The one point on which most will agree after seeing the film is that it is an extremely powerful movie-going experience. But because of its personal nature, from that point on judgments will vary, which doesn’t make writing a review any easier.

The latest telling of the Christ story is certainly the most realistic ever rendered, and it’s the gritty, bloody realism that has garnered press headlines -- second in number only to the notion that the movie is (or isn’t) in some way anti-Semitic.

Having put the headlines, the controversy, and Mel Gibson’s nervous interviews aside, I found that the movie, simply put, is an astonishingly artistic rendering of the last hours of Christ’s life.

But having said that, one should certainly have reservations.

It is in the Garden of Gesthemani where the movie opens, and there the audience hears for the first time a characterized Christ speaking in what may arguably be Our Savior’s native tongue, Aramaic. It’s a personal moment, and an artistic one, thanks to the historically accurate rendering by Gibson and his team.

In the garden a tattered and tired Christ beseeches his Father to "take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done," just moments before a group of temple guards storm the garden with Judas in tow.

And it is from this point on that the movie begins earning its R rating. Throughout "The Passion," Christ cannot take two steps without being violently struck, spat upon, flogged, or shoved to the ground. By the time he appears before Pilate, he’s been severely beaten.

The scourging scene that follows felt almost pornographic in its blood-lust. Two Roman guards, at times laughing maniacally, beat Christ first with reeds and then with scourges, on the ends of which were woven tiny bones and hooks to yank the flesh from the body.

At one point during the flogging, a scourge swung round and its tendrils attached themselves to Christ’s side. Knowing what was to come, my eyes closed automatically and I heard a collective gasp from the audience.

The scourging scene lasted several minutes as Christ’s entire body was raked raw. Still, the intense nature of the brutality is not gratuitous and, in fact, can’t help but reflect the horrifying reality of Christ’s pain. Whether or not you want to expose yourself to this level of brutality and violence certainly should be a factor to consider when deciding whether or not you want to see the film.

The movie itself is not anti-Semitic, although I could clearly understand why many Jews are concerned about the implications of the film. As we should have learned as children, those who shouted, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" are representative of all of us, and it is all of our sins that put Jesus on the cross.

Sadly, there are those ignorant masses who will use this movie to fire up their already inherent anti-Semitic feelings. The Jews are a people who for more than 3,000 years have faced oppression, millions having been murdered often in the distorted guise of Christianity. So, it’s no wonder that this movie, created by a popular actor/director and sure to bring in a massive audience, is drawing a certain amount of trepidation in the Jewish community.

I missed seeing Christ’s ministry, which was referred to only in a handful of flashbacks. We see Christ as a child, a carpenter, and a teacher, but only in brief snippets. We’re left wanting more as we’re quickly thrust back to the bloody reality of his suffering. I still find myself mulling over the value of a Christ story that doesn’t include his beautiful teachings.