This is my first time seeing this since its release (when I watched a pirated copy I bought on the subway because I was all up in arms about not giving Gibson any money.) Well, tonight I watched the Blu-ray (which I still didn’t pay for) and, lemme tell ya, Caleb Deschanel really knows how to make with the dramatic lighting.
This movie is ultimately fascinating, just because of how undramatic it is, yet it made a billion dollars because, in 2004, if you didn’t see this movie it meant you didn’t support our troops. I’m being 100% serious.
With time, though, we can now watch it for a what it is: a stunningly shot pageantry of extremely boring scenes. There is no character development – hell, no characters, really. The movie plays like a “greatest hits” album, just ticking the boxes of famous references from the Bible. Veronica wipes Christ’s face? Check. Does this have any significance? Any weight? Especially to a non-believer or a novice to the New Testament. Absolutely not. Therefore, as a proselytizing Christian, Gibson fails.
Looks great, though. Helluva movie to watch on Halloween, what with all the bloodshed.
