EVAN CARAVELLIArizona Daily Wildcat Pre-business freshmen Nicholas Steffey and Jennifer Pratt wait for the 9 p.m. showing of "The Passion" last night at the Century 21 theater at the El Con Mall. The line nearly stretched to the parking lot.

The most controversial film of the year, "The Passion of the Christ," debuted yesterday to long lines of moviegoers, including UA students and religious scholars, who had mixed reviews.

Ed Wright, the head of the Judaic studies department saw the film yesterday and criticized it for offering a literalist interpretation of the film that neither Christians nor Jews would agree with.

"The Passion of the Christ," a film directed by Mel Gibson, depicts the last 12 hours of Jesus' life.

Wright, a Christian, originally did not want to see the movie, calling it "completely uninspiring."

"Violence is the whole movie. The story of the passion itself is only a fraction of it," he said. "Gibson's forcing one view on the community. "

But many Christian students who saw the film last night said they believed the portrayal is historically accurate.

"It was very violent and bloody, but it was just telling it as it was; the portrayal was no more than that," said Jennifer Anderson, a math and education junior who left the movie theater teary eyed last night. "It was very realistic, very heart touching,"

Other Christian moviegoers found the film to be an emotional and spiritual experience.

"It made me cry," said Patrick Klein, a physiology sciences sophomore. "The beating scenes - which were like 90 percent of the movie - were unbearable."

Klein said he hopes the film will inspire others to share his beliefs.

"I hope it'll open people up," he said. "Maybe they'll see this and then seek the next step."

Like many other students, Matt Rubach, a first-year medical student, said he didn't understand how the film could be percieved as anti-Semitic.

"If you walk away being anti-Semitic, you're missing the point of the movie," he said. "It's an accurate portrayal of the Gospel. It's not going to be politically correct."

Ryder Cobean, a political science sophomore and a Jew, who went yesterday morning to see the film, said he didn't think it would inspire anti-Semitism, but said it might fuel already anti-Semitic beliefs.

"This puts another bullet in their gun," he said. "This is a dangerous situation for those who already have dangerous thoughts."

Jeremy Slavin, a political science senior and Jew, who said he liked the movie, agreed that the film wouldn't cause anti-Semitism. But he said it might reinforce it.

"I'm not going to be looking over my shoulder," he said.

Mark Krell, a Judaic studies professor who focuses his research on Jewish-Christian relations, also said that although Americans don't need to worry about a rise in anti-Semitism, public reaction in Europe is a concern.

"Because we live in America, it's not OK to be anti-Semitic," he said. "In Europe, it's actually fashionable to be anti-Semitic now."

Wright said the film's violent portrayal of Jesus' death could get moviegoers talking and develop a new perspective.

"Hopefully, this will lead to increased dialogue so that Jews can understand how Christians perceive them, and Christians can understand how Jews perceive them," said Wright, who is Christian.

Krell, who will see "The Passion" tomorrow, said while the film could be used as a recruiting tool for Christian evangelists, he hopes it also encourages discussion.

"I believe something good will come out of this," Krell said. "This is not just opportunities for conflict, but opportunities for conversation."

Krell will moderate a panel discussion on the film on March 9. For more information, contact the Judaic Studies department.

- Aaron Mackey and Keren G. Raz contributed to this report.