H1s41rness

As a devout Roman Catholic, it would make sense for me to love this movie, but it's more than that. Many people criticize this film for its incredibly intense violence and and its "anti-Semitic" views, but I don't think this to be the case. First of all, I must say that this movie was emotionally moving. Jim Caviezel's performance as Our Lord truly was astounding. The movie itself made me reconsider my own faith in another way. The cinematography was beautiful, and the soundtrack was epic. But what impressed me the most was the fact that the whole film was in Aramaic and Latin. The reason for this was not to make you closer to God, but rather understand exactly how the final 12 hours of Christ's life on earth was. Second, the intense violence was there because Mel Gibson wanted to emphasize the torture Jesus went through. We often never talk about what Jesus went through during the scourging of the Pillar. In truth, that was probably the most brutal part of the movie. Mel Gibson wanted to show that, yes, Jesus was scourged at the Pillar, but it is so much more brutal than you think. He was trying to emphasize that Jesus' suffering was horrible in ways you really can't think of. Finally, the Antisemitism claims. Perhaps the movie was a bit harsh on Jews, and I will admit it. But if you read the Bible, which probably most of the critics who said this did not, the entire movie is accurate. The guards of the Temple were the ones who arrested Jesus, not the Romans. It was the Jewish High Priests who wanted to kill Jesus, not the Romans. Personally I didn't see anything wrong with that, and I don't think that Mel Gibson was trying to make an Antisemitic film. As a conclusion, I will say this: Unless you are a Christian, I really don't think you will like this movie. It's incredibly violent, and it shows things that probably won't make sense to you. If you are a Christian, I really do suggest this movie. It's important that we all understand what Jesus had to go through just to save us. And I mean really understand. It's the perfect movie for Good Friday, and I highly recommend it.