zeki-4
Joined Nov 2006
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zeki-4's rating
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zeki-4's rating
I have never been a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro's twisted and gothic tales, but I had high hopes for this, because I read several places that this is the ultimate and best take on the Frankenstein story.
It's not.
The production value is huge and the movie is very beautiful to look at. But since I am a story-guy, that honor still goes to Kenneth Branagh's version from 1994, where Robert De Niro - in a standout role - played a much more human and haunted soul. In Guillermo del Toro's version you are simply not as emotionally invested in the characters.
Making the monster immortal, who can heal after being shot and blown up, is probably going to attract the Marvel-crowd. For me - it was a turn off.
It's not.
The production value is huge and the movie is very beautiful to look at. But since I am a story-guy, that honor still goes to Kenneth Branagh's version from 1994, where Robert De Niro - in a standout role - played a much more human and haunted soul. In Guillermo del Toro's version you are simply not as emotionally invested in the characters.
Making the monster immortal, who can heal after being shot and blown up, is probably going to attract the Marvel-crowd. For me - it was a turn off.
This is Ridley Scott's finest hour. Made only a couple of years after 'Gladiator', 'Kingdom of Heaven' (directors cut) expands his vision, bringing the ultimate epic of the crusades.
The movie centers on the third crusade and the battle of Jerusalem, but it is much more than your typical sword and sandal movie with cool scenes of fighting and war.
Where this movie succeeds especially is in its characters. The young protagonist Balian, played by Orlando Bloom in the peak of his career, was in fact a real character, charged with the defense of Jerusalem in 1187. Of course he is heavily fictionalized here, but his quest of finding true faith, and challenging faith, no matter if you are a christian or a muslim, is the foundation for the whole movie.
Also worth mentioning is Edward Norton's uncredited role as the masked king of Jerusalem, trying to keep the peace between him and the muslim leader, Saladin. He gets some of the best lines of dialogue in the movie. A very memorable performance.
Many have pointed out that 'Kingdom of Heaven', is the best example there is of "see the director's cut'. However, Sergio Leones 'Once upon a Time in America' still holds that crown. But there really shouldn't be any reason to watch any other version than the director's cut of 'Kingdom of Heaven'. Unless you are 14 and just want to skip to the 'cool stuff'. For me, the whole movie felt sort of flat and rushed, when I saw in the theatre back in 2005. The director's cut turned it into an epic, because character motivation becomes much more clear, which is needed when dealing with a complicated topic and story. It is needed if you want to feel some thing as an audience.
The movie centers on the third crusade and the battle of Jerusalem, but it is much more than your typical sword and sandal movie with cool scenes of fighting and war.
Where this movie succeeds especially is in its characters. The young protagonist Balian, played by Orlando Bloom in the peak of his career, was in fact a real character, charged with the defense of Jerusalem in 1187. Of course he is heavily fictionalized here, but his quest of finding true faith, and challenging faith, no matter if you are a christian or a muslim, is the foundation for the whole movie.
Also worth mentioning is Edward Norton's uncredited role as the masked king of Jerusalem, trying to keep the peace between him and the muslim leader, Saladin. He gets some of the best lines of dialogue in the movie. A very memorable performance.
Many have pointed out that 'Kingdom of Heaven', is the best example there is of "see the director's cut'. However, Sergio Leones 'Once upon a Time in America' still holds that crown. But there really shouldn't be any reason to watch any other version than the director's cut of 'Kingdom of Heaven'. Unless you are 14 and just want to skip to the 'cool stuff'. For me, the whole movie felt sort of flat and rushed, when I saw in the theatre back in 2005. The director's cut turned it into an epic, because character motivation becomes much more clear, which is needed when dealing with a complicated topic and story. It is needed if you want to feel some thing as an audience.
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