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Ben Hur has been a seminal film in the different eras in which it appeared. The 1925 silent film was produced by Irving Thalberg, Louie Mayer and Sam Goldwyn and starred Ramon Navarro and Francis X Bushman, two of the biggest stars of the time. It cost $3.9 million and was the most expensive film to that date. It was a big success at the box office and with critics.

The 1959 film was directed by William Wyler who worked on the 1925 film. As with the previous film, it was the most expensive to date ($15 million) and also had big name stars, most notably Charlton Heston. It became the second highest grossing film of all time, behind GWTW, and received high critical praise, winning an unprecedented 11 Oscars.

What about this latest version. It doesn't exactly have big name stars. Jack Huston plays Ben Hur and Toby Kebbell plays Messala. It's directed by Timur Bekmambetov who's best known for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". The box office was pretty poor, not earning back the $100 million production costs.

The film bears only slight resemblance to the book. When you consider how successful the book was, the reason to vary seems questionable.

All things considered this is a far inferior film to either the 1959 or the 1925 version. Some of the scenes are well done (sea battle, chariot race) but not to an outstanding level as the previous versions had done.

By design, this is a very ambitious project! Not only because it's a 100 million blockbuster. Would the author of the Russian "Patrols" ever dream that he would be entrusted in Hollywood to shoot "Ben-Hur"?! A biblical novel was written by American General Hugh Wallace in 1880. The first feature film was made in 1925 - the most expensive film in the history of silent films. But the Oscar-winning film adaptation of 1959, which collected a total of 11 gold figurines, became truly grandiose. It was the heyday of the peplum genre.

Reviving with Ridley Scott's Gladiator, it's on the decline again. And now Timur Bekmambetov, having taken the post of director of the new "Ben-Hur", is forced to solve the following tasks: to rehabilitate himself for the failure of the film "Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", to adequately paint his first historical canvas and, most importantly, not to repeat the classic painting by William Wyaler. Therefore, our director constantly insisted that this was not a remake, but only another adaptation of the best-selling novel. But is it?

Despite significant discrepancies with the literary source, the film resembles just the same remake, but in its own way it beats certain scenes. "In your own way" - does not mean inventive! Bekmambetov's main problem is that, trying to modernize the biblical story, he, firstly, chooses a completely inappropriate shooting style, and secondly, does not pay due attention to the "historicity" of what is happening. What are we used to seeing in peplum? Panoramic wide shots, smooth narration and lengthy scenes.

This is how the viewer sees the scale, feels epic, lives with the characters for a whole life on the screen and studies each frame in detail, full of props and scenery. A shaking camera was also used here, which created the feeling of an ongoing earthquake. What is interesting in historical films? Study the environment. But it is difficult to do this when the picture is unstable most of the time and you get into your eyes - either part of the head instead of the face, then part of the body instead of the body! A steep installation so generally sometimes disorients in space. Static panoramic shots were still present (and even with extras), but they were outrageously few.

An attempt to bring the times of Jesus Christ closer to modern realities looked extremely inappropriate. After all, this was expressed not through the idea - Christian morality (relevant at all times!), but through the subject environment. In the stylish shirts Ben-gur, in which he walked around, it would not be a shame to appear in a nightclub of the 21st century, and the dreadlocks of his mentor Ilderim (played by Morgan Freeman) still raise questions - who curled them for him? This is a kind of glamorization of archaic things and even mores. It's hard to believe the Prince of Judea (Jack Huston) and the Roman tribune (Toby Kebbell) are authentic, more like modern-day majors meeting at a party in the ancient Roman spirit. The archaism of their types is still convincing, which cannot be said about their characters. Russian dubbing also throws up riddles - for some reason, everyone calls the main protagonist Judah? But he is Judas Ben-Hur. It was impossible to come to terms with this throughout the film.

As already mentioned, Bekmambetov changed his story in relation to the novel and, in particular, to the 1959 film. The main plot has remained the same. The picture tells us about the confrontation between the two named brothers, Judas and Messala, who later became sworn enemies. One for a free Judea, the other for the rule of Rome. Innocently convicted Ben-Hur gets into the galleys and only miraculously got out of there - he is looking for an opportunity to take revenge on Messala. The background to all this is the emerging Christianity in Judea and the preaching of Jesus Christ, with whom our hero repeatedly met in the most difficult moments of his life. Bekmambetov not only distorted the plot, he also simplified it, which made the dramaturgy very lame. This is a hastily retold Wallace novel with minor additions and directorial emphasis. If in the novel Judas (Judas) overcame a crisis of faith, here he faced only one of the postulates of Christian teaching - to forgive one's neighbor. In Bekmambetov's version, he discovers in himself only an inner attachment to his brother, while the true prince of Judea connects his fate with his native people.

In general, Ben-Hur came out as a rather weak and spineless peplum.

The atmosphere is dead, the characters are flat (perhaps one of the worst images of Jesus Christ in cinema!), the pseudo-documentary style of filming, jagged editing and uneven narration create only confusion; there is no pomp and pomposity ("The Eternal City" in all its glory was never shown to us), and calm elegiac music with a guitar only lulled. The famous chariot racing scene will remain the most famous only in the picture of William Wyaler. As his film will remain famous.

Last time I watched the Ben-Hur with Charlton Heston the thought did not cross my mind that perhaps the world needed another version of the story directed by the guy who brought us Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and that weird movie where they make bullets bend.

Anyway, the Heston version is one of my favorite movies. I saw it when I was 8 and two times when I was about 20. I love it and quote it all the time.

But this is not a review of that version because (surprise!) it is not that version. This is a review of the 2016 version and I don't feel it is fair to give this movie a bad rating simply because it was an unnecessary remake. In case you are wondering, this is the sixth version of Ben-Hur.

The story follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince in Jerusalem at the time of Christ, and his adopted Roman brother Massala. They love each other but they get in the middle of an attempted assassination on a Roman leader and wind up on opposing sides. They both feel they are in the right, get in a very sticky situation, and thus begins an 5 year journey of survival, revenge, forgiveness.

I liked the movie. The chariot race was thrilling. I was worried about it because the trailer showed a scene which an obvious CGI horse running through the stands. To my delight that was the only part that really used a CGI horse (that I could tell, anyway). The rest of the race was intense even though I already knew how it was going to end.

The movie focuses very heavily on the relationship between Massala and Judah as well as Massala and the rest of the Hur family. Massala's intentions and actions were understandable and he wasn't just some evil man who betrayed his family.

The main actors and actresses do a good (not great) job. I felt Morgan Freeman may have phoned it in a little, but he delivered one of my favorite lines of the movie. My favorite actors were the slave drivers on the galley along with the drummer. They have small roles but I loved them.

I didn't care for the Jesus scenes though. He is a hard character to portray, and I just didn't like it when he spoke. I'm probably picky, but I would have preferred to hear him speak in King James English or not at all (like in the Heston version). I just felt something was off with the scenes and they could have been more powerful.

Overall, I felt it was a pretty good movie that succeeds in many aspects chiefly with the themes of revenge/forgiveness and delivers one exciting race. It's not perfect but a good movie overall.

Admittedly, re-telling the story of Ben-Hur in modern cinema seems remarkably unnecessary since the original film was already so good in it's own merit. But to say that this is a bad movie would be a lie. There are plenty of powerful moments that portray betrayal and survival with its dialogue staying engaging and competent. Convincing acting from Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell helps establish a heartfelt brotherhood of joy and sadness that shines in key moments in all three acts. Even the supporting cast does a solid job establishing the tention of the conflict at hand. A serviceable soundtrack and action set pieces build to a good climax as well. I do agree with most that Timur Bekmambetov's frequent "free style" camera control is distracting with the consistent shaking and close-up shots rob what could have been sweeping epic shots to fuel the emotions of the film better. And the way some dialogue is delivered falls flat when the passage of time or awkward pacing steals their thunder. And of course, it's worth confirming that the CGI scenes are...pretty bad at times. In the end, why fix what isn't broken? It's tough to live up to an already fantastic film, and this 2016 adaptation of Ben-Hur will likely drown in history as another "Hollywood cash-grab". But if the story of Ben-Hur resonates within your soul, this adaptation is worth at least a single view.

Nice rendition about Ben Hur , the Jew noble being sent into slavery by a Roman friend , then he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge ; including intense drama, marvelously staged battle ships and overwhelming chariot races . In A.D. 26-Jerusalem, the wealthy merchant and son of a Jewish family, Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston , John Huston's son) , enjoys a comfortable life along with his adopted brother Messala (Tony Kebbell) . However, Messala flees to Rome and it will lead to an eventual separation .Now a Roman tribune, Messala goes back ; childhood friends and brothers, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet once again but things go wrong . Nowadays , as experienced adults , this time Messala is a Roman officer , a tough conqueror against the Jews and Judah as a rich noble , though conquered , Israelite . An unexpected reunion takes place after many years with his childhood best friend , but Ben Hur soon finds, however, that his friend has changed and has become an arrogant conqueror, full of the grandeur of Rome , and it leads to fateful consequences , as Judah refuses to divulge the names of Jews who oppose Roman rule, and Messala decides to make an example of him , banishing Judah to a life of slavery and imprisonment at a galley ship. When in Jerusalem happens a Roman parade , where is wounded the ruthless governor Pontius Pilate (Pilou Asbæk ) Judah to be sent off as a galley slave , his ownership confiscated and his mother (Ayelet Zurer) and sister Tirzah (Sofia Black-D'Elia) imprisoned at an impregnable jail . But the brave Ben Hur goes on his determination to stay alive when his galleon is attacked by a Greek ship , and then , to be shipwrecked , as he becomes a castaway and escapes . Later on , Judah goes backs his homeland . Unable to locate his mummy and sister, and believing them dead , he can think of nothing else than vendetta against Messala . Judah'll finally find peace in this revolutionary and enlightened new doctrine of kindness : Christianity .

Last movie of the acclaimed novel , being lavishly produced , stars Jack Huston and Tony Kebbell as Messala . This breathtaking film concerns about a merciless vengeance , not about forgiveness, only an unforeseen and gracious act of pardon will set free the once noble prince, who is now bent on revenge, as the incendiary teachings of the Nazarene Jesus rapidly gain ground. Although I think that the the famous novel written by Lewis Wallace is mainly about forgiveness . Furthermore , it deals with a extreme rivalry between the Roman Empire and Israel , in Rome the most important values were pride, rivalry, power, strength, the dictatorship of power , while in Israel rules the religion , rebelliousness , and protests against the Roman invader . Main cast is pretty good . Jack Huston is fine in the known role as wealthy Palestinan battling the Roman Empire who finally meets his rival in a justly famous chariot race and while rescuing his suffering family. And decent acting by Tony Kebbell as the nasty Messala who sends Judah to the galleys and throws his mother and sister into prison. Support cast is frankly well , such as : Ayelet Zuret , Sofia Black , Pilou Asbæk , James Cosmo , and mention special for Morgan Freeman who does some narrating in the beginning and end of the film. The chariot race required thousands of extras on sets constructed on lots of acres of lands . The MGM production costs were massive millions of dollars , as a lot of chariots were built , with half being used for practice . The race took various weeks to film ; both , director and producer insisted that the chariot circus be built for actual, and be made with as little computer graphics imagery as possible. They felt it was absolutely necessary, to make the chariot race look and feel realistic . The known chariot scene was shot at what is now the Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, and Matera, Basilicata, Gravina di Puglia, Bari, Apulia, Italy and other scenes in Painted Canyons, Mecca Hills, California, USA . Attractive images , majestic set design , glamorous photography in brilliant color by Oliver Wood , and evocative as well as rousing musical score by Marco Beltrani , all of them combine to cast a spellbinding movie , though inferior than other versions . The motion picture was professionally made by Director Timur Bekmambetov , though with no originality , being a real flop at the box office .

Other retellings based on this vintage novel written by Lewis Wallace are the followings : Silent version by Fred Niblo with Ramon Novarro , Francis X Bushman , that still stands as the all-time silent classic ; it packs impressive scenes that still look nice , in spite of age and in 1931 , a shortened version was released .The classic version ¨Ben-Hur¨ won a record 11 Oscars , this recounting of the story is 87 minutes longer than the 2016 version , directed by William Wyler with Charlton Heston , Stephen Boyd , Haya Harareet , Jack Hawkins , Sam Jaffe , Finlay Currie , Martha Scott , Cathy O'Donnell , in which stuntman Cliff Lyons worked a Stuntman/chariot driver in both versions : 1925 and 1959 ; it ranked as the most expensive movie of its time and took years to end ; it is one of the greatest films in the genre "Epic". Ben-Hur still stands as the all-time silent classic . And cartoon version (2003) by Bill Kowalchuck with prologue by Charlton Heston and ¨Ben-Hur¨ TV series by Steven Shrill with Joseph Morgan , Stephen Campbell Moore , Kristen Krouk , Simon Andreu and Lucia Jimenez