When the film was re-released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2017, it came with a brand new English and Spanish language dubs.Ĭompare The Last Temptation of Christ, another controversial religious movie focusing on the life of Jesus Christ only in English and directed by none other than Martin Scorsese. In the UK, where film ratings aren't advisory, under-18s weren't even allowed in the cinema, although some Christians have been known to recommend the DVD to under-18s.Ī sequel, directed by Gibson, is planned. Some Christian parents and even youth pastors chose to take advantage of the "accompanied by someone over 17" clause to get children under that age into the movie. Mel Gibson recommended it to people 13 and up. Roger Ebert criticized the ratings board for this alongside many others, as he, who'd watched far more movies than even most tropers would consider reasonable, called it "the most violent film I have ever seen". This was rated R, though it's not so much "may contain violence" as "may contain some non-violence".
The film also includes wholly original scenes that flesh out the roles of the Virgin Mary and the Devil. Obviously, the film is based on The Four Gospels, but some scenes take from other sources some aspects of the film are based on Catholic devotions like the 14 Stations of the Cross and the Five Sorrows of Mary, while other parts are derived from the visions of a nun named Anne Catherine Emmerich.