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Mel's Messiah drama causes mayhem among critics who have seen it
Mel Gibson's latest project, The Passion, which stars Jim Caviezel (Frequency, Pay It Forward) as Jesus, is being shown to a select group of industry insiders and critics. The screenings have caused an eruption of debate and differing opinions on the Internet.

Joseph Farah (WorldNetDaily) raves, "[The film] moved me, changed me, inspired me and deepened my faith. It's not an easy picture to watch. It's grueling, in fact. It's torturous—as it should be under the circumstances. It's the story of inhuman suffering willingly accepted in the ultimate substitutional sacrifice. It's hard to watch such graphic depictions of a man suffering and dying—even when you know the ultimate outcome. But it is worth it. This is horror we all need to see and understand. This is a death that shouldn't be glossed over."

He adds, "Let me tell my Jewish friends: You have nothing to worry about in this movie. Drop it. Forget it. Don't waste another minute concerning yourselves with it. It is a wonderful, inspirational Christian movie that in no way takes any potshots at the Jews as a people."

Online columnist Matt Drudge (The Drudge Report) also turned in his positive report on a screening.

But controversy over the film continues to build, due to testimonies like the one posted by Paula Fredricksen at The New Republic (you can read the text here) which describes it as an "anti-historical, anti-intellectual, anti-Semitic film."

Columnist David Poland (The Hot Button) offers advice to director Mel Gibson on how to handle the controversy.

Next week: Dirty Pretty Things, I Capture the Castle, Gigli, American Wedding, and more.

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July (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47