April
2005
by Joe De MatteoSuper
Kingdom of Heaven is one
of those movies that I feel shouldn't be dissected or
knit picked; you'll enjoy it if you don't.
It is a well made, well acted film, and the baggage
it carries is not all its own. After all, it
deals with Holy War, the Crusades.
No matter how impossible
it may be for some of us, I say put all that all
aside and look at the subject of the film as just a
vehicle to advance characters, story and action.
However, in reality, that is very hard to do.
So be prepared. You may be upset or offended
if you are a Muslim or a Christian, you may find the
film Hollywood politically correct or too violent.
In Kingdom of Heaven there is something for everyone to be upset
about, or to enjoy. My suggestion is to
clear your head, open your mind and watch the movie.
Ridley Scott has shown
us that he can make an epic film that is worth
watching, and he has done it again with Kingdom of
Heaven. The action scenes go from epic to very
personal, hand to hand combat, and are exciting and
interesting.
There is more than enough character building and
good dialog to bridge these action scenes nicely so
that they do not overwhelm. The story is
excellently told by characters that are believable.
You'll meet zealots, opportunists, brutes and people
caught up in the world around them, moved from one
encounter to another by forces outside of
themselves; you know, like the real world.
If you like the previews
and you can sit in your seat and go along with the
story presented to you, you'll have an excellent
movie experience.
|
