded individual could find cause to damn an entire race of people because of the actions of a few. Plus, there is the belief that Jesus was to die that day no matter what, it was his destiny to die for our sins. I came away from the film with a deeper belief of that than anything else.
I also have to comment on the violence. While I never felt it was gratuitous, I did feel it was the the most realistically brutal and graphic I have ever seen in a film. I am 29 years old, have seen many many brutal violent and controversial films, they still never affected me to the point that this film did. By the crucifixion scene, my stomach was turning and my fingertips were starting to feel a little numb. I have never had a physical reaction to a film like that before. Again, Gibson succeeds. The issue I have is that this film is rated R. Not NC-17 or even Unrated. I don't know how this movie got released with an R, but I have my guesses (mainly influence, money, or just plain subject matter; meaning the MPAA was not going to give a Jesus movie an NC-17). In any case, releasing this movie with an R rating was wrong, and it shows how the MPAA does not have a single clue what they're doing. If a film is sexually explicit, it will receive an NC-17. The MPAA however does not seem to have an issue with graphic violence. I think this is just part of the reason why our American culture is morally bankrupt, since our culture dictates the rules set by the MPAA. The violence in this film would be traumatizing for a child or even young teenager, yet if a parent wants, they can accompany their child to this movie. If it was NC-17 or Unrated, anyone under 18 could not get in, period. This is not a movie for children, this is strictly a film for adults who have the ability to take the violence they're seeing and place it in a context of the rest of Jesus' story. Even then, I know of adults who have seen this film who have had trouble sleeping afterwards for days.
Finally, the reason I don't give this film 5 stars is simply from a film standpoint, it feels unfinished. Again, I know that this was Gibson's goal, to re-create the last 12 hours of Jesus' life. But it feels like a 10-hour, 5 DVD long movie exists and I put in the 5th DVD in first to watch. The movie is so authentic looking, so powerful and so hypnotic, it makes me wish Gibson had, or would make a mini-series (only aired on pay cable obviously) of Jesus' entire life. I think THAT would be excellent.

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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!