 "Authentically & Wonderfully Made" | 2009-10-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A38TBQ9UAG72ID |
Just say the name of this movie & everyone knows what you are talking about. Mel Gibson has done a "Wonderful" Job. This is by far a "movie" that can be easily put into the caategory of "greats" such as "The Ten Commandments".
I have never watched a movie that is "as it should be written" straight from the script (the Bible). Mel Gibson was sure to get as close to the actual facts as needed, so that the entire "truth" could be told.
If you are looking to see Glamorous actors with "airbrushed" skin, "simplistic movie lines" and "Romantic Encounters" this will not wet your appetite; however, if you are looking for a movie that will capture your attention from the begining to the very end, you will not be dissapointed.
Actors & Actresses = A+
Use of Language - Aramic, Latin & Hebrew = A+
Waldrobe Costumes = A+
Film Quality & Camera Work = A+
Definitely worth the "purchase" for your "Movie Collection".
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 "What does the atonement mean?" | 2009-10-07 |
| - Reviewed By cwc4 |
I decided to give this film 3 stars, exactly in the middle of the rating system, because there were scenes of great beauty and insight and then there were scenes of torture that were excessive and made me question the motives of the film makers.
After reading many of the reviews of this film, I am reflecting on the conception of the atonement in Christianity and whether this film supported or undermined that basic theme that undergirds Christian belief.
The atonement is a process whereby a perfect sacrifice is made to God the Father for the sins of mankind. Since there is no perfection except in God, then God himself must be sacrificed, and this is done through the death of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who is one with the Father and the Holy Ghost. Thus mankind's sins would remain upon us unless this perfect atonement is made, offering the possibility of life everlasting in heaven with God.
So the question arises, is all this torture necessary for the atonement to occur? Must Christ have experienced this incredible gory and terrible torture to take the sins of the whole world upon him? As the sacrificial lamb, must he endure considerable pain and loss of blood, to take the sins of the world on his shoulders? I think not. It is the death of the innocent lamb that is the sacrifice and atonement for the sins of the whole world, not the endurance of the considerable bloody torture that leads to the atonement. It is the giving of his life, a pure, perfect, sacrifice that is the atonement for all of mankind's sins.
So this leads to the question of why so much blood and gore? Was Gibson trying to say that mankind is so terrible that we do not deserve the sacrifice and atonement? Well there is no question there for surely we know mankind not to be deserving of complete and perfect grace upon our own merits, either as a species or individually. Was there some commentary about the religious and political establishment being made by the torture scenes? Well, it was organized religion and organized political oppression that together brought about the torture and death, to be sure, but is Gibson trying to say that organized religion in partnership with an oppressive central government is capable of great cruelty to the innocent, even unto God in a human state of existence? I never got the impression that the meaning of the film and sequence of scenes was really strategically thought through and thus in some ways this is only a terribly vicious, painful, gory snuff film with little reflection on the meaning of the sacrifice and atonement which are central concepts in Christianity and far more important than the nasty beating scenes where the flesh is literally pulled off the back and ribs of Christ.
Does a sensationalistic portrayal of the passion of Christ do a service or disservice to Christianity? It really does neither for the movement of the Christ goes far beyond our ability to conceptualize the vast mystery of why atonement is necessary and why God himself, in the human form of Jesus, must make that sacrifice. For muddled thought and purpose, this film only gets 3 stars.
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 "The Greatest Movie of Christ Ever Made!" | 2009-10-02 |
| - Reviewed By fredster5 |
This has to be the most intelligently made film about Jesus Christ ever. Instead of just putting the words of the gospel to be simply acted out Gibson has managed to also put across the intended message behind the words to the viewer as well. Films of Christ in the past seemed to be shallow and lacking any substance as they seemed to be afraid to go beyond just the superficial reading of the material. This film is violent and uncompromising because it tells it as it is; crucifixion never was a cake walk and the Romans were extremely brutal conquerors. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the actual episode was a whole lot more violent than was depicted. Gibson clearly intended to make it clear that the Passion of Christ was an incredible act of love of God for mankind. A scene from the film in a flashback when Jesus says that no greater love exists than for a man to lay down his life for the sake of another emphasises this point. To see the extent of the suffering and painful, humiliating death of an innocent for the sake of those that even hate him is what makes this film so powerfully moving and as a result, this film successfully brings across the true meaning of the word of God to the audience.
Christians feeling down or going through a dry spell should stop feeling sorry for themselves and put this dvd on to quickly remove any doubt whatsoever that their God loves them and has given everything, including himself, so that they can be truly free. Now all we have to do is to exercise our free will wisely; the choice is ours. The only part that left me a little disappointed is the continuing error of wrongly depicting Mary Magdalene as the sinful woman who was accused of adultery. If there is a patron saint of mistaken identity or of people who have been framed then Mary Magdalene should be it! Nowhere in the bible does it say that she is the sinful woman or even the one who bathes Jesus' feet with her tears; all that's said is that she had 7 demons cast out from her. Hence the scenes of Mary of Magdala's flashbacks took away a bit of the film's impact for me. Having read The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ which by the way is a must read if you want a proper accompanying book of the film, I was very pleased to see how accurately this film was in depicting one of the source material from which this film is based.
I sincerely hope that this is not Mel Gibson's last attempt at a film based upon the bible and if he does say the Book of Maccabees, we'll get a chance to see how the whole Pharisee sect got it's origins and how based upon this traumatic period of Jewish history the pendulum of extremism swings so radically to the opposite side to the point that it led to the total intolerance and hence the passion of Christ as depicted in this film. In zealously trying to reclaim "orthodoxy" and to move closer to God after the Hellenisation period of Ephiphanes, this new order arose to ironically achieve the opposite by the time of Jesus. A film based upon the Acts of the Apostles would also be appreciated perhaps based upon Paul's journeys. There is nothing anti-Jewish about this film given that Jesus and his apostles themselves were Jews; if anything this film is anti-evil, anti-violence and anti-falsehood showing us that peace, love and tolerance is infinitely more preferable. Mel Gibson proves that he knows how to make movies based upon the intent behind the words of scripture.
The picture and sound quality especially in DTS surround format is excellent making this dvd standard format an excellent addition to your video library. Required regular watching for all adult Christians and comes very highly recommended! |
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| "5 star production - great movie" | 2009-09-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: AVF6AOZ0XDRAG |
Excellent movie - 5 stars!
Very graphic so not recommended for very young children... but I deff. will be showing this movie to my son when he gets a few years older... it is important for them to know the truth!!!
IT is amazing to see how much a man suffered for the sins we made! God's Love is very amazing!
This is a must see for everyone on this earth!
God Bless! |
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| "The Passion DVD" | 2009-09-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2QHKFQ9F2TKZ6 |
| Great product, shipped in timely manner (I received it before other purchases made at the same time). Perfect condition. |
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| "Passion" | 2009-07-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A18MA3FH0GUPXK |
| This film contains all the icons related to the passion of Jesus Christ, at least the one I was taught. |
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