This week’s mandated re-boot is an epic of microscopic proportions. A retelling of the biblical story Ben Hur, a Jewish prince living in ancient Jerusalem whose story shares some parallels with some carpenter dude named Jesus.
Full disclosure: I am an agnostic who has never seen the classic Chuck Heston version from 1959. I have very little frame of reference of the accuracy of what has been presented here. So please understand my ignorance as I state that Ben Hur is like the bible version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. A story going on in the background as Jesus pisses off those horrid Romans.
Here’s the short it. There is a scene in Ben Hur that is right up there as best action scene of the year. And it ain’t the chariot race [more on that in 8 seconds]. It is a scene where our buddy Ben is trapped in the galley of Roman ship during an intense at sea battle. Director Timur Bekmambetov is at his best when focused on the visual and it is this scene that his talent is fully executed. For me, this scene alone makes the film worth seeing in the theater.
As for that chariot race, it is pretty good. Cast and crew shot their version of the famous scene over the course of weeks and relied as little on computer graphics as possible. It is an impressive piece of adrenaline cinema but does not drop the jaw as the galley scene does.
That is about it for the film. Two worthy scenes back-dropped by a lot of hammy drama. The actors are serviceable but nothing rises to the top. After the horses stomp around in the race, the film has very little to offer despite the fact that it centers on the death of a messiah and true redemption. This is rushed and hollow and brings very little resonance, making this week’s re-boot a mediocre action film instead of a spiritual one.
