The phrase ‘bigger than Ben-Hur’ dates back to the famous
1959 version starring Charlton Heston. The chariot race is the most celebrated
scene in the biblical epic which various versions have tried to emulate.
Based on the 1880 Lew Wallace novel, ‘Ben-Hur’ has reached cinema/TV screens
six times over the last century, including this latest version. With CGI
being as dazzling as they are, ‘Ben-Hur’ uses it to beef up many action
scenes. But is this ‘Ben-Hur’ bigger than the previous one? On
evidence, that would be no due to script problems and acting making this less
than enormous.
Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) is a prince falsely accused of
treason by his ambitious brother Messala (Toby Kebbell). A Roman army
officer, Messala banishes Judah from his country. Years after tolling as
a slave on sea vessels, Judah returns to seek revenge. Stronger and more
determined to undo Messala’s corrupt ways, they accept the challenge of a
furious chariot race to decide the ultimate victor.
Whilst it would be unfavourable to compare this to the 1959
version, ‘Ben-Hur’ suffers from its shadow. The action sequences and
battles are suitably grand with the pacing flipping through the story at brisk
speed. Therein lies the issue as ‘Ben-Hur’ feels too condensed to do the
story justice. Characterisation is only briefly tackled with the focus on
spectacle more evident. The best of the roles belongs to Kebbell as
Messala who shows more charisma than the bland lead. Messala elicits more
sympathy than Ben-Hur which shouldn’t be the case.
The awkward blending of religious themes amongst the
high-gloss action scenes jars. Drifting from bloody battles to seeing
Jesus Christ help his followers creates a tonal imbalance from which the script
never escapes. It’s difficult fully believing in events because the
crucial epic-feel of the tale are missing. It’s strange how current
remakes forget to inject vitality and magnetic characters into the narrative.
This detracts to the reason why a remake should exist with the temptation to
just watch a better previous version surely paramount.
Despite succeeding in its own version of the chariot race,
‘Ben-Hur’ is a largely forgettable affair. The uneven direction,
generally poor acting and clichéd story-telling fail to justify its
existence. Movies should be made right the first time with the Charlton
Heston version remaining the one to watch.
Movie Review Rating out of 10: 4
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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