@Thread
I've heard the hype, I've seen the movie but I have to say I was disappointed in some respects.

I believe that a very Roman Catholic idea of Jesus was being presented to the audience, one that centred around Mary so much so, that in certain parts Mel was careful to show that old image we see in books, where the baby Jesus is in Mary's arm. I kept seeing subliminally Mary Mother of God. However and this is where Islam becomes confused and the Jews, does God have a mother ?, and if he did, hisn't she then God, as she would be his originator. It does not go like that.

The violent imagery was to be expected and yet if I had made the film, trust me, I think I have in my own mind a more horrifying depicition. I do believe Mel in the film though captured the madness of that day, how the people were over shadowed by dark spirits driving them to deny the light.

Now let me tell you where I switched off in the movie.. Yes the argument Jesus was not dark enough, but I was prepared to overlook that and watch the film. However when I saw how light the Ethiopian man who bare the cross with Christ was, then the Roman turning to the Ethiopian and saying Jew. Anyone that did not understand what had happened that moment, who does not have knowledge of the bible would believe another Israelite was helping Jesus carry the cross.

Holly Wood would not even allow the Ethiopian to be a black man, because the image it would present would cause us to ask questions. Did the man that shouldered the burden through the streets along with Jesus, carried the cross alongside the Son of the Living God, took it to the hill of Golgotha, was this a black man ? What was the interaction really at this point tbetween the man Jesus and the Ethiopian ?.

I was disgusted at the movie, a friend with me, could not believe either that this was the Ethiopian, saying he seemed more Latino.

Leave them, in the words of Jesus, "They know not what they do" . or do they ?

One wrote on this forum that Christians did not make this movie, and I did reply saying almost that it did not matter, in some ways I take back what I said there, I believe a born again Christian would not have made this movie like that, in myself though I am no movie writer or critique or Director, still I saw more scope for this movie. I thought they made Jesus seem to dependant on Mary, Jesus was a man who by the time he had settled it in Gethsemane, that he was going to die the way it was written, was not hanging unto Mary as this film suggested saying mother I make things new. He was as the Apostle Paul called him the Lord of Glory. He was relinquishing all things that tied him to this earth. Hence if you watch where he was on the cross and he tells Mary behold your Son, and he tells John behold your mother. Jesus was in essence saying I going back as I was God of all things, who as no mother no father, who is self existant. I think the film missed out on lot of things that could have been explained.