Before I went to this film I had already heard that the violence depicted was extreme. That didn’t phase me as I’ve seen violence before, both real and make believe. I’ve seen holes in the bodies of cancer patients big enough to stick your fist in; big enough to expose the bones. I’ve watched movies that depicted the horribly violent events of World War II. (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan)

Still, I was unprepared for this. From a Christian perspective this movie summerizes the belief; one man suffered and died for the sins of the world. It’s a concept that’s been taught to me most of my life through Sunday school, vacation bible school and regular Sunday sermons. Once a year the Easter holiday is a reminder of this event. I think my problem is that I’ve been so reminded of this event that the significance has been diluted and glossed over.

A couple weeks ago I saw an interview with Mel Gibson and to paraphrase what he said; If it doesn’t cause a furball, then you’ve missed the mark. Well I think he managed to hit it straight on.

Early in the life of this film there were cries of anti-semitism. Am I the only one that finds this a little rediculous? Jesus was a Jew, and it was the Jewish high priests who turn him over to Pilot and demanded crucifiction. Is it anti-semitic to depict what happened? Is it anti-german to show the brutality of Nazi concentration camps in Schindler’s List?

I don’t think it is. History shouldn’t be changed simply because it offends someone. It’s important to remember history as accurately as we can. Even the things we don’t want to remember; slavery, war, genocide. These are all things we should not be proud of and things we need to remember, in the hope that we won’t do them again.

So how does this tie in to the movie? It is violent. It is graphic. Personally I found it bad enough that I became physically ill watching the movie. I had to leave the theater before the end of the film. That’s never happened to me before. Through violent films and just plain bad films I’ve always been able to sit through to the end.

What makes this movie more personal for me is the tie to my beliefs as a Christian. There was no element of the fantastic apart from the depiction of Lucifer. We know from the stories in the New Testament what happened. There isn’t anything miraculous at first glance. A man was arrested, tortured and killed.

So what’s the big deal? It’s the significance of it and the lengths the film went to for emphasis. It’s arguable if the detail is correct but I think the emphasis is. Imagine if you can, the suffering one would have to endure if you willingly chose to accept the consequences of all sin in the world. The violence is extreme but I think it gets the message accross.

It’s a potent message and to date the film has grossed over 300 million dollars. According to the news, it’s one of the highest grossing films of all time. Apparently the film has had a big impact on the public.

I haven’t seen the end of the film but maybe someday I will. I hope the end of the film is equally powerful and expressive of the Easter story.

Hope.