U.S. News Predicts Bloody Battle Over Mel Gibson's Movie

If you thought the brouhaha over CBS's movie "The Reagans" was big, wait until you see the street fight over Mel Gibson's upcoming movie.

This week, U.S. News & World Report reports that the fight over "The Reagans" will "look like crumbs on the table of the Last Supper when the coming fight over Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of Christ' hits full stride early next year."

Of course, as we've been reporting for months, the attacks on the movie have been nasty for some time, although many who have seen the movie have been vocal in their praise and support for Gibson.

The New York Post had five people review "a copy" of the movie and printed their comments Monday. Four – a priest, a rabbi, a professor and the paper's movie critic (and no, this was not a joke) – called it everything from "appalling" to "unfair" to "deeply troubling."

"He had an opportunity to reflect on the long history of the theology of suffering, and he missed that opportunity by producing just a picture of brutality," complained Elizabeth Castelli, a professor of religion at Barnard College and "senior research scholar" at NYU's Center for Religion and Media.

She called the movie's portrayal of Jews "unfair" and based on "medieval stereotypes ... that have a history of inspiring violence against Jews."

The positive review came, notably, from a civilian. Joan Wilson, one of the Post's readers, said the "must-see movie" was "riveting."

"I always knew his was a painful death, but I didn't understand how human he was or realize he suffered that much," she said.

The depiction of Jews is fair, she said. "The Romans of that era were throwing people to lions."

Perhaps, then, this is a movie for regular people, not the ivory-tower elites.

Mel Gibson has a few things to say about this movie. Find out what Mel said by checking out NewsMax Magazine – Click Here.

Editor's note:
Mel Gibson fights back and talks with NewsMax Magazine – Click here for new revelations

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
CBS's "The Reagans"
Mel Gibson's "Passion"