The readers have spoken, and The Passion of The Christ is the No. 1 film in our first annual Readers' Choice Awards.

We had already named our best films of 2004 in a pair of top 10 lists—our Most Redeeming Films list and our Critics' Choice list. Then we asked for your favorite films of the year, and more than 1,200 of you responded.

The Passion was an overwhelming No. 1 pick, garnering 40.6 percent of the vote. The Incredibles finished a distant second, with 7.3 percent, while Spider-Man 2 and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tied for third with 5.2 percent each.

Rounding out the Readers' Choice top ten were Finding Neverland and Napoleon Dynamite (both tied for 5th), Hotel Rwanda (7th), The Notebook (8th), Phantom of the Opera (9th), and Ray (10th).

Shrek 2, Million Dollar Baby, The Village, and Fahrenheit 9/11 all just missed the top 10.

We also asked readers for their comments on their films of choice, and here's a sampling of what you were saying about the films that rose to the top:

The Passion of the Christ
"It was the most moving movie I have ever seen!"
"Good Friday will never be the same for me again."
"There can only be one choice for the born-again believer. Any other choice than The Passion of The Christ should have a believer searching their souls."
"The best $8 I have ever spent on a movie in my life."
"Mel Gibson created a painting which drew the audience into it. It was a phenomenal experience between the painting and the viewer."
"It was like castor oil for the soul: very hard to take, but good for you. It was raw on all fronts, not just on the violence, but on the emotions of the characters themselves."
"As Christians, we should all purchase this film and watch it periodically, lest we forget."
"This movie brought the reality of Christ's crucifixion to a new dimension."
"Art and faith combined with an intensity and realism never before seen on film."
"I had only been saved a few months. It really floored me and opened my eyes to what our Lord has done for us. For me of all people."
"I'm a Jesus freak. 'Nuff said."
"It was bold, brash, reflective, deep, artful, emotional, tough, beautiful, painful, passionate, memorable, brutal, meaningful, realistic, and redeeming. This movie had it all."
"It was hard to watch, but I think it made me feel what I was supposed to feel. At the end, it just made me want to say 'I'm sorry' and 'Thank you.'"
"This was the most compelling movie ever made about the most compelling event in history."

The Incredibles
"A wonderful combination of well-plotted story, sympathetic characterizations, and good old-fashioned morality."
"Pure family fun. Everyone gradually becoming who they were created to be, with an awareness and appreciation for the unique gift they had."
"Amazing animation, great family values, funny, and entertaining."
"All over the theater, children were giggling and adults were chuckling. This is what entertainment is all about: families having fun together."
"In a world that no longer welcomes the gifts of its superheroes, their longing to use those gifts redemptively pictures powerfully the church's suppression of spiritual gifts and the struggle many Christians feel as they look for opportunities for redemptive expression of their God-given gifts."
"An intact, two-parent family comes together to defeat a nemesis. Values, values, values."
"It has everything: action, family, values, positive outcome, comedy, romance, a great soundtrack."
"Frenetic mix of comic action, daring-do, and family togetherness."

Spider-Man 2
"A brilliant allegory of total selflessness."
"As a pastor, I could identify with the temptations to just be a 'normal person' without having to worry about certain responsibilities. Then comes the magic moment when you realize how important those responsibilities are to both others and yourself."
"Peter Parker is my kind of hero—very human."
"A great message about stepping up to accept the responsibilities that go with being blessed, not because you have to, but because it's right. It shows us how living a righteous life can be an awesome, fulfilling adventure."
"Fun, thought-provoking, good quality, and reflective of biblical truth in life: God has made and equipped us for a purpose."
"The best superhero film ever."
"It was exciting, fun, romantic, yet had a moral core that made me think about the choices I make in my life. I think it was the most uplifting adventure movie I've ever seen!"

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
"Technologically breathtaking. Intellectually challenging. Theologically stimulating."
"Incredible original screenplay and masterfully subversive direction by Michel Gondry. Plus Jim Carrey proves he can act, and Kate Winslet redeems herself from her previous movie (cough) Titanic (cough)."
"It captured the poetry of human love and conflict. It beautifully asked a profound question: If we erase our pain, are we less human?"
"Original, mind-bending, surreal, gorgeous."

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