"Kingdom of Heaven"

I'm returning today to see the movie that I viewed late last night, "Kingdom of Heaven" Which probably tells you right off that I'm a big fan of this movie...any movie that I want to see twice is a real rarity for me. (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/kingdom_of_heaven/)

What I like about this movie:

Fluidity of film scenes -- often in a big war picture, the scenes "jump" a little as the director/crew tend to overedit the film...it appears too often that one is "watching" a movie. In this movie, I completely was taken in with the action. I jumped when the blood squirted, in other words. It's not a grisly movie but I'd rate it a "7" on a "1 - 10" gross score. In short, my 17 year old would love it.

The complexities of the characters -- it would be very easy for a movie such as this to have a 'good guy' and a 'bad guy' or several of each. Truth is, with one exception, they are all hoodlums, all with their own agenda. I found myself sympathetic with characters that could be considered the 'bad' guys. I think this works better because it is more like real life -- most of us are a combination of good and evil...some of us more so.

Historical accuracy -- with a few minor exceptions, the battles are fought with time-appropriate armour, buildings and people are historical in perspective. What's more, I felt that these cinematic flourishes were supporting roles -- not characters in and of themselves -- they supported the story line well. I wasn't distracted by "wow, aren't those cool costumes!" or anything like that. Director Ridley Scott (who also directed "Gladiator") does a superb job of this in most of his films. He goes for historical accuracy but reigns it in so that the audience sees the story, not the cool gimmicks.

Most of all I empathized with the protoganists (Orlando Bloom) situation...a fallen man, in a fallen world in search of redemption. So it was a meaningful film to watch and think about.

I also now have more interest in the wars of Jerusalem. Historically, they all seem to run together and lose their impact...this film helped me remember in graphic ways the holy skirmishes that have been with us for thousands of years and how they have shaped history (and events today).

What I didn't like about this movie:

Orlando Bloom. Yes, he's a hottie but as an actor he reminds me a lot of Tom Cruise -- you see the same role just in different characters, different situations (although Tommy boy has widened his reportoire a bit lately). This role is played with almost a morbid sense of melancholy -- even the parts when he gets the girl. I'd like to see a bit more emotional range from him.

I think this movie could be a great catalyst for a discussion group among friends.