Review of Ben-Hur (2016) by Foxgrove — 07 Sep 2016

Comparisons are odious as propagated by those who suffer from such comparisons, and whilst films like this attempt to remake classics from the golden years it is highly likely that the comparison drawn will be unfavourable to the pretender.

The original Ben Hur was a record breaking, Oscar laden epic that employed the old school styles of acting, colour and cheesy special effects with such assured confidence that it almost defied criticism.

This Ben Hur invites it, even if ultimately it is not as bad as cynical naysayers would have us believe. The original Judah, Charlton Heston, took the whole thing incredibly seriously turning in an Oscar winning performance which cemented his appeal in this type of sword and sandals pic.

I’m afraid that Jack Huston’s lack of screen presence and charisma will not be doing the same for him. His Ben Hur, along with the rest of the cast actually, is one dimensional and colourless complimenting, in fact, the surprisingly drab production values.

Director Timur Bekmambetov keeps the camera in close for many scenes which has the effect of dissipating any chance of an epic aura. To add to this the actors’ line delivery is often flat and unconvincing.

This adds immeasurably to the amateurish feel that the production can’t seem to dispel for much of its running time. Still, two sequences work very well indeed aided no end by some wonderful camera shots, precise editing and impressive special visual effects.

Firstly, the chariot race is good enough, and long enough, to stand favourable comparison to the earlier film and the galley slave scenes are also up to par in their excitement value. Not a complete disaster then, but it is another remake that is as misjudged and second rate as it is unnecessary.