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Movie review, "The passion of the Christ"

I avoided watching the Passion of the Christ for a long time until now.  Seeing that it came out in 2004, I have avoided it for 15 years.
Why did I not watch this movie earlier, being a Christian and a movie watcher?  Well I usually steer clear of violence in movies as I seem to have a low tolerance for images of cruelty and bloodshed.
The reason I thought about watching it this year is that our pastor decided it would be screened for a movie night at our church.  Because I wanted my initial experience to be before the big night, I asked a close friend if she would preview it with me.  We both were very nervous to say the least and I was tense for the days leading up to the experience.  We ended up with my friend and her husband, and another friend in her lounge room- no snacks- and much nervous chatter and could I say 'avoidance' chatter beforehand and even at certain intervals throughout.  There were murmurings of 'here we go', 'now it begins' and 'oh no it's this part', and pausing and discussions throughout, as we traveled the journey of Gethsemane, the trial, the scourging and the crucifixion.
I had already seen certain images from the movie in various u tube video clips.  I had done some more reading recently on the details of crucifixion itself and what Jesus endured.  I had read many movie reviews commenting on the extreme violence within the movie.  I concluded, as so many had commented on the extreme violence (people who had probably seen many violent films)- I was in for a shock.
Because I was so focused on fearing the violence of the movie, I had not anticipated that it would actually be an excellent movie.  And it was.  It was so rich with the flashbacks to Jesus teachings which connected to why he was going through what he was and in the way he was, so accepting of the suffering.  There was a rich humanity in how the characters were portrayed.  There was a dark spiritual element, showing that Jesus had an enemy beyond the people who were betraying him, abusing him, and bringing about his tortured death.  Some people probably found this creepy, but I found it realistic and highly probable.
As for the violence itself, it is shocking.  But not without cause, given the brutality was said to be well researched to be historically accurate.  However, some may be surprised to know that, from what I've read, the reality was likely to have been worse than the film depicts.
In an interview by CBN (http://www1.cbn.com/jim-caviezel-talks-about-playing-christ-passion), it is revealed that they deliberately did not go so far as the scriptural reality of just how disfigured Jesus would have actually appeared as recorded in the bible.  They wanted to retain Jesus appearance somewhat so viewers would not completely lose a sense of the message of the story by being completely appalled.
What I actually found more horrific was seeing one of the criminals on their cross and spitting out hatred and mockery at Jesus and the ugliness of that compared to the character of Jesus which was still full of love even at the point of greatest pain and humiliation.  I thought, that is a picture of humankind under pressure- the worst comes out- we get full of bitterness and hate God and everyone else we think is hurting us- and it is this ugliness- that is worse even than the physical appearance of all the blood and lashings.  That is why Jesus died- because sin is more ugly than death and blood.  Jesus died to save us from the brutality within, that escapes out into the words, and actions with which we knowingly and unknowingly harm others.
And then there was the other criminal who asked Jesus to save him..and in the midst of the torture they are all enduring Jesus offers him the hope of the paradise to come, 'today', the opposite to what they were currently experiencing as they hung on the crosses. 
No matter what we are going through- Jesus still offers hope to us today.  We all have hardships in life.  Most of us will never experience anything like an extreme death and vicious cruelty.  But even in our emotional pains in life- Jesus holds out to us the hope of paradise, relief.  If we receive Jesus this life is not the best there is- the best is yet to come for eternity. 
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