Ben-Hur (2016)

Review

123min

Genre:     Action, Adventure, Drama

Director:  Timur Bekmambetov

Cast:       Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Morgan Freeman…and more

Writers:   Lew Wallace, Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley

-Synopsis-

In 1st century Jerusalem, a Jewish prince is made a slave after his family are betrayed by their adoptive Roman brother; but festering hatred sends him on a mission of survival and revenge against the Roman Empire on their own terms, only to be confronted by a higher calling in this lavish 21st century remake of a legendary remake by the director of ‘Night Watch’.

The lure of remaking something on this scale is easy to understand; aside from the obvious box-office potential of one of the most recognisable names in movie history, it’s a chance to re-work a classic story in a flashier and more dynamic style for the ADHD generation. But rarely do remakes of iconic classics work and it takes some nerve to do it for one of the most successful films ever, and the result proves those initial fears to be well-founded.

Having cut his teeth on dark Russian fantasies and action thrillers; Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov takes a crack at a story first told by Hollywood in Fred Niblo’s 1925 silent film, and then more memorably by William Wyler in his 11-time Oscar-winning 1959 epic starring Charlton Heston.

Jack Huston stars in the titular role immortalised by Heston, and despite clearly being a talented new member of the Huston Hollywood clan, he just doesn’t have the physical or general screen presence to carry the role. While Toby Kebbell’s abilities are equally squandered in his 4th outing in a “Sword & Sandals” epic, in a passable performance as “Ben-Hur’s” ambitious, resentful and ultimately treacherous adopted brother “Messala”.

The cast is rounded off by a multinational group of supporting actors, led by Morgan Freeman in his now customary role as wise mentor who nobly pushes the hero into the 3rd act. But the actors are certainly not the main issue in a film with early promise, which is then spectacularly squandered.

Striking a balance between staying true to original source material and creating something new is always tricky when crafting a remake, and this ‘Ben-Hur’ stays admirably close to the 1959 original for the first act, skilfully presenting the characters in a convincing family dynamic, while capturing the era with impressive visuals and meticulous production design.

There’s a clear narrative of a Jerusalem bubbling with defiance against the iron fist of the domineering Roman Empire, depicting the Romans as even more brutal than we’re used to. Weaving strong themes of resistance and rebellion, no doubt influenced by the involvement of screenwriter John Ridley,  this version emphasises socio-political themes that resonate today when you consider the part of the world where the story takes place.

But as we move into the second act, where his family is decimated and “Judah Ben-Hur” is dragged into slavery and the bowels of a far away Roman war galley; the chariot-wheels start to come off this endeavour and this remake begins to struggle to justify its existence as anything more than a flashy re-packaging of a classic story.

With a runtime 90 minutes shorter than the 1959 Wyler classic, Bekmambetov & co. veer heavily from the original story and cut out a huge part of “Ben-Hur’s” considerable journey, as well as some principle characters; making this a far less epic story which soon descends into a run-of-the-mill revenge action narrative, as it underwhelmingly moves towards the inevitable chariot race, where “Ben-Hur” and “Messala” have their final decisive clash.

The action scenes are generally brief and unimpressive, even the great chariot race is less of a spectacle than we expected. Yes it’s entertaining and reasonably tense if you don’t know the outcome, but it offers virtually nothing new when compared to the 1959 version, apart from some new camera angles and dynamic movement, but is less impressive when you consider the blend of CGI and practical effects which make it far less dangerous than the original.

For us however, the biggest misstep in this remake is the reversion to a heavily religious narrative. The ‘Ben-Hur’ story was always a Christian one, combining fictional characters with the final years of what we accept as the story of Jesus, indeed the original Lew Wallace novel and its first Hollywood adaptation were both titled ‘Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ’.

The Charlton Heston adaptation retained the Christian narrative but was less far partisan within a story with greater scope and adventure, and we hoped that a 2016 version would continue the trend and focus on that as the major change it would dare to make, if any. But by the end, this ‘Ben-Hur’ feels less like a period epic and more like a $100 million infomercial for the church and the teachings of Christ, complete with a Hallmark channel movie happy ending… but at least we know what Mel Gibson’s ‘Ben-Hur’ might look like.

The Bottom Line…

Timur Bekmambetov’s bold attempt to re-work an all-time classic for a new generation shows early promise before crumbling under the weight of expectation; ‘Ben-Hur’ offers little that’s original while botching the changes which it does make, a reasonably entertaining piece of entertainment and light religious propaganda but ultimately a run-of-the-mill modern “Sword & Sandal” epic.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Ben-Hur (1959)

William Wyler’s 11-time Academy Award-winning epic starring Charlton Heston as a Jewish prince-turned slave after he’s betrayed by his adoptive Roman brother, only to survive and make an epic voyage of revenge and atonement across the Roman Empire.

Directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins and Stephen Boyd among others.

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