Ridley Scott occupies an elite seat.
At a fictional gathering of the top two or three directors working today, Mr. Scott would (and should) have a place at the table.
Given his impressive body of work (e.g., Gladiator and Blade Runner), Mr. Scott drew me to the theater to see the just-released Kingdom of Heaven with great expectations.
I had a few:
1. That the movie would be visually and sonically beautiful—hallmarks of Scott films—it was;
2. That the film would be epic in scale—it was;
3. That a story set in the crusades of the late 12th century would be (or strive to be) politically correct—it was;
4. That the movie would be well-crafted down to the requisite period-piece details—it was;
5. That it would be replete with engaging action/battle scenes—it was; and
6. That it would be entertaining for the nearly 2.5 hour duration—it was.
Gladiator provides a useful benchmark. If you liked it, you will probably enjoy Kingdom of Heaven. The visually stunning cinematography and haunting music remind one of the myriad award-winning Russell Crowe epic; there are even some plot similarities that had to have been intentionally placed as an homage to Mr. Scott’s earlier masterpiece.
However, differences emerge. For example, Gladiator presents a clear-cut, good guy versus bad guy motif. Kingdom of Heaven is vastly more ambiguous. Intentionally so. I knew going in that a movie on the crusades could not possibly be supportive of Christians in particular, or religion in general. Scott’s film goes even further; there are several anti-religious sentiments injected somewhat ham-handedly in case one missed the subtleties. (Note, however, Mr. Scott did not write the screenplay).
Although Orlando Bloom did a creditable job, I could not help but contrast him with Mr. Crowe. Bloom seemed a bit miscast for a warrior-leader role, but in the end he aptly carried the film’s message without detracting from it.
Kingdom of Heaven receives an “A-".
Article comments
1 - Triniman
I didn't buy Orlondo Bloom as the blacksmith turned warrior-military strategist-leader. Not enough rite of passage to make the jump credible. His screen prescence was decidedly "supporting actor" rather than leading man.
2 - Cil Kim
After 4 viewings of KOH; after reading some pointless but mean spirited reviews; after listening to purported trade movie experts...I am so pleased in fact justified in having seen KOH four times. The story was well acted out. It was a story of a time long, long past. But, still a part of today's circumstances. Most important of all, and this is the bottom line, there was a beautiful reason of hope. I will, like LOTR series not only watch it as often as possible before theaters remove KOH, I will be eagerly awaiting the complete, special edition of KOH-DVD. Critics are oblivious to viewers who are not impressed with heavy handed judgemental scathing reports...Maybe I favor Mr Bloom as an actor. I don't know how to describe why. At 75 years of age, he just seems to be an interesting person who does films; films that I happen to enjoy. Very much. His countenance pleases me, as they say back then. Aloha
3 - Josh
I am happy that you have crafted one of the few reviews that examined this movie from a rational standpoint. The negative reviews I have read fall into 4 camps: 1. it was bad because it was anti-Christian (it was not), 2. it was bad because it was anti-Muslim (it was not), 3. it was bad because it was too long (I actually felt it was too short--only someone with the attention span of a scottish terrier would find this movie hard to sit through), and 4. it was bad because Orlando Bloom was bad (while he was not great, he held his own).
So thank you for your review, albeit a short one, it was one of the more insightful reviews of Kingdom of Heaven out there.
4 - Richard
Josh,
Thanks for your kind words. I try to be fair. If you like my reviews, stay tuned. I'll be posting more, including Cinderella Man this week.
Take care.
5 - Matt Schafer
As far as those who don't really buy Orlando as a leading role you have to remember the guy he was playing.
Balian was just a guy who went to Jerusalem to save his wife and kids before the city fell. He wasn't a leading guy in the kingdom, he's just a guy who stepped up when he needed to. So in that respect I think Orlando did a good job.
6 - Christine
I liked your review of KOH - I am both a Scott fan and a Bloom fan and I enjoyed the film very much - thank you for seeing the film for what it was!
7 - Richard
Thanks Christine.
Take care,
RICHARD