Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)
This edition has the movie spanning two discs, but will be shipped together and treated as only one title on your ZipList.
The 194-Minute Version of the Film in an Exclusive Roadshow Presentation, with Overture, Intermission and Entr'acte!
An epic marvel that's as beautifully acted as it is visually awesome, Kingdom of Heaven stars Orlando Bloom as Balian, a Jerusalem blacksmith who has lost his family - and his faith. But when his father (Liam Neeson) shows him his destiny, Balian vows to defend his country, and in the process, falls in love, becomes a formidable leader, and steps forever into history.
Member Reviews
Perverted History - lobovic
You may wonder why I gave this film three stars when I called it perverted history. Well, it's technically excellent, the acting is of a very high calibre (no, I refuse to rant about Orlando Bloom as some others have done. So he's not Laurence Olivier or even Johnny Depp, what of it). Also, it's exciting and enjoyable to watch and the length is not problem for me.
But a historical story, especially one with such a complex theme, requires a refined director. And whatever you can say about Ridley Scott, subtlety is not his forte.
Perhaps the best way I can describe the downside of this film is that it has an overabundance of Dan Brown moments. Dan Brown, you may remember, is the perpetrator of the Da Vinci Code and other equally unappealing creations which ooze hatred of Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular, which is fine if you don't base your creations on deliberate distortions of the facts. (No, I'm not an apologist for any of the current Christian factions.)
Kingdom of Heaven is an equal distortion of what actually happened at the time of the film's story. Had Scott adhered even somewhat more closely to the facts, the film could have been even more exciting. But with Scott's distortion of the relationship between the main characters on the crusaders' side as well as the distortion of relations between Christians and Muslims at the time, the film loses much of its impact. If you're interested in what really happened, Wikipedia will give you a quick overview.
But despite the foregoing, I still recommend this film, as long as you don't see it as having much to do with truth and history. It's almost as if in James Cameron's "Titanic" the ship had rammed the iceberg instead of scraping by it and hadn't sunk. But where would that have left Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet?Beauty - PowerPipes
At first glance the three hours investment in time could be a bit daunting; this movie was absolutely worth the investment in time. Somehow this slipped by me in theatre and it would appear based on other review’s that is probably a good thing.
This extended addition has done nothing to disappoint. The set and cast delve us into a world before out time in a truly immersive way. The action and battle scenes are epic in nature, fantastic movie.Magnificient! - TheBear
Despite the fact that the ending of the story is never in doubt one is drawn deeply into a world that at first glance seems far removed from everyday modern life. The characters are the focus of this film and great care is taken to avoid the cardboard cutout roles so typical of Hollywood productions (which it is not). There are plenty of large scale action scenes, yet they serve to convey a sense of historical significance rather than to gratify the superficial. If you have ever wondered why Jerusalem has been captured and lost endless times throughout the ages, then this movie will provide a piece of the puzzle from an intimately human perspective. I was fortunate to have watched this movie in high definition Blu-Ray format. The cinematography is breathtaking. The sound and the soundtrack are first rate in content and technical quality. But would I have sat through all 194 minutes of epic storytelling using a 12" portable TV and VHS tape? Absolutely.
Member Reviews
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Perverted History - lobovic
You may wonder why I gave this film three stars when I called it perverted history. Well, it's technically excellent, the acting is of a very high calibre (no, I refuse to rant about Orlando Bloom as some others have done. So he's not Laurence Olivier or even ...Beauty - PowerPipes
At first glance the three hours investment in time could be a bit daunting; this movie was absolutely worth the investment in time. Somehow this slipped by me in theatre and it would appear based on other review’s that is probably a good thing.
This ...Magnificient! - TheBear
Despite the fact that the ending of the story is never in doubt one is drawn deeply into a world that at first glance seems far removed from everyday modern life. The characters are the focus of this film and great care is taken to avoid the cardboard cutout ...