Reviews
Wuchak

Wuchak

September 25, 2018
6.0
Good start and ending, weak middle, but magnificent photography and haunting score "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005) isn’t as good as contemporaneous sword & sandal flicks "Troy" (one of my favorites) and "King Arthur" (very good), but it's not bad either. THE PLOT: After the death of his child and suicide of his wife, Balian (Orlando Bloom) meets his long, lost father (Liam Neeson) who encourages him to go to Jerusalem and start a new life. After a long eventful trip, Balian arrives in Jerusalem and is introduced to Princess Sibylla (Eva Green), the leprous King Baldwin and other VIPs. The political maneuverings of these key personnel is mindboggling (I suggest using the subtitles to keep track of who’s who) but, when all is said and done, Balian must rise to the challenge of defending the city against Saladin (Ghassan Massoud) and his great Muslim army. Like "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), "Kingdom of Heaven" is a film that can be enjoyed just for the visuals and soundtrack. The film was shot in Morocco where a vast replica of ancient Jerusalem was built in the desert with the backgrounds enhanced by CGI effects, and so on. Story-wise, the beginning and ending are strong while the convoluted soap operatics of Jerusalem aren't very compelling, but Eva Green's awesome eyes help. I'm no connoisseur of the crusades but I realize the filmmakers put a modern spin on the events and ideology of the characters. So what else is new? In any case, I was impressed that all the main players are based on real-life people and that the gist of the story is accurate. The Theatrical Cut runs 144 minutes and the Director's Cut about 48 minutes longer. The DC is heralded as one of the best DCs ever, like "Daredevil" (2003). BOTTOM LINE: "Kingdom of Heaven" is worth it just for the magnificent visuals and soundtrack. The story starts strong and ends strong while the dramatics of the lengthy mid-section are complicated and not very compelling. But story drive and interesting characters were never director Ridley Scott’s strong suit. Nevertheless, Orlando Bloom is likable as the protagonist and Massoud makes for a striking Saladin, who doesn’t appear till the halfway point. GRADE: C+/B-

BornKnight

February 20, 2024
8.0
One of the most hated movies by Ridley Scott, that shows the difference of what versions and cuts can have on a movie. This movie have a Theatrical version (144 min.) a Director's Cut (189 min.) and Director's Cut Roadshow Version (194 min.) (that I watched years after watching the theatrical on cinema). The movie is loosely based on the story of Balian I of Ibelin (originally a noble of French or Italy, but portraited as his son in this movie and epoch) travels to Jerusalem during the Crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people. A tale of noble actions and ideals on the 2nd Crusade among equally noblesse and troubled people. It is not totally historically accurate (let's say 50%) but is one of the most impressive movies about the crusade with all the desert, sun and bloody scenes than you can imagine (and a fictional end). Originally a 7.0 raised up to a 7.8 out of 10.0 in this version B+ (not sure if this is the version that Netflix have).

Recommendation Movies

5.9
War
View
5.9
Alexander
Alexander2004
6.3
Adventure
View
6.3
King Arthur
King Arthur2004
6.6
Action
View
6.6
Body of Lies
Body of Lies2008
6.3
Action
View
6.3
Robin Hood
Robin Hood2010
5
Action
View
5
xXx: State of the Union
xXx: State of the Union2005
6.9
Adventure
View
6.9
A Knight's Tale
A Knight's Tale2001
7.3
Drama
View
7.3
The Duellists
The Duellists1977
5.3
Adventure
View
5.3
Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot
Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot2020
7.3
Drama
View
7.3
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York2002
7.2
Drama
View
7.2
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler2009
6.2
Adventure
View
6.2
Centurion
Centurion2010
6.6
Action
View
6.6
Crank
Crank2006
5.8
Adventure
View
5.8
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers2011
7.7
Drama
View
7.7
Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda2004
6.9
Drama
View
6.9
Valkyrie
Valkyrie2008
7.2
Adventure
View
7.2
Troy
Troy2004
7
Drama
View
7
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford2007
6.7
Adventure
View
6.7
Lethal Weapon 3
Lethal Weapon 31992
7.2
Drama
View
7.2
The Dreamers
The Dreamers2003
7.5
Drama
View
7.5
The Last Samurai
The Last Samurai2003
© 2024 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt