Ben-Hur (2016)

Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov

Written by: Lew Wallace (novel), Keith R. Clarke, & John Ridley

Starring: Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, & Rodrigo Santoro

Ben-Hur is wow. 

I usually do not like watching religious films about various Bible stories, but every time I watch them I always feel like becoming a better person. This film is no exception.

I’ll start with the negatives because there is actually only one.  The editing was a little all over the place.  In the beginning, the cuts seem randomly organized, but towards the end they become better sequenced.  I think the editor is mostly used to doing action sequences, because when it is a slow scene or a flashback, it isn’t as good as when it is fast paced.

As for the positives, there are many.  I liked the CGI because you could barely tell that it was even there, but it had to be otherwise PETA would have been involved.  The scenes with the horses were very well done and most of the time they were real. 

I also liked the symbolism and dialogue of the film.  One example is when you win against someone you love, you really lose.  Another is that everyone is a Roman in a Roman’s eyes.  And, of course, all of Jesus’ scenes. 

There are also a couple of stories that mix into each other that make up the plot.  There is the one about Jesus as well as the main one of Ben-Hur and his brother, Masala.  Actually, now that I think about it, there is also a third, the rise of the Roman Empire.

This film is very powerful and it is underrated in the media.  I recommend it…5 popcorns.