Review of Ben-Hur (2016) by Elioli123 — 27 Aug 2016

I came into this movie with the intent, not to compare it with the Classic we all know and love. We all know how that works. One can't help but draw comparisons anyway, and I can understand the zeros people have given this movie zeros but that's a bit unfair. It's really not that bad, but it's not the epic Charlton Heston movie we all love.

I was disappointed that the production values weren't as high as you'd expect for a major motion picture release, but in general, this new take on a classic tale (yes I've read the book) stood on its two feet story wise. The relationship between Judah and Masala was much more fleshed out, and the resolution of the rivalry between them was more satisfying for me in this movie, than it was in the 1959 epic.

Standouts for me were the scenes of the naval battle and the chariot race. Very gritty and realistic. While the CGI could have been better, I think those scenes brought home just how brutal these events were.

I enjoyed the movie, but to do so I had to ignore the sub par production values. Had they spent more money on the production, my rating would have gone up to an 8. I think they must have spent most of their budget on getting Morgan Freeman on board.