Most movies lose their edge after they have been in theaters for two or three weeks. No one talks about them any more. "The Passion of the Christ" is an exception. It is one of those movies that you either love or hate, but you can't ignore it.

Before it was even released on February 25 to nationwide audiences the movie had already stirred up controversy. It made almost $8 million dollars in pre-released tickets and $83,848,082 on opening weekend. The story of the crucifixion of Jesus is not new to many Catholics but some people might not be familiar with the story. The movie depicts the last twelve hours of Jesus Christ’s life.

It sounds like yet another religious film, but it was more than that. "The Passion of the Christ" is not only a movie for "religious people" it’s a movie for any one who wants to see a great movie. The violence in the movie is very graphic so I would not recommend that children see it. However the vivid images are what makes this movie unlike any other movie that has been made about the life of Jesus.

The image of Jesus Christ carrying the cross with blood dripping down from his crown of thorns is just one of the many breathtaking moments in this movie. Even though this is a movie, the imagery might be heartbreaking for those people who consider the events to be historical.

Mel Gibson did an excellent job directing the film and the performances were quite strong. We might remember James Caviezel from the movie "Angel Eyes" with Jennifer Lopez. Once again he lends a certain eccentricity to his portrayal. Caviezel gives an emotional performance as Jesus. Even though the movie received some great reviews and is still doing well in the box office it also received many bad reviews. In the New Yorker, David Denby wrote, "…the movie Gibson has made from his personal obsessions is a sickening death trip, a grimly unilluminating procession of treachery, beatings, blood, and agony." David Ansen from Newsweek also gave the movie a bad review. Ansen wrote "Instead of being moved by Christ's suffering or awed by his sacrifice, I felt abused by a filmmaker intent on punishing an audience, for who knows what sins."

The movie is also considered to be anti-Semitic by many people. My opinion is that if a person goes to see the movie thinking the film is going to be anti-Semitic then that person is bound to see anti-Semitic messages in every scene. In other words don't try to find something that isn't there.

Overall "The Passion of the Christ" is a great movie. However, as I said before I wouldn't recommend it to children. I also wouldn't recommend it to people with a pacemaker, or who can't endure the violence of the movie.

On a personal level, I thought the movie was too violent. The violent scenes were given great emphasis and sometimes I felt disoriented. It's not a movie that a person like me (who freaks out at the sight of such violence) would see again. On the other hand, if you are into drama, and can endure some of the most violent images you will ever see in a film, then I would recommend it.