AP Photo Jim Caviezel portrays Jesus Christ on the set of the controversial new film, "The Passion of the Christ," in this Jan. 24 publicity photo.

The frightened speculation from religious leaders and frantic banter from 24-hour cable news pundits can end now: "The Passion of the Christ" is arriving in theaters in a shrewd marketing move by Mel Gibson to let everyone see and judge the film for themselves.

And the film is frightening - not for its dogma, but for the relentlessness of its brutality.

Gibson, as director, producer and co-writer, is fetishistic in his depiction of the pain Jesus suffered during the last 12 hours of his life. The beating and whipping and ripping of skin become so repetitive, they'll leave the audience emotionally drained and stunned.

Yes, yes. That's the point, Gibson has said - he wants his film to be shockingly graphic to show the humanity of Christ's sacrifice.

But the idea that children should see "The Passion" as a learning device - that churches are organizing screenings and theater trips for their parishioners and catechism classes - is truly shocking. Grown-ups - even true believers - will have difficulty sitting through the film. Just think of the trauma it will inflict on kids.

As for the widely reported criticisms that the "The Passion" might foster anti-Semitism, let's just say nearly everyone ends up looking responsible for the death of Jesus (a lean and intense Jim Caviezel).

Despite its gruesome content, "The Passion" is beautifully photographed - and it's a huge, meticulously detailed film, as you would expect anything from Gibson to be.

Gibson asked cinematographer Caleb Deschanel to make the film look like a painting by the Baroque artist Caravaggio, and Deschanel has accomplished that. The lighting of the Italian locations is intimate and dramatic, often ominous in its contrast with the consuming darkness.

But any of the film's subtle beauty, or the possibility for religious inspiration, will be drowned out by John Debney's score - which is unnecessarily insistent considering the intensity of the action on screen - and washed away amid the bloodshed.

(Christy Lemire is an Associated Press entertainment writer.)