Movie Reviews

Kingdom of Heaven (10/11/2005)

May 3, 2005

Rated R for strong violence and epic warfare

Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Thelma and Louise, GI Jane,…)

Starring Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson

Let’s face it . . . there is nothing politically correct about the Crusades. So Kingdom of Heaven took on a daunting task: Try to salvage a hero out of the story of the Crusades. And from which side?

During the 12th century Crusades, the Christians controlled Jerusalem, and the Muslims wanted it back. Balian of Ibelin (Orlando Bloom), a young “Christian” blacksmith who had just lost his wife and child, follows his father (Liam Neeson) to war to defend Jerusalem, hoping to earn forgiveness for himself and his wife who was “doomed to hell” for committing suicide, mourning the loss of their baby. Once in Jerusalem, Balian, a great warrior and respectable knight, quickly earns favor with the dying king, and disfavor with the king-to-be (de ja vu . . . Ridley Scott’s Gladiator). Jerusalem’s troublemakers succeed in provoking the wrath of the Muslims, and soon Balian must lead his people, protecting them from foreign invaders.

Although this film would have won audience 10 years ago . . . most people will probably wait for the rental in 2005. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the film, but it has several elements working against it.

One:

Two: how many epic battle films can one take? Braveheart, Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, Attack of the Clones, The Last Samurai, Troy, The Alamo, Alexander . . . the first few were really good . . . but now? Yawn.

Three: the film is a little slow and confusing in parts. Scott had to edit a 200 minute running time down to the 145 minutes (that’s 2 and a half hours!) that audiences will see on May 6th. I’ve got nothing against long films (some of my favorites: Heat, 171 minutes,Shawshank Redemption, 142 minutes, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, 201 minutes), but Kingdom of Heaven drags on in a few spots.

That being said, the film wasn’t all that bad—it just came out 10 years too late. The battle scenes are really good, and the film delivers several likable heroes that audiences will love. And the writers were keen enough to give audiences an objective view of the leaders on both sides of the battle lines. People will walk away from the film liking characters from each side . . . a necessary element in today’s volatile world.

But will the “objectivity” make some people mad? Good question . . .

Will Christians like it?
In his book A Case for Faith, Lee Strobel lists the Crusades as one of the biggest objections people have to believing in a loving God. How could a loving God let His people kill and oppress others in His name?

And let’s face it, Jesus is far from politically correct. How can a God who says, “I am the only way” be popular in a pluralistic, universalistic, ultra-tolerant society. Kingdom of Heaven meddles with these emotions.

What’s the answer for Christians? (I’m going to dive deeper into the film . . . but first, I’d like to climb up on my soapbox and answer this question.)

Christians need to remember that there are two different issues here:

The road to salvation—Jesus is the only way.

How we are to treat others—love your enemies.

So often Christians have argued so adamantly about issue #1, that they forgot all about issue #2. And forgetting about the love makes us as useless as a “resounding gong or clanging symbol.” (1 Cor. 13:1)

Remember, God loves everyone and doesn’t want anyone to be separated from Him (II Peter 3:9). Jesus exemplified this with his life. He extended love and grace to Romans, Samaritans, tax collectors and prostitutes. He didn’t condemn them. He came to save, not condemn. (John 3:17) Sometimes Christians forget this. They think that “rebuking” and “correcting” are something that we are to do to unbelievers.

I have a challenge for you. In the next few weeks, read Mathew, Mark, Luke or John out of the Bible and notice something. Every time Jesus is mad, rebuking someone or correcting someone, notice WHO it is that He is addressing. Is it the religious people of the day, or the sinners? And every time Jesus is showing love, compassion, grace, kindness and forgiveness to someone, notice WHO it is that He is addressing. Is it the religious people of the day, or the sinners?

When you’re done researching the above, ask yourself this question: How should I respond to people outside the Christian church?

So will they like it or what?
That being said . . . no, many Christians won’t like this film. Thanks to the miracle of modern film-making, the heroes have post-modern values in a medieval world. Balian is a man of integrity and won’t “do evil to achieve a greater good.” Yet he doesn’t mind sleeping with a bad guy’s wife. This is Paris Hilton ethics in the making. Typical of a society where only 6% of people actually believe the Ten Commandments are still valid today.

Others won’t like the film because it preaches that we are to be accepting of all religions and all people.

Should we? How do we actually respond to this?

Remember issue #2 above. We need to love everyone. For some of us . . .we’ve never really done that. In actuality, we look more like the Pharisees than we do Christ. Some of us need to start letting Christ’s love flow through us (John 15) and loving those around us with His love.

And loving everyone doesn’t mean swaying our belief on issue #1. Truth is truth and we shouldn’t seek to adjust it because we’ve been failing in issue #2 for centuries. Most of us need to adjust #2, not #1.

God’s love evident in the character Balian
In the film, Balian “befriends” a Muslim and shares with him his own insecurities. Balian wonders how God could even love him. We don’t know where Balian stands with God, but as a man of integrity, he keeps the oath he gave as a knight. “ . . . Be without fear. Tell the truth always. Safeguard the helpless . . . even if it leads to your death.”

One of the knights tells Balian that it’s not about religion. “What God desires is here and here (pointing to his head and heart).”

At the end of the film Balian’s honor and integrity are evident to all. His Muslim friend says to him, “If God does not love you, how could you have done all the things you have done?”

Our actions speak much louder than words. Balian exemplified this.

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

For more on today’s pluralistic, unchurched society and how to reach out to them, check out Jonathan’s new book, “Do They Run When They See You Coming? Reaching Out to Unchurched Teenagers.”

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