I had mixed feelings about this film before watching it - on one hand First Century christians refrained from going to the plays and theatres in Roman times - true much lewder than the Passion of the Christ... but they also didnt produce plays about the crucifixion either. They considered them to be a worldly thing and kept away. Tat was then, this is now... Its also true that it was based on the Dolorous(Sorrowful) Passion of the Christ by Anne Emmerich, a Catholic mystic Nun. Problem here is that she writes of visions she had of the crucifixion and goes a lot further than the bible narrative. Personally I'm Bible alone in what I believe on this, not too interested in a Nuns visions. I was aware going in that many Catholic traditions would be portrayed that wern't bible based as well, also that Mel Gibson was quoted as saying that he always liked to attend Latin Mass as a child - he didnt understand Latin but liked the sound of it - which is why he chose for the film to be in aramaic - not necessairly for any authenticity but because he liked the sound of it. Prehaps i'm nitpicking here... so I saw the film - impressions? I found it personally moving - helped me to realise more vividly the physical suffering Christ went through. Sure it had non biblical catholic tradition in it - Veronica wiping Jesus face with a cloth etc, but I could gloss over that to appreciate the impact of the film. I personally think it to be a film more for believers, than a gospel spreading tool in itself. After all many people suffered horrible deaths by crufixion etc in those days.. but it was powerful to be because it was a portrayl of Christs death, and helped me to visualise it more