As a historical epic, Kingdom Of Heaven succeeds on many levels when compared to recent efforts by Hollywood such as Wolfgang Petersen's superficial Troy and Oliver Stone's bloated Alexander.
The staples of an epic are all present here;
1) expansive, CGI-enhanced battlescenes populated by millions, and stunningly choreographed to get the adrenaline pumping,
2) enormous, realistic sets and breath-taking, picturesque landscapes,
3) larger than life heroic characters fighting for a noble cause,
4) a good dose of illicit romance between a hunky hero and a spunky yet outrageously beautiful princess/queen/lady of rank,
5) a moral lesson to be learned that trancends time and space and is relevant in our century,
and last but not least,
6) an engaging storyline with a satisfactory, if not a happy, ending.
Judging by these laws, it would seem that renowned and respected director Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down, Hannibal, GI.Jane) has indeed delivered a near masterpiece. But then again, his genius this time around is not on par with his tour de force in the year 2000, Gladiator, which scored a whopping twelve Oscar nominations with five wins, including one for Best Picture and a Best Actor for Russell Crowe. For one thing, despite a line-up of dependable actors and thespians (Liam Neeson, David Thewlis, Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton, et al), the good guys in Kingdom Of Heaven are somehow not very memorable or distinguishable from one another. Even the villains are merely one-dimensional caricatures with no evident purpose than to act insanely evil and spout malicious one-liners (and no, Jeremy Irons didn't play a bad guy, thank goodness!). Eva Green, as Orlando Bloom's love-interest, has the arresting good-looks of a princess but her kohl-eyed character is the most under-developed of all, as if added on as a pretty accessory by the scriptwriter.
For those not in the know, Ridley Scott had also taken several liberties with history in order to make his Crusades story more dramatic and appealing, thus making certain parts of the film's narrative a little too uneven and loop-holey. What these are, I shall not elaborate here, but I was glad that he bothered to depict the Muslim characters as a dignified and respectable bunch, a striking contrast to the over-zealous, radical and bloodthirsty Christian baddies.
Though lacking in both characterization and a comprehensive storyline, the film still deserve plaudits for its boldness to take on a sensitive aspect of history in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the Iraqi War that ensued. Moreover, Orlando Bloom is quite competent in his first leading-man role, shedding his pretty boy image for a more gruff and melancholic appearance that is credible and not too overdone.
As a spectacle, Kingdom Of Heaven is truly this year's Gladiator, minus the Oscar worthiness. With that said, however, how can I not like a film that preaches religious tolerance with such sober and solemn tones???
my ratings ---- 3.8/5 stars~!!!
