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Rating:  - Much, Much Better Than The Theatrical Release
This is the film that should have been seen by everyone the theaters. The extended edition contains all of the character development that was missing in the original. In addition, there is a bit more attention to Balian's faith journey. I would still have liked to have seen more in that regard but happy for what there is now in the extended DVD.
Rating: - A great action movie about the fall of Jerusalem
The movie delivers the story of Balian of Ibelin (Orlando Bloom) the Frankish Crusader who ends up leading the defense of Jerusalem right before its fall to the Saracens under Saladin. The climatic battle sequence, the defense of Jerusalem, is one of many gruesome and exciting battle scenes throughout the movie. Kingdom of Heaven reminds me of other great epics like Braveheart, Gladiator, and Troy. If for nothing else, the battle sequences will make the movie for any action fan.
Spoilers below, but we all know who won, and still enjoy the movie.
Almost all of the main characters were real people. Balian did lead defense of Jerusalem. The King of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV, was a leper and did attempt to disinherit Guy of Lusignan. Reynald of Chatillon slaughtered Muslims to get rich and died by Saladin's own hand. However, many events have been changed to suit the drama of the movie. For instance, Balian actually fought at the Horns of Hattin, the battle that the Crusaders lose, and was captured. He was paroled by Saladin to tend to his ailing wife, the widow of the previous King of Jerusalem, Amaury I. So Balian was probably much older than he is portrayed in the movie and was not banging Sibylla, the King's sister. As long as you don't take the movie as historically accurate and enjoy it as historical fiction it's a great movie. The acting in the movie is well done especially by the supporting cast.
If the movie makes you interested in the subject, a good book to read is The Dream and the Tomb: A History of the Crusades by Robert Payne.
Rating:  - PROBLEMS WITH SIGHT AND SOUND
My husband and I only watched an hour of "Kingdom of Heaven," because we could not see or hear it. Possibly the dvd was defective, because the scenes were so dark, they were hard to see, and the volume was so low, we couldn't hear it.
I'm sure the story is marvelous, but I'll never know for sure.
Rating: - WHERE'S RUSSELL CROWE OR EVEN GERARD BUTLER WHEN YOU NEED THEM??
Kingdom of Boredom more like it.
Truly epic looking crusades flick has some eye popping battle scenes and looks gorgeous on Blu-Ray. Pity that it's such a colossal bore. Ridley Scott's a master artisan whose skills are fully on display in this sumptious production- but even he's struggling to haul a good movie out of a terribly wobbly script and fly weight leading man.
There's definately a lot of quality in this elephantine film, including the stellar supporting cast and terrific action scenes, but it doesn't come together with any narrative drive or vigour. And Bloom simply lacks any real screen prescence or charisma to be the hero of this-and he appears much too young to be credible. He'll have you pining for Russell Crowe and (if your a die hard movie buff) Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous unproduced movie about the Crusades that was going to be directed by Paul Vehoeven.
Rating:  - Kingdom of Heaven (what was missed in the cut version)
What you will expect is a whole new movie that makes sense (sic)? It should never have been cut in the first place. When Kingdom of Heaven was cut up it was disjointed with the characters leaving many questions and even less answers. It was some time later that one of my Crusader re-enactor friends had to fill me in on the Director's Cut. It was an epiphany for me and my sons to suddenly see this beautiful movie come together in one of the great wide screen spectaculars (as it was meant to be)! The fact that "Gladiator" was such the hit, "Black Hawk Down", and other of Sir Ridley Scott's many great film artistry indicates to me that some malevolent forces were at work to undermine this particular work. I hope I am wrong, but history will attest that Sir Ridley's "Gladiator's" popularity with the film industry had to upset some of the brahmans to the point of putting the kibosh on this later work (Kingdom of Heaven).
I encourage everyone of the Sir Ridley Scott following to get the "Director's Cut" and enjoy this well made and meaningful movie to it's full extent!
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