Review of Ben-Hur (2016) by Thomas D — 21 Aug 2016

Rarely are classics improved upon with remakes, others tend to tarnish the original versions. This iteration of Ben-Hur tends to fall somewhere in between those two extremes.

There was no need to remake Ben-Hur to begin with. I'm not even sure why they had to do an animated version in the early 2000's and bring back Heston. The 1959 tale is a classic and the chariot race will never be touched. It did so much for filmmaking at that time and attempting to top it in any way shape or form, is a huge mistake. While I don't think they tarnished the legacy of the original, it also didn't fix some easy mistakes that the 1959 film made.

The crux of the story in both cases is the troubled relationship between Judah Ben-Hur and Messala Severus, this time played by Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell respectively. With that said, in both films they make the same mistake of forcing the Jesus arc into what is already a jam packed film. I'm not saying I can't appreciate the faith element, I can. But there are other ways to portray Ben-Hur's struggle to come to grips with his faith and lack there-of. By forcing the Jesus angle into the film, it becomes painfully uneven. Either make him a more demanding presence or cut it out completely, make a choice.

However, there are plenty of good things about this remake. Kebbell and Huston actually hold their own as friends (brothers?) turned foes due to political issues. I really enjoyed watching their relationship unfold into surprising directions. At the same time, the ending that was chosen for that relationship is absolutely one hundred percent garbage, and unfortunately is the exact direction a clichéd Hollywood film would take them.

Morgan Freeman (with putrid dreadlocks) is also quite good in the film, and not as distracting as the trailers make it seem. Having just watched the 1959 version recently, I think Freeman is just as good as Hugh Griffith was as Ben-Hur's companion, Ilderim.

There are plenty of refreshing choices this film makes in its story structure that are beneficial to the story, and I enjoyed those updated elements. But it's unfortunate that a sword and sandals epic in 2016 just doesn't hold the same type of gravitas that it did back in the day. The new chariot race is fine, but I think I still prefer the 1959 take even more. And as good as I thought Kebbell and Huston were, I can't possibly believe they hold a candle to what Heston and Boyd did. I didn't hate the update, but man it could have been a whole lot better.

+Kebbell and Huston hold their own.

+New updates improve the flow.

-But with the Jesus angle, it's still incredibly uneven.

-Wretched Hollywood ending.

4.7/10.