Concept-wise, this strangely-refreshing interweave of Ben-Hur’s story to Jesus’ life has the potential to work out just fine. Director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) acknowledges the pressure of living up to the 1959 Academy-Award winning classic by starting the film with a flash-forward of the iconic chariot scene, hinting us on the blood sport to come. (FYI, I haven’t seen the original 3.5-hour film so there’ll be no point of comparison in this article). From there, I perceive that Ben-Hur wants to be a serviceable Hollywood remake. When it gets to the point when the main storyline nears to an end, it suddenly unwraps its true agenda: Ben-Hur wants to preach. There’s nothing wrong with that. I personally prefer films with message, no matter how overt they can be at times. But it’s drastic and disappointing end, makes the religious theme feel shoe-horned. Ben-Hur takes a while to get its proper footing and when it does, it picks up the pace in an increasing momentum only to stumble upon reaching the finish line.
To be fair, I bought the brotherhood love and the political difference that caused the gash between Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) and his adopted Roman brother Messala (Toby Kebbell). Judah’s arc is a quest for vengeance. Falsely accused of treason by his own step-bother, the Jewish prince returns from his five-year exile to challenge Messala in a sport where killing is allowed and vengeance can be coated with grandeur – the chariot racing. On the other hand, Messala is not a single note evil character. He betrays his foster family because of his loyalty to Governor Pontius Pilate (Philip Asbaek) and his desire to earn his own name. These are fully-fleshed characters and both actors are committed to their roles (they sometimes even make up for the weak dialogue). Hence, the story of brothers turning back against each other is already a strong material.
However, it’s difficult to say that removing the Jesus subplot will make this film better and more focused. Will Ben-Hur still be Ben-Hur without Christ on it? I don’t think so. I actually didn’t mind that Jesus’s role here is more of a phantom figure – Jesus (Rodrigo Santoro) crosses Judah’s path a few times to spout some biblical passages and enact moments from the Gospel. This is no secret so don’t go berserk on me: In the film, Jesus gets crucified on the cross. From there, it is revealed that His significance to Judah’s story is to quench him from his thirst for revenge and turn this tale of suffering into a tale of forgiveness. Am I supposed to feel awed in witnessing a mini-remake of Passion of the Christ or am I supposed to feel awed because Judah’s “healing” feels earned? It fails to convince on a plot-perspective. The resolution between Judah and Mesalla is even harder to swallow. The last minute change of heart or say, “miracle” here happens in a snap of a finger. Ben… huh?
Of course, I’m not going to leave Morgan Freeman unmentioned in this review. Demoted from his usual role of God, Freeman is yet again taking questionable roles here. He plays Ilderim, an African trader who frees Judah from slavery. Wearing silver dreadlocks throughout the film, it looks like he’s about to prank someone. It even gets more laughable during the chariot scene where he yells instructions to Judah, the latter seems to hear him amidst the sound of galloping horses, somersaulting chariots and a ferocious crowd.
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Ben-Hur certainly boasts its climatic and violent chariot race scene but I would say that I’m particularly more impressed with the galley scene. “This ship is your body! That drum is your heartbeat! And your god is the glory of Rome!” yells a torturer as he whips the backs of Judah and his co-slaves. This event which transpires for five years is deftly-condensed within minutes without sacrificing any dramatic tension. The transformation of a wide-eyed prince into a weathered and experienced slave is one of the pivotal moments for Judah. Enter a sea skirmish and we see fire arrows shot and oil tars dripping, then down to the moment when Judah and the slaves are dragged underwater shackled to each other. That, I believe, is an excellently-directed scene.
Ben-Hur is not entirely a bad film. I am appalled by some of the critic reviews that I read online, calling this movie “soulless” and “empty” when clearly it is not. There’s vengeance, hope, despair, resilience, forgiveness, humility, etc. The fault of Ben-Hur lies on its misguided ambitions which led to its terrible ending. It’s unfortunate that this movie flopped big time on the box-office, despite its strong appeal for Christian movie-goers. Maybe Jesus can resurrect this picture with immense DVD sales around Christmas and Easter season for the years to come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLJdzky63BA
