Review of Ben-Hur

I first saw Ben-Hur three years ago. I was really unimpressed. It seemed very long. The ending seemed weird.

I am pleased to say that this viewing was much different. I think it had a lot to do with expectations. During the opening credits of Ben-Hur, a legend reads, "A Tale of Christ". Yes, this is a Christian movie. If you watch Ben-Hur not understanding this you will be unprepared for the ending, which is miraculous rather than the direct result of Judah Ben-Hur's actions, and it may seem sudden or confusing. Perhaps another reason I disliked the movie the first time I saw it was that I had just watched the Passion of the Christ, which is an awful, bloodthirsty movie. I was feeling very spiritually raw from watching it, and the religious stuff in Ben-Hur rubbed me the wrong way. In any case, I really liked it this time I watched it.

The scope of the movie is huge. The "cast of thousands" gives the viewer the impression that they are watching something really special. The chariot race is really fantastic, and so is a sea-battle between Romans and a pirate fleet. Even Charleton Heston is tolerable in the role of Ben-Hur, giving an especially shiny performance. The soundtrack is cool, and I especially like Jesus' theme. All-in-all, you can sense how much love went into the making of this flick. Everybody involved really wanted it to be something special. And it is.

Is it too long? Maybe. There are many over-long glances and head-hangings while muted violins wallow in misery on the soundtrack. I'd suspect the movie could lose a half-hour if the director had been willing to make the dialogue a bit more snappy.

So if you have an evening to spare and the willingness to make popcorn several times, sit down and watch this one. At the very least, you'll be entertained the first time you see somebody get trampled in the chariot race.

4 out of 5 Stars of David