Ben-Hur (English)
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Haluk Bilginer and Rodrigo Santoro
Why are we so obsessed with remakes? Especially of those incredibly ambitious projects that when unsuccessful will burn some serious holes in pockets. This year’s Ben-Hur is one such example, made on a whopping $100 million budget. The epic biblical drama is largely a bore fest save for a few redeeming sequences, but more on that later.
The 2016 remake retains the book’s plotline of a prince, Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), who’s accused of sedition by his friend Messala (Toby Kebbell), an officer of the Roman army.
After years of being a galley slave, Judah manages to escape and returns to avenge the betrayal by challenging Messala to a chariot race. But chance encounters with Jesus of Nazareth change Judah forever.
The script by John Ridley (known for 12 Years a Slave ) chose a happier ending excepting of course the inevitable crucifixion of Jesus.
The film also gives the ‘son of god’ a lot more screen time, showing the audience his face several times (the glorious mug of a tanned-to-perfection Rodrigo Santoro).
Now for the redeeming factors. There are a few times when the film genuinely soars. For instance, the sequence in the galleys just before Judah makes his escape is a numbing experience.
Then there’s the chariot race, an adrenaline rush-fuelled sequence of men trying and mostly succeeding in eliminating the competition. Every casualty – both man and animal – induces wincing. But even such a cinematic feat of evoking pathos cannot make up for Ben-Hur ’s failure to resonate with its viewer.
DEBORAH CORNELIOUS
