Ben-Hur

Parental Rating: PG-13

Contains: Violence    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens August 19, 2016

Runs 124 minutes

Two brothers, Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), from a prominent Jewish family, and his adopted Roman brother Messala Severus (Toby Kebbell) grow up together, roaming the countryside and racing their horses. They are best friends until unrest begins to brew in Jerusalem. Zealots are rising up against Roman rule while Jesus (Rodrigo Santoro) preaches peace and love. Messala no longer feels welcome among his Jewish family and leaves to join the Roman army. When Judah is falsely accused of treason, Messala orders Judah to serve on a slave ship and his family is taken away by the soldiers. After years of brutality, Judah finally makes his way home only to learn that his family is gone. With the help of a nomadic African (Morgan Freeman), Judah enters the chariot races to seek revenge on his brother. However, revenge turns to redemption as Jesus is crucified on the cross.

This movie has not received the most favorable reviews so I was prepared for the worst. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I have seen the original 1959 version but it was ages ago. This felt fresh and new to me. I thought the acting was great. It was beautifully filmed. It was more like an action movie than a Biblical epic but it still worked. The final chariot race was spectacular. And, Jesus was in the movie and portrayed in a positive and seemingly accurate light. I think the Christian audience will be happy with this film. Other moviegoers should be satisfied with the story of revenge and redemption, with some great action scenes. There is a lot of violence but it was appropriate for the movie. I would definitely recommend this film. Go see it!

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