Kingdom of Heaven was a surprisingly well done movie concerning the events that led to the fall of Jerusalem. There was a good deal of fighting which I think they managed not to go overboard on and an evenly balanced story that reflects on some of...
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Kingdom of Heaven was a surprisingly well done movie concerning the events that led to the fall of Jerusalem. There was a good deal of fighting which I think they managed not to go overboard on and an evenly balanced story that reflects on some of the corrupt ideas of the time.

Pretty good movie with a great story line. The actors did a great job, especially Jeremy Irons (with the tiny role he had) and Saladin. The effects were great also and the fighting was a bit over-the-top, but good. Overall, great movie, but not...
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Pretty good movie with a great story line. The actors did a great job, especially Jeremy Irons (with the tiny role he had) and Saladin. The effects were great also and the fighting was a bit over-the-top, but good. Overall, great movie, but not the best. Some parts were pretty boreing and the queen was pretty annoying.

The Director's cut of this movie is a MUST-SEE. It's one of the most realistic and engaging movie ever made about the Crusades. The cast and acting is top notch as well as the special effects and the setting. Even if this movie tells a tale that...
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The Director's cut of this movie is a MUST-SEE. It's one of the most realistic and engaging movie ever made about the Crusades. The cast and acting is top notch as well as the special effects and the setting. Even if this movie tells a tale that happened during the Middle Age, the statement of this movie still applies today.

The battle for Outremer is a snitch of history that I have always been fond of. I have been longing for a movie that would follow Saladin's life story. This of course, is not it.
Kingdom of Heaven follows a lowly blacksmith through his...
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The battle for Outremer is a snitch of history that I have always been fond of. I have been longing for a movie that would follow Saladin's life story. This of course, is not it.
Kingdom of Heaven follows a lowly blacksmith through his rise to knightliness. Not very realistic, but it is a movie, thankfully. Because if this was common, then 'smith' wouldn't be such a common name...at least among the living.
Direction? Ridley Scott; say now more. The scenery is amazing. Each shot a masterpiece, laid before our eyes as manna, by which we ingest the very land. His texture visions, his engrossing portraits. His use of light. He truly is a gifted filmmaker.
I had my trepidations about Orlando Bloom, but had just seen Elizabethtown and was overjoyed to see him play a whole person, without his over the top zeal he's sort of famous for. He's matured and I had hoped that this movie would reflect that. Of course, Kingdom of Heaven is much older and his youth is showing through the seams, but over all he's got the feel. He knows the character. He understands what is really going on.
The plot is well written and executed. Sometimes in epics of this nature, characters get lost, plot threads get left behind, and a general 'the story must go on' mentality pervades the script.
Here though, most of the important plot points are held together and the story nary a moment of sheer boredom.
I was impressed by the visual table laid before us and happy that the characters held the fabric of it all together.