# Is Passion of the Christ worth watching? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547 "2005-12-07T19:25:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/81 "2016-03-22T18:44:05Z")
I heard it was gory and bloody. More than Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive?” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/82 "2016-03-23T00:48:04Z")
> [@OffByOne](#): > > I heard it was gory and bloody. > > More than Peter Jackson’s “Dead Alive?” I don’t know that movie. I do know that I was surprised. I expected Jesus to look like his body was coming apart, almost like some advanced zombie effects, but with blood. You know, like it was in reality. But it wasn’t. I’d also recently watched some spoof movie (maybe Blazing Saddles?) that had a lot of squirt blood, and it actually made the look of fake blood not seem real to me. I just remember it not fazing me as much as everyone else, even though I can’t even watch previews for stuff like Saw. I guess I just expected to much work. It’s masterful at getting just too gory, and then cutting to something else. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/83 "2016-03-25T15:10:06Z")
I’m an atheist and this film and its success validates, in my opinion, that Christianity is a death cult. The crucifixion should not be the main focus, after all millions of people have suffered similar and worse deaths. To me, the part about him rising from the dead and ascending into heaven should be the focus of the story not his death. With that said, I really don’t find either part of the story that compelling. After all, God only gave up a weekend for a pointless exercise that didn’t change anything. I’ll stick with _The Life of Brian_ as my Easter movie. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/84 "2016-03-25T15:57:14Z")
> [@Cumberdale](#): > > I’m an atheist and this film and its success validates, in my opinion, that Christianity is a death cult. The crucifixion should not be the main focus, after all millions of people have suffered similar and worse deaths. > > To me, the part about him rising from the dead and ascending into heaven should be the focus of the story not his death. With that said, I really don’t find either part of the story that compelling. After all, God only gave up a weekend for a pointless exercise that didn’t change anything. That’s really a GD answer in a CS thread, so suffice it to say that some would find flaws in several of your assumptions and conclusions. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/85 "2016-03-25T17:53:59Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > That’s really a GD answer in a CS thread, so suffice it to say that some would find flaws in several of your assumptions and conclusions. Or maybe even a Pit post. It’s Easter ffs. As a movie lover I enjoyed The Passion. I also thought it was well made with good production, I liked the ‘ancient’ languages being used, the acting was good throughout. It was unfortunate for the lead who suffered from hypothermia while shooting in the winter, as well as pneumonia, a dislocated shoulder, accidentally being thrashed during a whipping scene and was struck by lightning during the filming of the scene of the Sermon on the Mound. Assistant director Jan Michelini was struck by lightning _twice_. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/86 "2016-03-26T14:33:37Z")
1. It’s not a gory movie. Aside from the flogging scene (which is hard to watch) there is little violence or blood. It isn’t gorier than many other movies. If the same movie, without miracles or resurrection and maybe the hero escaping and killing everyone at the end, had been made by Tarantino people would’ve said “classic Tarantino”. Of course, the violence has, for Christians, a point. Furthermore, floggings are gory and bloody. I’d say it’s like the opening of Saving Private Ryan, I’d say. Lots of blood, guts, suffering, but with a purpose if you know what the film is about. 2. Complaining about “that’s not in the Bible” sounds amazingly hollow, especially since most of the complainers don’t believe that what is in the Bible anyway. Also, the extra-Biblical source material was a known fact to anyone who was paying attention the massive buildup before. 3. Mary steals the show. The actress is the best Mary hands down. She might look a bit younger, but remember that she would’ve been under 50. The scene where she runs down the side street to meet Jesus carrying the cross is even harder to watch than the flogging. Also, her washing the floor is haunting. If you have kids you just feel the pain. 4. I loved the languages even when instead of koiné Greek they used Ecclesiastical-pronunciation Latin. Listening to Aramaic, trying to figure out what they were saying. 5. The scene where Mary, Jonn, and Mary Magdalene go into the house and start reciting the Haggadah is a very good one, you can feel their fear. Great movie. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/87 "2016-03-29T00:04:38Z")
It’s Braveheart in biblical times. I found the focus on the torture disturbing and a little gratuitous, with not enough emphasis on the actual teachings of Jesus. As a result, we see the punishment but not really the why that led up to it. It was an interesting film, but I would say a bit of a departure. The androgynous devil figure was certainly an interesting addition to the story. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/88 "2016-03-29T02:30:42Z")
People! For the past 11 years, everyone has missed this one issue! The OP was _willing_ to watch _What the bleep do we know_. Now THERE’s a torturous movie. It’s just like _Passion_ if you replace “gore” with “idiocy”, and remove the good acting/directing/production values. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/89 "2016-03-29T04:21:27Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > It’s Braveheart in biblical times. I found the focus on the torture disturbing and a little gratuitous, with not enough emphasis on the actual teachings of Jesus. As a result, we see the punishment but not really the why that led up to it. It was an interesting film, but I would say a bit of a departure. The androgynous devil figure was certainly an interesting addition to the story. Since it’s a Passion play, it only focuses on the last week of Jesus’s live. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/90 "2016-04-08T00:19:56Z")
> [@Linty\_Fresh](#): > > Mel Gibson might not be the best storyteller in the world, but he doesn’t strike me as either a nutcase or a Jew-baiter. Off topic: I realize that I posted this a long time ago, but still . . . :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547/91 "2016-04-08T00:32:57Z")
> [@Linty\_Fresh](#): > > Off topic: I realize that I posted this a long time ago, but still . . . :smack: Yeah, I was so tempted to say something before I realized it was a zombie thread. Still don’t think it was Jew-baiting, though. I think he honestly didn’t see the issue at all. To him, Jewish people being the bad guys in the Passion is just normal. It’s like how someone prejudiced against gay people will not even realize the homophobic implications in what they said. Even when they are in a position where they know homophobic stuff will not go well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-passion-of-the-christ-worth-watching/334547.md?page=4)