The Passion of the Christ , Mel Gibson's new film had already stirred huge controversy before its release. Termed as anti-Semitic by Jews, the film had a record opening Wednesday garnering about $20 million in the first day itself.

The plot covers the last 12 hours in Jesus' life, beginning with his betrayal by Judas. There are brief flashbacks to the Sermon on the Mount and the Last Supper.
It deals with Jesus’ arrest, his flagellation by the Roman soldiers, his nailing to the Cross and the last temptation.

The movie, which has been shot in Aramaic and Latin with English subtitles, stars James Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern and Monica Bellucci.

While moviegoers are thronging the theatres (the first show opened in New York at 6:30 am), there is no consensus among the critics. Some have praised it for being “powerfully moving” but many have panned it for graphic show of torture of Jesus and portrayal of Jews.

Excerpts from reviews:

New York Times
The Passion of the Christ is so relentlessly focused on the savagery of Jesus' final hours that this film seems to arise less from love than from wrath, and to succeed more in assaulting the spirit than in uplifting it. Mr. Gibson has constructed an unnerving and painful spectacle that is also, in the end, a depressing one. It is disheartening to see a film made with evident and abundant religious conviction that is at the same time so utterly lacking in grace.

Miami Herald
With The Passion of the Christ , Gibson wants to reclaim Jesus' crucifixion from the realm of iconography and force the viewer to confront the enormity of the suffering Jesus willingly underwent for the sake of mankind. It's a strange kind of spiritual movie - one that aims for the gut more often than the heart.

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