Quickly regaining composure, the doors opened for us and I walked in and found a comfy seat in between the front and the middle.
Seeing those emotions sparked the emotions in me, and I began to cry even before the movie started. I watched individuals come out of the previous showing, and there were some with tears streaming down their faces and others who were just stone-faced, looking like their world was just turned upside down. It seemed that nobody was nervous about what they were about to witness except for me but, of course, I know there were others. Most people brought friends and made it an "event." They were talking casually before the show. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, and I caught myself watching each person who walked by, noticing every emotion on his or her face. I arrived at the theater over an hour early and stood in the line that was designated for the 7 p.m. There is more emphasis put on Mary than needed to be and I was a bit disappointed in the lack of emphasis on the relationship between God the Father and Christ the Son. I did note that this film was made from a Catholic point of view. I was also going in to the movie with the mission of observing whether or not it showed any signs of anti-Semitism, since this has been a major concern. I went to this movie expecting the best and the worst. For the past several weeks I have heard commentators and critics talk about this movie and I have heard very positive reviews as well as extremely negative ones. Where do I even begin? How do I describe the two hours that I spent watching The Passion of the Christ ? Let me start by informing you of my mind-set at the time and of all of the different scenarios and thoughts that were running through my head. While we do not believe everyone needs to view this movie or that everyone will have the same reaction to it if they choose to see it, Ashley's experience reflects vertical thinking that merits our consideration. Editor's Note: While Vertical Thought does not normally run reviews of movies, The Passion of the Christ has generated such interest that we thought it good to run this article.