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Rating:  -
I never saw the theatrical version of this film (few did). Therefore, I can judge my reaction according to what director Ridley Scott intended. This version weighs in at over 3 hours and you do become aware of time while watching it. That is NOT to say it drags. It doesn't. It just seems a bit too long. Yet everything included NEEDS to be there.
Scott is one of those directors who can't resist CGI. His uneven use of falling, swirling snowflakes is particularly annoying in the opening sequences because they look as fake as they are and add little or nothing to the goings-on. Later there is much "artificial" blood and mud splattering that is also a trade mark of his. This is especially obvious on my Blu-Ray edition. That aside, the rest of the movie is spectacular. The massive armies on the march and in battle look genuine as opposed to computerized, the latter being a particular sore point for me with most current epics such as the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy among others.
The cast is first-rate including Orlando Bloom who is in almost every scene, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons and David Thewlis among all the others.
Historical or not, this is an interesting and entertaining movie about the Crusades era, a period rarely dealt with in Hollywood. Larger than life, sure. Larger than Ridley Scott's imagination? Probably not. He's sure to top it next time around.
Rating:  -
Probably my new favorite movie. Orlando Bloom is great, the settings are great and the overall feel of the movie is superb
Rating: -
The original cut of Kingdom of Heaven was an intriguing and beautifully filmed take on the Crusades that, nevertheless, felt rushed and somehow lacking. Orlando Bloom's character, Balain of Ibelin, was a passively written character propelled to great destiny by happenstance and instantly loved by the cast of kings, queens, and noble knights simply for being the son of a great man.
In Ridley Scott's director's cut, Balain is still passive and ridiculously lucky in his relationships, but he comes off as more human due to added scenes that clue you in on his past and how he came by his forty-yard stare. Likewise, Liam Neeson, who plays Godfrey, Balain's father, is given a more complete character arc that lets Neeson stretch out and demonstrate why he's such an enjoyable actor to watch. Hamstrung in Star Wars, Neeson returns to true Oscar calibur form here, allowing us to see the deep love he has for his son and the pain he has endured as a Crusader. Godfrey, noble, sad, and scrappy ("I once fought two days with an arrow through my testicle," he relates at one wry moment) is the true heart of the story and in the Director's Cut, he is given the time and care he deserved the first time around.
There isn't a single character who doesn't benefit by the restored 194 minute running time. The beguiling Sybilla (played by Eva Green) is deepened via a subplot involving her young son--who wasn't included the first time around--that explains much of her emotional collapse near the end of the movie. Green is a phenomenal actress who captures Sybilla's many colors in a moving performance. Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton (haunting in his role as the leperous King Baldwin), David Thewlis, and supporting bad-guys Brendan Gleeson (as Reynald) and Marton Csokas (as the increasingly power mad Guy de Lusignan) all get more screen time, more development and more closure (you actually discover what happens to Guy after he takes that fateful donkey ride)--and all of this contriubutes to the emotional gravity of this visually sweeping film.
Kingdom of Heaven: the Director's cut is the movie Ridely Scott wanted to make, an epic in the true sense of the word: long, bloody, gritty and thematic. Vast armies charge across alien vistas, banners wave, crosses glitter, catapults topple and men are no more than ants, seen from above, as they struggle atop the walls of Jerusalem. When one sees what Scott originally intended one can only shake their head in awe at the stupidity of studio execs who cut and truncated his vision into unrecognizeable chop suey. Restored to full running time, this Kingdom redeems the "Gladiator Lite" label and hits you in the kidneys with moving characters, heart-pounding violence,and a truly unique take on a historical period known more for its one sided prostletyzing than its moments of grace. What has always amazed me about this film is that Scott doesn't go for the usual "one side good," "one side bad" dichotomy, but invests his cast of wannabe knights, seasoned warriors, desert kings and unlikely saints with a diverse blend of moral philosophies. In a period of time known for the evil and cruelty of men, most of Scott's characters seek understanding of their supposed enemies. Christians and Muslims live side by side in Jerusalem (a little know historical fact, Muslim King Saladin (beautifully potrayed by Gassan Massoud) offers his doctors to an ailing Baldwin and Godfrey strives for a "Kingdom of Conscious" in the heart of siege.
Orlando Bloom remains a problematic main character, but in a way, his blank slate approach is perfect for a movie with such stong themes of journeying and finding yourself. Pilgrims in the Crusades often went because they wanted to "find themselves" along the way--and though you never quite buy Bloom's transformation, he's a charming enough presence that you can let it slide. (He also makes a great action hero, sweating, grimacing and beating the hell out of enemy knights with alpomp.)
If this cut of Kingdom of Heaven had been released in theaters I believe the reaction to the film would have been more favorable. This is a compelling movie, full of thrilling battles and gorgeous cinematography--now completed with fully realized emotional gravity and a clarity of ideas. It is a film that rewards repeated viewings (you can take in niether the physical nor moral scope in one go)and deserves a place not under the shadow of Gladiator, but alongside it as another splendid artistic achievement by one of our most ambitious directors.
Rating: -
The beauty of this Blu Ray disk left me breathless. Scott is a master behind the camera and this film is no exception. Nearly every scene could be a prize-winning still image (or classic painting.) The Director's Cut is far superior to the original version, in that it fills in many of the holes in the story line.
I consider this one of my all-time favorite films - IN SPITE of Scott's ridiculous view of the crusades and the crusaders (many reviewers below fully agree with him, the poor misguided saps) without mentioning the atrocities commited by the Muslims here and in preceeding years. An uninformed person would come away thinking (as many have) "Those terrible Christian crusaders. Why would they attack those wonderful, innocent, Muslims."
Rating: -
Fans of Ridley Scott movies know that they almost always come in twos--the theatrical version, then the director's cut, released sometime later and without much fanfare. Invariably, the director's cuts are almost always leaps and bounds better than the theatrical versions, which tend to take very long, complex stories and boil them down to something more palitable to the bean-counters. "Kingdom of Heaven" is no exception.
While the theatrical version of this film left me grimacing and shaking my head, this director's cut manages to fill in virtually all of the holes that plagued the theatrical version's plot, and allows the storyline to unfold at a much more entertaining, natural pace. Orlando Bloom--often said to have been miscast in the lead role--fares far better in this version, and actually makes the character come alive! I've shown this director's cut to people who downright despised the theatrical version, and without exception, everyone has completely changed their minds about this movie! Like "Blade Runner", "Kingdom of Heaven" demonstrates just how greatly two versions of the same film can differ. I highly recommend this director's cut, which in my opinion is quite possibly the best Ridley Scott has ever made!!
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