[yasr_overall_rating]
The epic story of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the Roman army. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but finds redemption.
The new incarnation of “Ben-Hur” will likely be compared to its 1959 predecessor and while that film is held by many in high esteem, let’s not kid ourselves, Charlton Heston was by no means a bona fide actor, movie star and screen icon, most definitely, but actor? Not so much. Fake background facades could emote better than Mr. Heston and that was on a good day. But in all fairness, he had an uncanny knack of picking good projects in which he surrounded himself with great actors and storylines (“Planet of the Apes,” “Earthquake,” “Soylent Green,” and “The Omega Man”). With the new re-make getting ready to hit movie theaters, word of mouth is not too good but that depends on who you listen to. Is the film cheesy? Yes. Is it cringe-worthy? In parts. Does the chariot race measure up to that of the original? I would say an astounding yes. Many of today’s movies have been dumbed down because Hollywood feels that as moviegoers, we are not too bright and that we need everything explained to us so you can’t put all the blame on the filmmakers, after all, they are just doing their job and trying to tell the best story they can, working within the confines the studio “suits” have given them and as an independent filmmaker for over 30 years, believe me, I know what that feels like.
The new movie pretty much follows the original verbatim. Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) is a wealthy prince who lives in Jerusalem. Many years ago, his family adopted a young orphan boy, Messala Severus (Toby Kebbell), and the two boys have grown up together, inseparable. Years later, Messala leaves home to join to Roman Empire. Years go by and when he returns home, he is the new commander of the Roman garrison. Messala believes very strongly in the power of Rome and its imperial authority but Judah is an advocate for his faith and in keeping the Jewish people free. When Messala asks Judah to talk to the people of Jerusalem, to allow a parade through the streets, honoring the new governor of Judea, and for it to occur without incident, Judah reluctantly does so but on the day, a zealot tries to attack the governor with an arrow and because he materialized from Judah’s rooftop, he and his family are accused of treason by Messala and Judah is sentenced to the galleys while his mother and sister are sentenced to death.
After many years at sea, Judah’s ship is obliterated by Macedonian pirates, where he manages to escape from his natatory prison only to wind up as a slave for Sheik Ilderim (Morgan Freeman), a rich and wealthy Arab who races chariots for money. As time goes by, Judah proves a natural with horses and after restoring one of Ilderim’s sick stallions back to health, Ilderim offers him the opportunity to get back at Rome for what they did to him and his family, by racing for him. He tells Judah that by defeating Rome in their very own arena, he will beset them with a shame they will not soon forget. Judah only accepts when he realizes that he will be competing against Rome’s top commander: Messala Severus. With time running out, Ilderim teaches Judah everything he knows, just in time for the two brothers to face each other, in an arena where only the winner survives.
Director Timur Bekmambetov, best known for the outrageously fun and overly exaggerated flicks “Night Watch,” “Day Watch,” “Wanted,” and “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” here tones down his stylized and superfluous approach and concentrates more on story and character development. The other aspect that makes his “Ben-Hur” a towering achievement, is the fact that he shoots most of the film practically, with less reliance on CGI and computer effects, and more dependence on plausibility and creditableness. In one scene early on in the film, we see a formation of Roman soldiers on horseback that seems to extend for miles and while most other filmmakers would have substituted the majority of them for CGI soldiers, here, they are real. And most of the locations were shot for real too. Instead of utilizing a green screen backdrop that would later be replaced by a fake background, Bekmambetov chose instead to shoot in places like Matera, Basilicata, Italy, and Gravina di Puglia, Bari, Apulia, Italy, giving the movie more of an authentic and legitimate feel.
Of course the standout scene, just like the original, is the chariot race. And just like the majority of the film, it is also shot for real, with only a small handful of CGI shots inserted into an otherwise exciting, thrilling, and absolutely astonishing tournament that pits rival against rival, and brother against brother. The cast does fine but occasionally they are let down by some overly-sentimental dialogue that not even Meryl Streep could have saved. “Ben-Hur” is a homage to the old-fashioned epics that were produced during Hollywood’s golden age and while it may not live up to that era’s expectations, by God it is a worthy effort.
In theaters Friday, August 19th
