There was a time when Mel Gibson could do anything in Hollywood and it would be a success. I mean the man made a religious movie that was extremely violent and divisive and yet still turned it into a massive success. The fortunes of the actor and director have since waned, but not because of a lack of talent in making movies, but rather his own off-screen personal issues. With those seemingly resolved, Gibson is back to doing what he does best in making fantastic movies, like last year’s Hacksaw Ridge and getting high praise from the industry once again.
Plus he is making a sequel to that highly controversial, but wildly successful Passion of the Christ and if recent comments from star Jim Caviezel (who is returning in his role as Jesus) to USA Today, the sequel is probably going to just as successful, if not more so, than that first movie:
There are things that I cannot say that will shock the audience. It’s great. Stay tuned. I won’t tell you how he’s going to go about it. But I’ll tell you this much, the film he’s going to do is going to be the biggest film in history. It’s that good.
Greatest film in history. Now that is some hyperbole. It’s obviously worth taking his comments with a huge pinch of salt-flavoured caution, because I’m pretty sure a lot of this movie will depend on your religious affiliation and whether you agree with its message or not. Still, I’m intrigued, especially to see how Gibson plans to shock the audience when the story of the resurrection of Jesus and the formation of the Christian church as a result are already well documented in The New Testament. It’s not exactly like he can tell a different story (at least not in a way that will upset a whole lot of people) other than perhaps in the way he will tell it which could make it quite remarkable.
One thing I do believe though is that the film will be a massive success regardless. With Jesus having died, I can’t see this film being as violent (unless it goes further forward to show the persecution of the Christians), which will mean it won’t be as restricted as The Passion of the Christ was and therefore open up to even more cinemas and people who will want to see it.
Say what you want about Gibson’s Passion movie, but it was a fantastically directed effort that deserved all the technical praise it got and if Gibson can achieve something just as remarkable this time around, it is going to get a lot of attention from Christian cinema-goers. Personally, I’m just happy that Gibson is back doing what he loves best; hiding his racism, sexism and homophobia behind his power.
Last Updated: February 1, 2018
