The Passion of the Christ ***

Now that my eyes have dried, and the sniffles are receding, I can make an effort to review that movie that you've heard so much about over the past several months, "The Passion of the Christ." It's only fair, however, to let you know the perspective from which your humble reviewer writes this evening. For many years, I was a faithful churchgoer. I'd attend without fail ... on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I happened upon a terrific church, Creekside United Methodist in Cumming, and now we're members. We're in our second complete year of the cycle, so we've endured our first Good Friday and are gearing up for our second. So, while I've come a long way on my Christian "walk," there are still many, many miles to go.

It is clear from the opening moments of "The Passion of the Christ" that director Mel Gibson is feeling a passion of his own. He clearly believes that it is a divine Purpose in his life. Every shot in the film is precise and artistic.

The film opens with Jesus Christ's arrest and takes us through the torturous last twelve hours of his life. And I do mean torturous. This is NOT "King of Kings, "The Ten Commandments" or "The Greatest Story Ever Told." This is quite simply the darkest story of the Bible, told in graphic and relentless detail.

Yes, I wept openly during this film, as did my friends and several other souls in our sold-out theater. I keenly felt each blow of the hammer and each crack of the whip. No less painful was the betrayal of Jesus at the hands of his disciples Judas and Peter.

James Cavaziel is mesmerizing as Christ. His presence is powerful, particularly in flashback scenes of his sermons and playful exchanges with his mother Mary (soulfully portrayed by Maia Morgenstern).

In fact, the performances in the film are uniformly outstanding, as the actors seem to be driven by their own commitment to Gibson's vision. From the sadism of the Roman guards, to the oily temptations of Satan itself (Rosalinda Celantano), each cast member is word and picture perfect. The words, Aramic, Latin and Hebrew, are spoken unflinchingly, and only subtitled when necessary. It is frequently remarkable how much the audience can understand without them.

The middle portion of the film is the most grueling. We see every lash of the whip. Every laceration on the body of Jesus. We suffer every heavy footfall as he walks, burdened by his cross, to his final resting place. I came away amazed that there is that much blood in the human body, because throughout this section of the film, it flows freely.

Admittedly, it is difficult to rate this movie in any conventional manner, because it will mean many things to many people, on many different levels. Perhaps someone who is further along on their walk than I will find this film uplifting and hopeful. But as I reflect back on the film, I find myself wishing for more of that finely crafted detail on the resurrection itself. We endure the tale of the crucifixion on Good Friday to make sweeter the taste of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Christ rises almost as an afterthought, as if Gibson only wanted to portray the brutality, and not our salvation. Admittedly, that may be his point. But my limited understanding is that the Passion of the Christ IS our salvation, and that Gibson is only telling the first part of the story.

Also, John Debney's musical score deserves noting. For all of the revolutionary techniques Gibson employs in the camera work, makeup, lighting and effects, the music is surprisingly unimaginative. Your standard choral arrangements and stock "epic" themes often run rampant over the action, reminding us in the worst places that this is, after all, still just a movie. Mel Gibson was daring enough to keep the original Aramic language throughout the film. If only he would have been as intrepid as to shoot the film without a score. I believe it would have had even more impact.

The film is definitely not for children, and is probably not for all Christians. I know many faithful followers who don't have the stomach for this film, and I can't fault them for this. It is not a pleasant experience. It is, however, part of the deal. If you believe in the resurrection of the Spirit, and you believe in everlasting life after we cast off our mortal coil, Good Friday, in all of its unblemished guilt, is part of the package. And "The Passion of the Christ" serves as a good reminder of the tremendous cost that was our eternal salvation.