TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

Kingdom of Heaven/Crusaders [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


Our Price: £13.62 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

It's hard to believe Ridley Scott's handsome epic won't become the cinematic touchstone of the Crusades for years to come. Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the sum of its parts, delivering a vital, mostly engrossing tale following Balian (Orlando Bloom), a lonely French blacksmith who discovers he's a noble heir and takes his father's (Liam Neeson) place in the center of the universe circa 1184: Jerusalem. Here, grand battles and backdoor politics are key as Scott and first-time screenwriter William Monahan fashion an excellent storyline to tackle the centuries-long conflict. Two forward-thinking kings, Baldwin (Edward Norton in an uncredited yet substantial role) and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), hold an uneasy truce between Christians (who hold the city) and Muslims while factions champ at the bit for blood. There are good and evildoers on both sides, with the Knights Templar taking the brunt of the blame; Balian plans to find his soul while protecting Baldwin and the people.

The look of the film, as nearly everything is from Scott, is impressive: his CGI-infused battle scenes rival the LOTR series and, with cinematographer John Mathieson, create postcard beauty with snowy French forests and the vast desert (filmed in Morocco and Spain). An excellent supporting cast, including Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis, also help make the head and heart of the film work. Many critics pointed out that Bloom doesn't have the gravitas of Russell Crowe in the lead (then again, who does?), but it's the underdeveloped character and not the actor that hurts the film and impacts its power. Balian isn't given much more to do than be sullen and give an occasional big speech, alongside his perplexing abilities for warfare tactics and his wandering moral compass (whose sole purpose seems to be to put a love scene in the movie). Note: all the major characters except Neeson's are based on fact, but many are heavily fictionalized. --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com


A great film : only region A (not all region !)
Review date: 2008-04-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

A version which makes that forget, absolutely, taken out in cinema, thanks to these additional 45 minutes which make a big film of Kingdom of Heaven. Warning in future purchasers: contrary to what is written on this site, this version is useful only in zone A.

Similar Products

Reviews


Average at best .... dissapointing for a Ridley Scott film.
Review date: 2008-03-07 Rating: 6 out of 10

Ridley Scott is my favourite director but he has failed to deliver here. Orlando Bloom isnt convincing in the leading role and fails to carry the film. I liked the fact that Ridley Scott tries to keep neutral in this film and doesnt make a simplistic movie where the christians are the good guys and the Muslims are the bad. Instead he opts to be more complex but sadly doesnt pull it off.

History tells us that if anyone was the invading bad guys ... it was the Crusaders. Their cruelty to the Muslims still echoes to this day. Admirably, Ridley Scott touches on this.

... Still, this movie is just average in every way.

Really enjoyed it
Review date: 2008-02-25 Rating: 8 out of 10

I really enjoyed this film. It's no cinematic masterpiece although, as mentioned by others, some of the cinematography is outstanding. The acting is generally good and, although there are a few too many "worthy" speeches and it's all a bit preposterously left-wing, it's an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday night.

It's a good old fashioned historical "epic" with some 21st centuary gloss.

Poor Poor Poor
Review date: 2008-02-18 Rating: 2 out of 10

I didnt know what to expect from this film - but liking films like Gladiator, troy, lotr and others i was willing to give it a go.

good things - there are some good settings and nice cinematography.

bad things - the actors mumble their way through a far too wordy and speech ridden dialougue.

bloom is such an unconvincing lead man and his speech at the end is laughable.

the action scenes despite the blood and violence just dont seem exciting.

its far too long.

there is no point in Eva Green's character at all.

there is no chracterisation - i didnt care for any of the people in the film

the ending is terrible - why waste so many peoples lives to give up at the end?? where's the heorism in that?

it misses out on some key opportunities for action/epic/war films - in that it all you see of a shipwreck in the begining is orlando washed up the shore - and the big battle between the muslims and christians is built up - then all you see of it is the bodies afterwards.

we watch these movies not for an accurate history lesson - or conflicts between religions - if we want to see this we can turn on the news and see the horrible reality of it for real - these movies are to provide a spectacle and i dont believe that this movie delivers on many ways that its peers does.

if you like watching orlando bloom then you'll like it - but believe me there are long, long periods where neither the plot is developed nor are there any actions scenes.

Nothing spectacular, but okay to watch
Review date: 2008-02-02 Rating: 4 out of 10

Cinematically fairly strong, with some good camera shots here and there finding some good vistas and exploiting the panoramic opportunities on offer. Other than this and some involving battle scenes, the narrative was a bit wobbly, the screenplay a bit wooly as was the general theme. In fact it was severely handicapped by a rather righteous and liberal leaning stance that looked every bit 21st century and not one tincy bit 12th century. Well, a lot of people expected this is what we'd get, and they were right. It is watchable, but you'd probably have to have a specific reason, such as an interest in the subject to really want to watch it.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Orlando Bloom
Michael Sheen
Martin Hancock
Eva Green
Liam Neeson

Creators:
Orlando Bloom (Primary Contributor)
Eva Green (Primary Contributor)
Branko Lustig (Producer)
Bruce Devan (Producer)
Denise O'Dell (Producer)
Henning Molfenter (Producer)
José Luis Escolar (Producer)
Karim Abouobayd (Producer)
William Monahan (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Fox Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
EAN: 0024543254393
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC,
Release date: 2006-07-25
Universal product code (UPC): 024543254393
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 145 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2005-05-06
Language: Arabic (Original Language)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: German (Original Language)

Add to Cart

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional