LaFountaine

“Kingdom of Heaven” Movie

On Friday, I saw the movie “Kingdom of Heaven”, which starred: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson and Jeremy Irons.

The storyline involved the following: “The Crusades were a series of religious wars in which the Christians tried to reclaim Jerusalem from the Muslims, who had conquered the Middle East in the 7th century. With the battle cry of ''God wills it!,'' thousands of Europeans answered the call and were able to retake the fabled Holy City in the 11th century. Kingdom of Heaven begins in 1186, between the Second and Third Crusades. A fragile peace prevails, mostly through the efforts of Jerusalem's enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), and the military restraint of the legendary Muslim leader Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). But it's difficult to maintain the peace. There are extremists within the Christian brigades--known as the Knights Templar--who want to wipe every Muslim off the face of the Earth. On top of that, King Baldwin's health is failing. Once he's gone, war is sure to follow. If ever there was a need for a hero, this is the time. Enter the young French blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom), who is in deep despair over the loss of his family. He joins the Crusades after the father he never knew, Godfrey (Liam Neeson), comes back from Jerusalem and convinces him it's a quest worth fighting for. As Godfrey passes his sword to his son, he also passes on that sacred knightly oath: to protect the helpless, safeguard the peace, and work toward harmony between religions and cultures, so that a kingdom of heaven can flourish on earth. No pressure or anything, though.”

I give the movie a “C+”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a small popcorn and a small soft drink. The film had a friendly treatment of the Muslims, and the battle scenes saved the movie.

posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 12:47 PM