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The Passion of the Christ (2004)
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Reviews Counted:259
Fresh:129
Rotten:130
Average Rating:5.9/10
Consensus: The graphic details of Jesus' torture make the movie tough to sit through and obscure whatever message it is trying to convey.
Theatrical Release:Feb 25, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $370,203,632
Synopsis: The Passion of The Christ is a film about the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life. The film opens in the Garden of Olives (Gethsemane) where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper.... The Passion of The Christ is a film about the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life. The film opens in the Garden of Olives (Gethsemane) where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Jesus resists Satan's temptations. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is arrested and taken back to within the city walls of Jerusalem where the leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his results in a condemnations of death. Jesus is brought before Pilate, the Roman Governor of Palestine, who listens to the accusations leveled at him by the Pharisees. Realizing he is confronting a political conflict, Pilate defers to King Herod in the matter. Herod returns Jesus to Pilate who gives the crowd a choice between Jesus and the criminal Barabbas. The crowd chooses to have Barabbas set free and to condemn Jesus. Jesus is handed over to the Roman soldiers and flagellated. Unrecognizable now, he is brought back before Pilate, who presents him to the crowd as if to say "is this not enough?" It is not. Pilate washes his hands of the entire dilemma, ordering his men to do as the crowd wishes. Jesus is presented with the cross and is ordered to carry it through the streets of Jerusalem all the way up to Golgotha. On Golgotha, Jesus is nailed to the cross and undergoes his last temptation -- the fear that he has been abandoned by his Father. He overcomes his fear, looks at Mary, his Holy Mother, and makes the pronouncement which only she can fully understand, "it is accomplished." He then dies: "into Thy hands I commend my Spirit." At the moment of his death, nature itself overturns. -- © Newmarket Films [More]
Starring: James Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Monica Bellucci, Mattia Sbragia
Starring: James Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Monica Bellucci, Mattia Sbragia, Claudia Gerini, Luca Lionello, Hristo Shopov
Director: Mel Gibson
Director: Mel Gibson
Screenwriter: Mel Gibson, Benedict Fitzgerald
Producer: Bruce Davey, Stephen McEveety
Composer: John Debney
Studio: Newmarket Films
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Release:
Feb 17, 2009
Reviews for The Passion of the Christ
It's not the second coming of Christ, but it's a finely crafted piece of work that should not be missed.
[A] stunning film, sometimes remarkably moving — at times sublimely beautiful, often sickeningly brutal, but never banal, nor specifically blameful.
The Passion of the Christ, while not a perfect film, will touch many emotions in those who see it. Some people may be offended, while others may be inspired.
No other film in history has even attempted such a concentrated interpretation of these unimaginable events let alone do so with what I call such reverential explicitness.
In the Gospel According to Mel Gibson, blood doesn't lie. It's the only truth that exists. Which means the agony is the ecstacy in The Passion of the Christ.
Controversy aside, it is dramatically intense, skillfully constructed and often harrowing, in ways that should have an impact on people of any or no particular faith.
"The Passion" is big, physical, violent and unflinching. It's unlike any biblical film ever made and it's impossible to watch it with a trace of passivity.
Incredibly intense, unflichingly realistic and powerfully moving...One of the all-time great cinematic achievements...God bless Mel Gibson.
Despite controversies swirling around the movie, one cannot deny that Gibson has made a stunning film, beautifully photographed in contrasting dark and golden hues by Caleb Deschanel.
As a work of cinema, The Passion of the Christ possesses a majestic beauty within its horror, one that comes most effectively through a tiny, solitary teardrop.
Like my reviews for the “Harry Potter” series, my review of “The Passion of the Christ” will come from the perspective of someone who has not read The Book.
One cannot rely on any critic for this film because a biased opinion lies behind every review.
Mel Gibson’s personal vision of the persecution and death of Christ is relentless, brutal... and brilliant.
The bottom line is that The Passion of the Christ is an astonishing cinematic achievement, utterly riveting from start to finish.
Impressive filmmaking -- but it takes a lot of wincing to watch Mel Gibson's version of this powerful story.
Latest News for The Passion of the Christ
October 03, 2008:
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As the NFT in London prepares a Juliette Binoche season, Kim looks at Abel Ferrara's Mary which also stars Marion Cotillard and Forest Whittaker. More...
May 16, 2008:
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As The Passion of the Christ proved, there's a lot of money in so-called "faith-based" film marketing -- but it's proving disappointingly elusive for the major studios. More...
February 27, 2007:
James Cameron's "Jesus" Doco Causes Controversy
The James Cameron-produced documentary called "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" is causing a whole lot of stir among the religious community for trying to assert that, after... More...
February 05, 2007:
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
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