Ben-Hur, a Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, is the fifth adaptation of the novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and is a remake of the classic 1959 Oscar winning film of the same name. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, this epic historical film follows the story of the Roman Empire’s attempts to seize Jerusalem and the ultimate message of love and forgiveness being all the more powerful than acts of brutality and hatred.
The film introduces us to the characters of Jewish Prince, Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston,) and his Roman adopted brother, Messala (Toby Kebbell). Despite being of different nationalities and religions, the brothers hold a deep sense of connection to each other and are inseparable. However, Messala’s feelings of being an outcast in his own home and his longing to repay the family who took him in and gave him everything, led to his departure to join the Roman army.
Returning years later as a decorated Roman Captain, Messala’s insecurity and desperate need to remove himself from his grandfather’s reputation as a deserter, leads him to accuse his brother Judah and his family of treason, sentencing Judah to a long life of servitude in the galleys of the Roman army.
The film’s plot essentially follows old Biblical tales and is not unlike other stories in which two brothers are pitted against each other. Living as a slave, Judah’s hatred for his brother grows and is motivated to seek justice for his mother and sister, whom he believes to be dead. After years of slavery, his eventual escape leads him to an African gambler (Morgan Freeman) who teaches him how to race chariots, urging him to seek justice by hurting Messala’s pride rather than killing him, in a Roman circus chariot race, watched by hundreds and thousands.
The way in which Judah falls from his position as royalty and Messala grows to become a trusted officer of the Roman Emperor illustrates the anguish and struggle the two brothers face in the choices they have made. The way in which Messala is portrayed makes it easy to hate him and brand him as the true traitor and deserter, for leaving his family and persecuting them. On the other hand, Judah is portrayed as the mighty hero, rising from the ashes, as he learns to fight the anger and betrayal through seeing the kindness and forgiving actions of the local carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth.
Despite my initial lack of faith in the film, I was pleasantly surprised by how much the story appealed to me. The horrific acts of torture, brutality and pure force executed by the Romans helps to illustrate the film’s main message, that of love of forgiveness being much more effective. As a history buff and someone who thoroughly enjoys ancient ruins, Ben-Hur kept me glued to the screen. However, despite being a film that I enjoyed watching, it certainly did lack the pizazz and true quality of the 1959 film. Perhaps it was the pacing of the film, perhaps it was the over-exaggeration of drama, either way, there was certainly room for improvement.
An aspect of the film that I found both entertaining and disappointing is that of the chariot race. The event was posed as the climax of the film, and is as thrilling and exciting as a car race, with the sense of anticipation and suspense over who will win. Whilst the chariot race scene was executed well, the question of why Judah was the only one with a coach did arise. Similarly, the immediate scenes after the chariot race and the end of the film felt incredibly lack-lustre and dull. It was an ending that left me incredibly dissatisfied.
Despite the ending though, Ben-Hur as a whole did prompt me to read more about the history behind the tale and led me to a more refined interest in Jesus’ life and death. As a film, it was a decent watch and one I would possibly re-watch one day. Just not anytime soon.
