The Passion of the Christ (2004) Review

Sadistic, fanatical, controversial in the highest degree, The Passion of theChrist appeals to some of the more vulgar, base strands of thought in American society. It is a film made to exploit evangelicals as well as Catholic schismatic groups. It stands on par with other silly film franchises like the Left Behind series about the apocalyptic notion of the “Rapture.” The Passion was the brainchild of Mel Gibson, an extreme right-wing Catholic who apparently believes the 20th century Vatican II reforms were heretical and that all the appointed popes since then have been illegitimate. Mr. Gibson marketed ThePassion as having been based entirely on the Gospels (with Aramaic and Latin spoken throughout) though in truth he omitted some of the more magical elements found in the New Testament (i.e. all the graves in Jerusalem being opened so the dead could commune again with the living is conveniently…