Critic Reviews
Kingdom of Heaven (2005) Rank 3 Reviews
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Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Its concept is gutsy, its script is literate and intelligent, its visuals and cinematic craftsmanship are mouth-dropping, and its vision of the insanity of various religions vying to dominate the real estate of the Holy Land comes through with great ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Bullz-Eye.com
And of the four commentary tracks that appear on the first two discs, only one (with director Ridley Scott, writer William Monahan and actor Orlando Bloom) is really worth listening to. The other three tracks (one with film editor Dody Dorn, another ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Bullz-Eye.com
DVDActive (Benjamin Willcock)
Kingdom of Heaven is one of those films that will forever have a bittersweet aroma. It could truly have been one of the great sword and sandal epics, but its stumbles are anything but few and far between. It is a muddy film, unsure of itself and its ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at DVDActive (Benjamin Willcock)
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
At the end of the 12th century, in the middle of the Crusades, a fragile peace prevailed between the warring Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem. It is this unusual period of time that director Scott and first-time screenwriter William Monahan use to ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
movies music and everything else
When KINGDOM OF HEAVEN was released a year ago, it was met with mixed reactions at best. Ridley Scott had returned to the period piece epic and most people either didn’t show up or were disappointed if they did. I liked KINGDOM OF HEAVEN when I saw it ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at movies music and everything else
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
With the Western world fiddling around in the Middle East, imposing their own version of government on the people there, perhaps it's no coincidence that Kingdom of Heaven would get released right in the middle of the start of the new Iraqi democratic re ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Filmspiegel (Flemming Schock)
Premiere Magazine (Peter Debruge)
Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
That rare big-star blockbuster (Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons top the cast) that still manages to have something relevant to say. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
Full of astonishments, not the least of which are its ideas. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Scott and company have gotten so accomplished at re-creating history that the results have a welcome offhanded quality, making them spectacular without seeming to be showing off. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
The Hollywood Reporter (Kirk Honeycutt)
Fulfills the requirements of grand-scale moviemaking while serving as a timely reminder that in the conflict between Christianity and Islam it was the Christians who picked the first fight. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at The Hollywood Reporter (Kirk Honeycutt)
Variety (Todd McCarthy)
Genuinely spectacular and historically quite respectable, Ridley Scott's latest epic is at its strongest in conveying the savagery spawned by fanaticism. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Variety (Todd McCarthy)
Movieman's Guide to the Movies (Brian Oliver)
LA Weekly (Scott Foundas)
In its depiction of a fleeting, but nevertheless factual, peace in the Middle East, Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven may seem a more quixotic Hollywood fantasy than all six Star Wars movies lumped together. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at LA Weekly (Scott Foundas)
JoBlo's Movie Emporium (JoBlo)
Empire Movies (Brendan Cullin)
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
The story's parallels with the present are sometimes inescapable, as when Saladin's fireballs catapulted at Balian's castle strike an eerie resemblance to the "shock and awe" of the U.S.-led coalition's initial assault on Iraq. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Draven99's Musings (Chris Beaumont)
DVD Authority.com ("Fusion3600")
Film Monthly (Anna Keizer)
artechock (Thomas Willmann; Rüdiger Suchsland)
Es gab Zeiten, da hat man die vermeintliche Ãœberlegenheit der christlichen Religion nicht verschämt in Talkshows diskutiert. Da hat man sie noch praktisch mit Speer und Schwert demonstriert. Nun ist das Thema ja irgendwie grade auch in den USA sehr ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at artechock (Thomas Willmann; Rüdiger Suchsland)
Movie Review Diary (Paul McElligott)
Radio Sargam Online
Mixed Reviews: The Arts, The World, and More (Jill Cozzi and Gabriel Shanks)
CinemaBlend - DVD Review (Rafe Telsch)
BeyondHollywood.com
iF Magzine - Director's Cut DVD Review
The Cinema Source (Michael M. Dance)
If the new edition of Kingdom of Heaven is nothing else, it is impressive. Spanning four discs, it includes a new cut of the film (now about three hours) and two discs worth of special features, with coverage spanning from before pre-production to after ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at The Cinema Source (Michael M. Dance)
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
At some point in the movie, Balian is given a choice something like this: marry the hottest babe in the movie (Sibylla, played by Eva Green of "The Dreamers") and become King of Jerusalem and get rid of Guy de Lusignan, thereby saving Jerusalem from ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Boston Herald (James Verniere)
The Cinema Source (Christian Ghigliotty)
A marriage between Orlando Bloom and director Ridley Scott would seem like a no brainer. Both are no strangers to epic film - Bloom fleshed out Legolas in Peter Jackson's screen adaptation of Peter Tolkin's Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as playing ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at The Cinema Source (Christian Ghigliotty)
Empire Magazine [UK]
It's so gorgeous you'll forgive it a lot, but this is a frustratingly thin epic. You're left wanting more exposition, more character development, the tidying up of loose ends. Is there a much better, longer film that's been denied ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Empire Magazine [UK]
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Kingdom of Heaven is unlikely to receive the same kind of Oscar buzz that surrounded Scott's Gladiator. It's neither as complete nor as rousing an experience. But, compared to Troy, the battle-soaked disappointment that ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Empire Movies (Liam Cullin)
Again, the movie wasn't all that bad -- it just wasn't great. I didn't really care about the characters, there wasn't a lot of emotion and none of the battles particularly excited me. Looking at the DVD now, the only real thing that's of any interest ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Empire Movies (Liam Cullin)
Tony Medley
Director Ridley Scott's latest
violent incarnation contains some of the funniest lines since Laurel &
Hardy died. Here are a few:
The Saracens, led by Saladin
(Ghassan Massoud), are attacking Jerusalem, defended by Balian ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Tony Medley
The King's Room (Clyde Ayles)
Director RIDLEY
SCOTT knows how to make a movie. He gave us”Alien", "Blade runner", and
"Gladiator" to name a few. Now he offers us a real epic. "Kingdom Of Heaven"
takes place between the Second and the Third ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at The King's Room (Clyde Ayles)
Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Such a modern take on a world which so naturally does not lend itself to such a depiction tends to make the contradictions between a historical subject matter and a present worldview stick out -- the ol' square peg in a round hole. The ideas are fine, ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
DVD Clinic ("Quigles")
Set in the 12th century, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN centers around Balian, a blacksmith who has lost his family, who travels to Jerusalem and becomes a defender of the city. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at DVD Clinic ("Quigles")
Cinema in Focus (Wayman and Conklin)
Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)
Kingdom of Heaven works as an action movie, but I didn't really care about any of the characters as individuals, including Balian. Fortunately, there's a lot of action. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Scott Nash)
New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
A rousing, politically correct, Muslim-sympathetic, $140 million take on the Crusades. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
The Cinema Source (Christian Ghigliotty)
The Cinema Source (Michael M. Dance)
Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
It's 1186 and the third Crusade is ongoing. Young Balian the blacksmith, is forlorn because his child has died and his wife committed suicide. Coincidently his long lost father happens to pass thru his small town on the way to defend King Baldwin of ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
GLADIATOR DEUX, anyone? I have absolutely no idea why director Ridley Scott decided that he needed to create yet another movie similar to the great tale that he told through Russell Crowe about 5 years ago, but he did, and unfortunately for him and ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
Cinema Signals by The Filmiliar Cineaste
Empire Magazine [UK]
It's so gorgeous you'll forgive it a lot, but this is a frustratingly thin epic. You're left wanting more exposition, more character development, the tidying up of loose ends. Is there a much better, longer film that's been denied ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Empire Magazine [UK]
Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Scott's cast is like a grand orchestra with various performers filling the roles of instruments: Thewlis a wise, ironic oboe; Neeson a stout cello; Norton a slightly battered flute. As it happens, the piece they're playing is a piano concerto and the ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Odd as it is to say, Kingdom of Heaven loses its momentum the more Balian gets religion. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Screenwriter William Monahan has fashioned an intelligent and highly topical epic. Director Ridley Scott has brought it home with banners flying. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) (Greg Maki)
... Flawed, but Scott is such an accomplished filmmaker that he is still able to shape it into an entertaining picture. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) (Greg Maki)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
It's 1186. Not a good year for Balian -- the French blacksmith played by Brit sensation Orlando Bloom, minus the blond locks that goosed his ride to stardom as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Balian's wife kills herself after losing their baby ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
ShowBIZ Data
It has been a long while since a cast-of-thousands epic has performed strongly at the box office. The poor showing of Oliver Stone's Alexander last year, preceded by a dreadful performance for King Arthur suggested to some analysts that the historical ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at ShowBIZ Data
Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
[The battle] scenes may get the blood going, but it's Bloom's quiet steeliness that gives Kingdom of Heaven its heart. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Salt Lake Tribune (Sean Means)
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema (Mark Pfeiffer)
The somber Kingdom may not provide an epic’s anticipated escapism, but it serves as a salient reminder that hundreds of years later these battles are still being waged. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema (Mark Pfeiffer)
Newsday (Jan Stuart)
Director Ridley Scott is so adept at moving crowds and engendering awe that one can easily overlook his skill with actors. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Newsday (Jan Stuart)
Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
A war story that takes no sides because it takes all sides. And it's a period piece, set in the last decades of the 12th century after Christ, that resonates in a thoughtful way today. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
In Gladiator, director Ridley Scott transported movie audiences to the year 180 AD. Five years and four motion pictures later, the Oscar-winning director has again immersed himself in the blood and gore of hand-to-hand combat, although this time the era i ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
William Monahan's deft script underscores the modern parallels in this story without hitting us upside the head. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
SPOILERS AHEAD!It hasn't been a very good couple of years for the historical epic. Last year's craptacular trifecta of King Arthur, Troy, and Alexander raised serious questions about whether or not anyone would be able to put together another gripping ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Dallas Morning News (Philip Wuntch)
Scott continues to be a master of chaotic mayhem. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Dallas Morning News (Philip Wuntch)
Cinema Source (Christian Ghigliotty)
Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
An exceedingly well-made, reasonably involving and impressively intelligent movie about political and religious turmoil in 1186. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Detroit Free Press (Terry Lawson)
Empire Magazine [UK]
It's so gorgeous you'll forgive it a lot, but this is a frustratingly thin epic. You're left wanting more exposition, more character development, the tidying up of loose ends. Is there a much better, longer film that's been denied ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Empire Magazine [UK]
Christianity Today (Peter T. Chattaway)
Kingdom inevitably invites comparisons to Gladiator , Scott's last major epic. But it is a better film, partly because it does less violence to the history. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Christianity Today (Peter T. Chattaway)
DVD Talk (Randy Miller III)
It's not the first time this has happened: despite the strengths of Kingdom of Heaven on DVD, it still seems like something of an appetizer for a future deluxe edition ( Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, anyone?). The film seems rushed in certain parts, ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at DVD Talk (Randy Miller III)
San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Knights! Castles! Broadswords! Catapults! Flaming balls! Severed heads! Burning oil! Gushing digital blood! ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Entertainment Weekly
In Kingdom of Heaven, Ridley Scott's handsome but curiously remote Crusades epic, the bloody holy war between Christians and Muslims surges forth with the boiling logistical fury we've come to expect from films that feature a cast of digital ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Entertainment Weekly
Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
Scott's interesting but uneven effort doesn't disappoint when it comes to the siege of Jerusalem, which has scale and a truly frightening quality. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Denver Rocky Mountain News (Robert Denerstein)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Kingdom of Heaven is a huge movie, but it's an unusually restrained one. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
MovieWeb (J.P. Mangalindan)
In the same vein as Gladiator, Troy and Alexander, Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven revives a lost period, an epoch of biblically-staged battles, slow-motion shots, and color-filtered sunsets. Scott’s indirect follow-up to the sheer grandiosity of ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at MovieWeb (J.P. Mangalindan)
Denver Post (Lisa Kennedy)
Never straying from issues of war and peace, organized religion and an individual's relationship to God, Kingdom of Heaven earns the right to rattle its swords. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Denver Post (Lisa Kennedy)
San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
To say that Scott did a beautiful job directing Kingdom of Heaven would be true, but it wouldn't convey the nature of the achievement. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Mick LaSalle)
Empire Magazine [UK]
Las Vegas Review-Journal (Carol Cling)
... we can see the rising tide of history and admire the skillful way it's depicted. But, somehow, that tide never builds enough power to sweep us away. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Las Vegas Review-Journal (Carol Cling)
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
Entertainment Insiders (Rusty White)
BoxOfficeCritic.com (Eileen Peterman)
Mindjack - DVD Review (Ian Dawe)
DVD Review e-zine
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
Blogcritics - DVD review (Matt Paprocki)
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
DVD Lard (UMD Review)
Cineclub-Filmkritik
7M Pictures (Kevin Carr)
The Trades (Adam Scholtz)
Reel Film Reviews (David Nusair)
The Boston Phoenix
Nerve (Adam Ford)
LivingCorpse.com (Troy Anderson)
The Sydney Morning Herald
Darkmatters (Matt Adcock)
Worldwide DVD Forums - DVD Review
filmdeculte.com (Anthony Sitruk)
Entertain Your Brain! (Shawn McKenzie)
Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
"Kingdom of Heaven" is the first film I can recall in which a leader of the Crusades turns out to be a secular humanist. I don't know how historically accurate that is - not at all, I'd guess - but I do know that the two hundred years of the Crusades ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
Box Office Mojo (Scott Holleran)
Cinema Blend - Kingdom of Heaven Reader Review
Mediasearch, Australia
digitallyOBSESSED.com (Nate Meyers)
DVD Verdict (Ryan Keefer) - Director's Cut
DVD Times -Director's Cut (Richard Booth)
Cinemaphile.org (David Keyes)
Time (Richard Corliss)
The battle skirmishes here mix sudden violence with slow-motion artistry. The attractive cast can sell an obsession or articulate a conundrum with equal fervor. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Time (Richard Corliss)
Dallas Observer (Bill Gallo)
So, if you want to see this loud but rather ordinary epic, don't expect its tricked-up cultural and theological messages to carry much water. For entertainment value, it's hard to beat the climactic siege of Jerusalem, a Ridley Scott-perfect half-hour ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Dallas Observer (Bill Gallo)
Chicago Reader (J.R. Jones)
Thoughtful and impressively mounted. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Chicago Reader (J.R. Jones)
The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
Massoud plays Saladin magnetically, and his arrival only illustrates how many opportunities Kingdom misses. Another, better movie would have made him the focus. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
Supercala.com (John Venable)
While it will soon be forgotten and its central message ignored by those in power, it's a great looking film that's better than recent 'epics'. ...read the complete Kingdom of Heaven movie review at Supercala.com (John Venable)
DVD Town (John J. Puccio)
Things come in waves in Hollywood, where chance borrowings are the norm. The years 2004 and 2005 saw a return to the sword-and-sandals epics of the 1950s and early 60s. Some of these films, like Antoine Fuqua's "King Arthur," were mediocre; some, like