Kingdom of Heaven, DVD, 2005 (Kingdom of Heaven (DVD))

Member Name: Burning_Darkness

Product:	Kingdom of Heaven (DVD)
Date:	26/01/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliantly shot with lavish sets and costumes and exciting action sequences

Disadvantages: Feels a little disjointed, Orlando Bloom doesnt quite work as the lead

Often tagged 'Gladiator 2', Kingdom of Heaven is Ridley Scott's take on The Crusades during the 12th century, and fans of Gladiator should know what to expect; Elaborate sets and constumes; dynamic shots of armoured men in frenzied battle; a fearless yet tormented hero rising from the bottom to change the course of history. Balian (Orlando Bloom) a bereaved blacksmith, is approached by his previously unknown father, a crusading Lord named Sir Godfrey (Liam Neeson), and joins his father to fight the crusades, but his father and his men are ambused and killed en route and Balion ends up taking up his fathers office in Jerusalem, a Crusader stronghold in the Holy Land. There he becomes embroiled in a political struggle between rivalling orders of Christian knights, and after the tensions spill out into war and defeat at the hands of Saladin's Saracen army in the desert, Balion is left to defend Jerusalem and its townsfolk against Saladin's overwhelming forces.

Whilst all the right ingredients are in place, the film somehow doesn't gel together as well as Gladiator however. Bloom, though he gives a reasonably good performance, doesn't have the required presence for the role, and the film suffers as a result. It also seems disjointed at times, and doesn't move forward with the same sense of urgency and purpose as did Gladiator. There are still some fantastic action sequences however, particularly the ambush of Sir Godfrey's men at the start, which sees a blonde, teutonic giant of a man still hacking away furiously at his mailed attackers despite having an arrow fired through his throat. The siege on Jerusalem is also very well done, although a little CGI heavy at times. What look like fireflies can be seen arcing silently across the distant sky, until they become flaming fireballs, and crash mercilessly into the besieged town. We see hordes of Saracens atop vast siege towers trying to breach the walls, as men fall away in flames and punctured by arrows. Its all very entertaining, and well worth watching, and the mounted knight scenes look particularly spectacular (perhaps because there is no CGI). There are some great performances too, particularly from Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud as Saladin.

I particularly liked the portrayal of Saladin as a chivalrous and wise leader, and he is perhaps the most likeable character in the whole film. When he meets the leprous King of Jerusalem on the battlefield, he offers his physicians to attend to the ailing monarch- a nice nod to the fact that the "barbarous" Saracens were in many ways more advanced and civilised than their invaders. The irrational religious fervour and mental epidemy of the time is well captured, and Scott seems eager to remind us that this sentiment has never fully gone away.

Whilst well done, the film somehow still manages to feel a little hollow, perhaps because it becomes easier to sympathise with the very believable and respectable Saladin than with Bloom by the time the film is drawing to its conclusion. Some weak and rather cringe worthy motivational speeches given by bloom to the besieged townsfolk also do little to help align us to his cause. The love story between Balion and the King's daughter also feels a little contrived.

The film comes close to recreating the magic of the best historical epics, but somehow it falls a little short due to a slightly meandering plot and a lead role that doesn't quite work. It still remains a good film however, and is well worth a watch for anyone with even a passing interest in this fascinating period in history.

Summary: A flawed but still very entertaining historical epic.