Review: Ben-Hur Isn't As Bad As It Could Have Been.
- Mar 22, 2017
- 2 min read
Starring Charlton Heston as the titular character, Ben-Hur is not just a historical classic but a masterpiece of cinema. This is not that movie, not even close.
Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a Jewish prince, and Messala Severus (Toby Kebbel), a Roman officer, are brothers and, more importantly, friends. But when conflicting ideals tear them apart during a time of civil unrest and Judah is branded a traitor by his brother and thrown into a life of slavery, hauling at the oars of Roman warships. Following a battle wherein his ship was destroyed, Judah at last finds freedom and with freedom, the undying desire to avenge his family and destroy Messala.
A Ben-Hur remake was inevitable and with it being almost 60 years since the release of Heston's seminal film, 2016's Ben-Hur shows just how much times have changed. While the 1959 film was a sweeping historical epic in much the same vein as The Ten Commandments and Lawrence of Arabia. This new film is clearly inspired by the likes of Gladiator and Braveheart. From it's frenetic action and James Cosmo doing a Proximo impression to the human conflict that runs throughout.
Ben-Hur is a pretty decent movie overall. The action scenes are well done and the acting is solid. Toby Kebbel is easily the high point of the film as is character is deeper than he first appears, a man torn between family and duty. He has a backstory, told in flashbacks, that's far more interesting than the film we got. Morgan Freeman is good as always, even if he really doesn't do much, which seems to be his go to role these days.
Unsurprisingly the final chariot race is, visually at the very least, above and beyond the original. With all respect to Charlton Heston, his race lacked the thematic action that this new incarnation brings to bear. Aside from better effects, the addition of close up camera and Go-Pro footage helps to capture the intensity and visceral nature of the circus far more than the 1959 film could ever hope to achieve.
At the end of the day, Ben-Hur is an entertaining movie, albeit one with the usual flawed trappings of modern cinema. Most of the characters are hollow and there's to much focus on drama that no one really cares about. While it will hold your interest for all of its run-time, you'll be hard pressed to remember it a month later.
Comments