appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Mathew Scott

Starring: Orlando Bloom,  Jeremy Irons, Eva Green, Marton Csokas

Director: Ridley Scott

Category: IIB

Given his track record, it comes as little surprise that director Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven is a visual treat. Scott's films have  set the visual template for the genres he's tackled - from science fiction (Alien and Blade Runner) to road movie/chick flick (Thelma  and Louise). And he breathed life into the sandal  epic Gladiator just when we thought it had sheathed its last sword.

So, Kingdom of Heaven is leaps and bound ahead of the likes of the recent Troy or Alexander in terms  of  images  - the battle scenes and use of CGI to create a living, breathing ancient world. But, like those  two films, Kingdom of Heaven falls on its face in the drama department and, on occasion, borders on  the downright silly.

The story follows young Balian (Orlando Bloom), a grieving blacksmith who's drawn to Jerusalem  by his crusading father, Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson).  Our hero rises remarkably through the ranks to become confidant of the Christian king Baldwin IV (Edward Norton wearing a mask) and - without giving away too much - the city's last hope when it's faced with the might of the Muslim hordes, led by their king, Saladin (Ghassan Massoud).

Problems arise firstly with  Balian, who jumps from humble blackie to master swordsman, military genius, agricultural ground-breaker and  people's champion without any clue  to where or how the skills needed for these accomplishments were attained. Maybe we can blame Bloom. He doesn't  cut it as a leading man.  His speeches lack the emotional depth and power needed to make us  truly believe he could be a leader of men.

The supporting cast are mainly caricatures - David Thewlis  plays a hammy priest, Jeremy Irons looks lost, the bad guys on the good guy's side mince about spitting their words, and the mysterious love interest for Bloom (Eva Green) simply looks happy that she gets to have her (beef)cake and eat it, too.

There's a message about religion and us all being like each other buried deep down there someplace. But, like Balian's mysterious powers, you'll never really get to the bottom of what it's all about.

Ultimately, Kingdom of Heaven is a film with no soul, featuring a leading man who fails to fill the screen.



Kingdom of Heaven