Review of Ben-Hur (2016) by Chris C — 19 Aug 2016

Very refreshing movie after the constant spate of comic book heroes. Stunning that more people have not gone out to see this movie, though the weekend has only begun. The early downplaying of the box office numbers seems aimed at trying to destroy its popularity before people can get a chance to see the movie. Even though there are some small departures from the novel, the basic story still shines. The movie has a strong redemptive theme, so much more fulfilling than the constant diet of negativity that is the usual Hollywood fare. Most people probably don't know that Ben Hur was the number one best seller after the Civil War until the publishing of Gone with the Wind in 1937. Reviewers gave the book credit for healing the great rifts in the nation after the Civil War conflict. Ben Hur has played an important role, not just in the literary arts, but in the social fabricate of the United States. American audiences owe it to themselves to see this very important movie, and a theme that is very necessary for the times in which we are living.

Very refreshing movie after the constant spate of comic book heroes. Stunning that more people have not gone out to see this movie, though the weekend has only begun. The early downplaying of the box office numbers seems aimed at trying to destroy its popularity before people can get a chance to see the movie. Even though there are some small departures from the novel, the basic story still shines. The movie has a strong redemptive theme, so much more fulfilling than the constant diet of negativity that is the usual Hollywood fare. Most people probably don't know that Ben Hur was the number one best seller after the Civil War until the publishing of Gone with the Wind in 1937. Reviewers gave the book credit for healing the great rifts in the nation after the Civil War conflict. Ben Hur has played an important role, not just in the literary arts, but in the social fabricate of the United States. American audiences owe it to themselves to see this very important movie, and a theme that is very necessary for the times in which we are living.

Very refreshing movie after the constant spate of comic book heroes. Stunning that more people have not gone out to see this movie, though the weekend has only begun. The early downplaying of the box office numbers seems aimed at trying to destroy its popularity before people can get a chance to see the movie. Even though there are some small departures from the novel, the basic story still shines. The movie has a strong redemptive theme, so much more fulfilling than the constant diet of negativity that is the usual Hollywood fare. Most people probably don't know that Ben Hur was the number one best seller after the Civil War until the publishing of Gone with the Wind in 1937. Reviewers gave the book credit for healing the great rifts in the nation after the Civil War conflict. Ben Hur has played an important role, not just in the literary arts, but in the social fabricate of the United States. American audiences owe it to themselves to see this very important movie, and a theme that is very necessary for the times in which we are living.

The re-make of Ben Hur is a refreshing distraction from the constant spate of comic book heroes. There are small departures from the novel, and necessary omissions due to the length and complexity of he novel, but the essence of the story still shines brightly. I'm not sure why the entertainment rags all raced to denounce the box office numbers after Friday night, not giving movie goers the opportunity to see the movie for themselves over the weekend, but there is a definite prejudice against this movie. The novel, Ben Hur, was the number one best seller in the United States following its publication after the Civil War, and continued as number one until 1937, when Gone with the Wind was published. Many historians and old reviewers of the novel have given credit to this book for having brought healing to the wounds and the deep divide that had stymied the nation following the war between the states. The love, hatred, and finally the redemption of two step-brothers from opposing sides of the religio-political spectrum remains at the heart of the current movie, and resonates deeply in the hearts of anyone who identifies the connection to our very own wounds and divisions as a nation. The story of mercy and forgiveness is not popular among audiences who no longer value the importance of conscience or faith, but those who see passed the biases of reviewers will experience the age old truth that love will cost people everything they have, but nothing could be more valuable or enduring. Ben Hur deals with universal verities that are just as true for ancient Rome and Jerusalem as they are for modern America. People criticize the movie because of the director, because of the use of special effects, because, because, because,... Mostly, however, the modern mind has grown cynical of faith, and hardened against, and uncomfortable with, the subject of sacrificial love.