Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of Heaven- Orlando Bloom. Photo: http://lightscamerahistory.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/kingdomheavenposter.jpg
1184. Blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom) is not a happy man. He has recently lost his kid, and his wife has committed suicide, not being able to bear the death of their child. Moreover he has to listen to the town’s priest (Michael Sheen), who goes on and on about how his wife is in hell. But his life completely changes when he meets his father for the first time. The absent father is Lord of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), and he is there to take Balian with him. At first Balian is unwilling but circumstances force him to go. From then on, he learns a lot from his father. He will also need to prepare himself to take his father’s place. He now doesn’t even have the time to grieve- he has to be a knight, a worthy lord, deal with Prince Guy (Marton Csokas)
who absolutely despises him, travel to Jerusalem…
Kingdom of Heaven. As glorious as an epic should be. Written by William Monahan. Directed by Ridley Scott. Photo: http://images.allmoviephoto.com
Balian’s journey is exciting and never dull for a second. In Jerusalem, he easily makes friends with the Marshall Tiberias (Jeremy Irons) and earns the trust of King Baldwin (Edward Norton). He also intrigues and attracts, Sibylla (Eva Green)- The King’s sister- who also happens to be Guy’s wife. Not to mention, Guy is thirsty for blood and is dying to fight the Muslims- much against the will of the King.
I love a good old battle scene. Well, what did you expect? My favorite movie ever is an epic war flick, Braveheart. Photo: http://film.com.tr/resim/filmler/kingdomofheaven
This movie is a really good example on how an epic should be. It has all the complications and the amazing battle scenes. It has the peace-loving villager-turned lord-who doesn’t let go of his virtues, even though it might cost him dearly. Orlando Bloom fits Balian perfectly and the rest of the cast is simply brilliant.
Fun Stuff:
Liam Neeson only appears in the first 25 minutes or so.
Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson in Kingdom of Heaven. Father and son bonding moment. Cool for Bloom. Those sword-fighting lessons from Pirates of The Caribbean must have come in handy.Photo: http://www.thecinemasource.com/moviesdb/
King Baldwin has leprosy. So you never see Edward Norton’s face. But it is fun to have him nevertheless.
Edward Norton in Kingdom of Heaven. Yep, this is how Edward Norton looks throughout all his scenes. For all we know, he could have recorded his voice. Just kidding. It is always nice to have him in a movie. Even when you don't see him.Photo:http://www.cinecultist.com/archives/koh.jpg
The (only) leading female is Sibylla, played by the gorgeous Eva Green.
Trust me, this picture doesn't do her justice at all. She is simply radiantly beautiful in this cool epic from 2005. Photo: http://www.atoww.com/wallpapers/2005/kingdom-of-heaven/
There is also Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) from Grey’s Anatomy, plays one of Liam Neeson’s soldiers.
Yes, I admit I went back to watching Grey's Anatomy after Kevin's Owen livened up the show. I was pissed off that they had gotten rid of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character for the second time. But finally there is another passionate and fun gPuy. Photo: http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/67/45/99/18982705.jpg
Brendan Gleeson plays exactly looks like his character in Braveheart- where he played Hamish, Wallace’s best mate. Although here, he is pretty much the bad guy.
This is Brendan in Braveheart. One of the good guys.
Brendan Gleeson in Kingdom of Heaven. Apart from 10 year gap between the films, he is instantly recognizable and reminded me of Hamish. Here, he does a great job as a mean bastard. Photo: http://www.filmdope.com/Gallery/ActorsG/6628-26576.gif
Reasons to see:
- You mean apart from Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton, Orlando Bloom and Eva Green?
- Director is Ridley Scott- who also directed Gladiator, Body of Lies, American Gangster, White Squall and Thelma and Luis.
- Good script, good acting, wonderful direction and pretty cool battle scenes.
- If you are not convinced yet, I am giving up.
Cons:
- I didn’t see any, but you might be bothered by the stuff that is not historically accurate.
- Why have Edward Norton play a character with leprosy in the first place? But being the cool and interesting guy that he is, it was Edward who specifically requested that role. Let’s keep fingers crossed that he does star in an epic one day, with his face showing…
- If you do hate Orlando Bloom and think he can’t act, obviously you will get annoyed watching him for 144 minutes. Or for 190 minuted in Director’s Cut.
Yep, a lot of Orlando Bloom. He is pretty good, though. He carries his role with grace and innonce. Photo: http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/movie/kingdomofheaven
My biases: Love the whole cast and I am a big fan of Ridley Scott. White Squall (starring Jeff Bridges) is one of my favorite movies ever and I am yet to dislike anything Ridley worked on.
IMDB verdict: 7.1
My verdict: 7.8- 8.0
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I still have not seen this movie! Maybe this weekend I will rent it out. Thank you.
You should. It is so much fun- especially if you are into epics, Orlando Bloom or Ridley Scott movies. Glorious entertainment;)
well written post…..i really enjoyed the movie when i watched for the first time and last week i watched the director’s cut version and realized it is a very good movie indeed.:) And by the way, the soundtrack is amazing….i know that kind of music is not your cup of tea but still in my opinion it is one of the best soundtracks ever (maybe second best after Vangelis’ 1492). Natacha Atlas contributes to the soundtrack with her velvet voice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CaDaSPzA1w).
Glad you liked the movie and the post. As an epic addict, I had a lot of fun watching this one and I have always loved a cast filled with actors I love.
The soundtrack is really good and the songs really work wonderfully within the context of the movie. While watching, I never for a second thought it wasn’t my cup of tea. But I guess I should give it a chance without the movie. See how I really feel about it.