Recent Reviews for Kingdom of Heaven
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MCT:August 20, 2008A historical movie I found confusing and not that great the first time I watched it, but absolutely loved when I gave it a second chance. Takes place during the Crusades, in the midst of the bloody war for the holy city of Jerusalem.
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MCT:August 16, 2008
Was really good, besides all the.. random killings and stuff. As soon as the king came on i went nuts and straight away noticed it was Mr. Edward Norton. He sounds so mature on it. It was much like Gladiator, as it the same director but i think a bit to much like Gladiator.,.
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MCT:August 16, 2008The movie was Ok, but i felt like too much was happening at once. I think it moved too fast but overall, it was a good movie.
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MCT:August 15, 2008
Well done movie, very enjoyable movie, and also happens to have a little bit of a message to it. Though I'm sure if I bothered to analyse it in detail I would find some incoherence in the logic, it's still nice that this movie attempts to show various facets of the Holy War from different point of views.
The best of it : The music, Ridley Scott, the battle scenes, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons
The worst of it : Orlando Bloom -- he's not terrible, but he's not the best choice for his role either. -
MCT:August 12, 2008It's a good movie, but my brother had us watch it so much that I won't watch it any more. Not that it's a bad movie, but too much of anything is a bad thing.
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MCT:August 10, 2008fantastic movie showing feelings but not to sloppy as plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seats
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MCT:August 5, 2008
Epic films are my fascinations. This tells the story of a war fought for the wrong reasons and the shame of the biggest religion. In here, Orlando Bloom portrayed well a man with a conscience that helped save the lives of the people caught in the crusades to claim the so called promised land from the clutches of the infidels. But who really are the infidels? The crusaders or the Saracens? Watch it to find out. It tells more that just a story. It teaches us history.
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MCT:August 4, 2008Our Ridley seriously lost it with this one. You've seen it a zillion times before and done much better.
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MCT:August 2, 2008
Compared to the movie version of the film, the extended cut (on dvd) is much better and a fuller movie. It gives time for explanations and depth. If you liked it on big screen, you're gonna love the extended cut.
On its own, though, the theatrical version is already an almost perfect movie. Depth, dedication, faith - and the loss. Battle, cruelty, love, loyalty. What are we fighting for in this world? And is it really worth the fight - and the sacrifices?
The journey of Balian's turning from a blacksmith into a knight is portrayed as if it took only a while, but with some little common sense, we can imagine it took some time (as in reality it must have). When this matter is settled, the rest is one, enjoyable ride; a beautiful, bloody ride. -
MCT:July 30, 2008
i need to brush up on my history about the crusades but this flick will give you a simple intro about the topic. found the ending to be anticlimactic though and action scenes aren't that spectacular.
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MCT:July 30, 2008Okay, not good, not bad. Just below average. Has storylines for no reason but to tie some loose ends. Alot of wasted footage at the beginning of the film, and the end is not a fairytale ending you'd expect.
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MCT:July 26, 2008
Ridley Scott really does better with sci-fi films such as "Alien" and "Blade Runner" than anything else. An entertaining, but not incredible, epic that makes me think of "Troy" for some reason. However, I should probably watch the director's cut.
On a side note, I recently discovered that Edward Norton was the leper king and was knocked off my feet. I would never have guessed in a million years that it was him. -
MCT:July 26, 2008
Orlando Bloom ?? Probably one of the worst casting choices ever made, he was really bad, he looked as if he was reading from a board or something.. Almost ruined the entire movie for me !!
There were things that made up for it but still the movie wasn't as powerful and "epic" as implied..
So yes.. you can call this one a disappointment !! -
MCT:July 25, 2008
The Director's Cut is the only version that should've been released. It's a completely different movie the way Ridley Scott wanted it to be.
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MCT:July 22, 2008
I wanted to love it, but the story was too big for the film and would have been better off as a book. It's your standard "common man becomes hero" with a final stand at the castle gates, but with a religious angle. An average "epic" film, but nowhere near the calibur of Gladiator or Braveheart. I don't regret watching it.
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MCT:July 22, 2008
Most people doesn't know there is a director's cut of this movie out there that is soooooo much better! Don't even bother to see the theatrical one...
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MCT:July 19, 2008Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Orlando Bloom, Edward Norton, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson«Balian of Ibelin: What is Jerusalem worth?
Saladin: Nothing.
[walks away]
Saladin: Everything!»Kingdom of Heaven is an epic adventure about a common man who finds himself thrust into a decades-long war. A stranger in a strange land, he serves a doomed king, falls in love with an exotic and forbidden queen, and rises to knighthood. Ultimately, he must protect the people of Jerusalem from overwhelming forces while striving to keep a fragile peace.
One of the most disappointed films Ridley Scott ever made in his entire career. Despite the fact that it has some poor acting and weak storyline it includes some tremendous battle scenes and some interesting dialogues. But the acting wasn't good and story was poorly presented and at times it seemed to drag on for a long time even though we don't get to know most of the story, especially the beginning.
Orlando Bloom looks really inexperienced and just cannot cope with a major role in this film and Liam Neeson's character gets killed even before half way through the film so we don't get to enjoy his performance for any longer. Eva Green is hot but not hot enough to make us feel satisfied enough with this film. Only good piece of acting I could truly remember is Edward Norton's performance as King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. Even by keeping his face masked for most of the time he gives a tremendous performance from the start until the end. Ridley Scott should have picked someone very experienced to lead this film and it was his biggest mistake that he didn't do so.
he lack of storyline is no surprise to me as most of the war films like this seem to concentrate on battle scenes rather than the plot. But if you see the director's cut then I bet you will have a different opinion of this film and especially its storyline. In director's cut we get to know about most of the main characters and especially the origins of the protagonist character Balian. It also makes much more sense rather than the theatrical version so therefore it is called a director's cut. But I rate this film on the performance of the theatrical version and it had a very poor storyline.
Lastly to mention the good thing and that is the special effects. They were top class and it really surprised me as I didn't expect this film to be that major in terms of special effects. Battle scenes were cleverly made and towards the end when Balian and his people were defending Jerusalem against Saladin and his army it looked as if it is a real life but not the film itself. But Orlando Bloom is no Russell Crowe and he doesn't seem to be acting serious enough even when he is trying to encourage his warriors to fight till the last breath or till Jerusalem falls.
A really good war film, especially if you a big fan of this kind of films but don't expect anything special. I did however like the movie but we shall not expect a sequel and I suppose there were no plans to for one anyway. Oh Ridley, if only you had a chance to direct this film again but this time casting one of the top leading actors for the main role I would happily had it in my DVD collection with much better opinion about it. But for now, let it stay where it is, on the shelves of a local supermarket. It will be there for a long time I reckon.
Review Date: 29th of March, 2008.
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MCT:July 18, 2008
The only thing that was really going for this movie were the battle scenes. Which were good. The rest of the film it was pretty much boring. I wanted to see more with King Baldwin and his sister Sibylla. The story idea is great but the film just lacks something. I think Orlando Bloom was a good choice for the role but the character just did not have much to him. I loved Jeremy Irons only because of his voice. Gives me chills.
All in all this movie could have been a lot better than it was. -
MCT:July 17, 2008
Besides the religious part it was a good movie... lol, joking. But was one the only ones where orlando can actually act
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MCT:July 16, 2008
If you watch this movie, only watch the Director's Cut. It's completely different and completely better than the theatrical cut.
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MCT:July 15, 2008
The first time I saw this film I didn't notice how long it was (I think I was doing other stuff while I watched it though), but the second time through of watching the film I noticed the length. It is quite a long film. I enjoyed it but not as much as I thought I could of. Some areas of the film seem to slump compared to other parts.
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MCT:July 15, 2008
Great visual effects - as expected - but let down by the director's constant need to force down our throats all this political rubbish.
Acted well but not my thing. -
MCT:July 15, 2008Love this one - Orlando Bloom is like a total hero in this, with good morals and ethics. Beautifully shot too.
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MCT:July 13, 2008Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Orlando Bloom, Edward Norton, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson«Balian of Ibelin: What is Jerusalem worth?
Saladin: Nothing.
[walks away]
Saladin: Everything!»Kingdom of Heaven is an epic adventure about a common man who finds himself thrust into a decades-long war. A stranger in a strange land, he serves a doomed king, falls in love with an exotic and forbidden queen, and rises to knighthood. Ultimately, he must protect the people of Jerusalem from overwhelming forces while striving to keep a fragile peace.One of the most disappointed films Ridley Scott ever made in his entire career. Despite the fact that it has some poor acting and weak storyline it includes some tremendous battle scenes and some interesting dialogues. But the acting wasn't good and story was poorly presented and at times it seemed to drag on for a long time even though we don't get to know most of the story, especially the beginning.
Orlando Bloom looks really inexperienced and just cannot cope with a major role in this film and Liam Neeson's character gets killed even before half way through the film so we don't get to enjoy his performance for any longer. Eva Green is hot but not hot enough to make us feel satisfied enough with this film. Only good piece of acting I could truly remember is Edward Norton's performance as King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem. Even by keeping his face masked for most of the time he gives a tremendous performance from the start until the end. Ridley Scott should have picked someone very experienced to lead this film and it was his biggest mistake that he didn't do so.
The lack of storyline is no surprise to me as most of the war films like this seem to concentrate on battle scenes rather than the plot. But if you see the director's cut then I bet you will have a different opinion of this film and especially its storyline. In director's cut we get to know about most of the main characters and especially the origins of the protagonist character Balian. It also makes much more sense rather than the theatrical version so therefore it is called a director's cut. But I rate this film on the performance of the theatrical version and it had a very poor storyline.
Lastly to mention the good thing and that is the special effects. They were top class and it really surprised me as I didn't expect this film to be that major in terms of special effects. Battle scenes were cleverly made and towards the end when Balian and his people were defending Jerusalem against Saladin and his army it looked as if it is a real life but not the film itself. But Orlando Bloom is no Russell Crowe and he doesn''t seem to be acting serious enough even when he is trying to encourage his warriors to fight till the last breath or till Jerusalem falls.
A really good war film, especially if you a big fan of this kind of films but don't expect anything special. I did however like the movie but we shall not expect a sequel and I suppose there were no plans to for one anyway. Oh Ridley, if only you had a chance to direct this film again but this time casting one of the top leading actors for the main role I would happily had it in my DVD collection with much better opinion about it. But for now, let it stay where it is, on the shelves of a local supermarket. It will be there for a long time I reckon.
Review Date: 29th of March, 2008.
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MCT:July 8, 2008
This movie was quite good. I found Balian very noble by wanting to save the people of Jerusalem, not to save the actual city itself. For a common man he was quite talented.
