Post by profdunebastard on Feb 25, 2004 1:00:51 GMT -5
So I saw a sneaka-sneaka-sneak preview of the Passion of Christ. Don't worry about spoilers, Mel "Payback" Gibson already spoilers this thing big time. Oh yeah, and by the way, Jesus dies. Gasp!
Now despite my personal beliefs, I could conceivably see myself enjoying a Jesus movie if it was well done. Like when I read Milton or Dante or Blake, I can still enjoy religious things if they move me the right way or are expertly crafted.
This movie does not succeed in that regard. The gospels provide a natural narrative structure that set up the climax as Christ's death reasonably well for a story. Gibson doesn't start at the beginning, he employs en media res, which a perfectly acceptable technique. Problem is, he is very sparing with flashbacks and doesn't really establish any characterization-you are expected to know who Peter, Judas, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and etc are from the get go. You are supposed to knoe everything really, it doesn't bother with any narrative set up really at all. Most of it is just beating you over the head with horrific, gory beatings and torture with no let up. They use that emotional, gut wrenching, manipulative music that, by nature of the very pitch, makes you want to cry even if you aren't sad.
I can understand Mel wanting to stress the violence, but there was simply no escape from it, it was relentless. He forces the audience to endure, not enjoy. He guilts you into submission, bleeds pity from your pores and doesn't let up. It was a horrible experience. Usually in movies you get sucked into a storyline and think as the movie is real, let go of criticism. It never grabbed me. Watching a guy get massacred for nearly two hours is simply not entertaining.
Some of the symbolism and stylistic elements are just grisly and bizarre, if used well they would have enhanced and aided the story, most merely seemed grisly, strange dtractions. The devil is apparently a creepy ass albino woman, sometimes a monster, sometimes with a crazy, giant, gruesome, mutant baby. WTF? A guy I thought was Peter was besiged by street urchins who turned into old people/ghoulie monsters/a bunch of kids/a dead donkey until I realized it was Judas. I couldn't tell the difference because there was no frickin characterization or exposition. If you didn't read thebible you won't anything.
To be fair, the movie wasn't disproportianately anti- semitic, the romans were shown to be equally as bastardly, so that argument doesn't real have a leg to stand on. Some of the flashbacks and stylistic elements actually were pretty cool, but they needed more good stuffand less fucked up shit. It indeed had the potential to be moving emotionally, butwasintentionally designed to the core to be, a total contrived mindjob designed to garner pity. My ticket was free too, so that's a plus too.
What really pissed me off were all the people clapping and crying for such a gross, manipulative movie. If it wasn't jesus, no one would have endured that kind of brutality. Outside the theater there was a table with religious pamplets galore. Sigh.
In 0ver view, it was two hours of no storyline or character attachment, just horrific blood and emotional manipulation.
You don't have to take my word for it though(da da duh), judge for yourself...lest ye be judged!
Ian "Jesus Christ!" Thompson
Now despite my personal beliefs, I could conceivably see myself enjoying a Jesus movie if it was well done. Like when I read Milton or Dante or Blake, I can still enjoy religious things if they move me the right way or are expertly crafted.
This movie does not succeed in that regard. The gospels provide a natural narrative structure that set up the climax as Christ's death reasonably well for a story. Gibson doesn't start at the beginning, he employs en media res, which a perfectly acceptable technique. Problem is, he is very sparing with flashbacks and doesn't really establish any characterization-you are expected to know who Peter, Judas, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and etc are from the get go. You are supposed to knoe everything really, it doesn't bother with any narrative set up really at all. Most of it is just beating you over the head with horrific, gory beatings and torture with no let up. They use that emotional, gut wrenching, manipulative music that, by nature of the very pitch, makes you want to cry even if you aren't sad.
I can understand Mel wanting to stress the violence, but there was simply no escape from it, it was relentless. He forces the audience to endure, not enjoy. He guilts you into submission, bleeds pity from your pores and doesn't let up. It was a horrible experience. Usually in movies you get sucked into a storyline and think as the movie is real, let go of criticism. It never grabbed me. Watching a guy get massacred for nearly two hours is simply not entertaining.
Some of the symbolism and stylistic elements are just grisly and bizarre, if used well they would have enhanced and aided the story, most merely seemed grisly, strange dtractions. The devil is apparently a creepy ass albino woman, sometimes a monster, sometimes with a crazy, giant, gruesome, mutant baby. WTF? A guy I thought was Peter was besiged by street urchins who turned into old people/ghoulie monsters/a bunch of kids/a dead donkey until I realized it was Judas. I couldn't tell the difference because there was no frickin characterization or exposition. If you didn't read thebible you won't anything.
To be fair, the movie wasn't disproportianately anti- semitic, the romans were shown to be equally as bastardly, so that argument doesn't real have a leg to stand on. Some of the flashbacks and stylistic elements actually were pretty cool, but they needed more good stuffand less fucked up shit. It indeed had the potential to be moving emotionally, butwasintentionally designed to the core to be, a total contrived mindjob designed to garner pity. My ticket was free too, so that's a plus too.
What really pissed me off were all the people clapping and crying for such a gross, manipulative movie. If it wasn't jesus, no one would have endured that kind of brutality. Outside the theater there was a table with religious pamplets galore. Sigh.
In 0ver view, it was two hours of no storyline or character attachment, just horrific blood and emotional manipulation.
You don't have to take my word for it though(da da duh), judge for yourself...lest ye be judged!
Ian "Jesus Christ!" Thompson
