Kingdom Come

AKA Why Kingdom of Heaven Is Actually Great

You know, dear reader, I didn’t particularly enjoy this movie the first time I saw it.

I didn’t hate it, mind you, but I certainly wasn’t chomping at the bit to see it a second time if you know what I mean. I came. I saw. I forgot.

That was, until I picked up the DVD some years later solely for the purpose of seeing that one Viking Crusader scene again (if you know you know).

Imagine my surprise, then, when upon a secondary viewing the film turned out to be vastly superior to my recollection of it.

Now, even when it was in theaters people had (perhaps rightfully) critiqued both the film’s pacing and Orlando Bloom’s acting in it but, if I may offer a few, brief counterpoints: the story is great, the portrayal of characters is brilliant, and Eva Green is fucking hot.

Yes, Please

The simple fact is that for a film that covers such a complex topic it does so with remarkable aplomb.

The Crusades were, in short, a clusterfuck, and the film captures this chaos beautifully. Now, could this have been done in a manner that caused less confusion for viewers? Ohhhhh you betcha. But, you see that is actually the beauty of this film. While not exactly the most historically accurate (looking at you, flaming arrows) it does get major kudos by refusing to commit the cardinal sin of portraying one side or the other as cartoonishly good and evil.

It certainly would have been easier to create an insulting caricature of the parties involved, but then you’d have lost what makes this movie so great: nuance.

While the leper king Baldwin IV strives to keep peace, Guy of Lusignon baits Saladin behind his back. While the princess Sibylla begs her lover Balian to compromise on his morals to ensure they each get their heart’s desire, Balian refuses to do just that in order to maintain a kingdom of conscience.

Character motivations swirl around one another set against the backdrop of one of the most influential events in world history. What’s not to love?

Well, the run time for one, but I digress.

This is one of those rare instances where I can’t fully recommend or advise you steer clear of a work, dear reader. You’re either going to love this story or hate it and, unfortunately there is quite a bit here to hate as well as praise.

The movie is overly long, some plot threads either dawdle or go nowhere, and quite a bit is poorly explained for someone who isn’t already intimately familiar with the historical events it portrays (and may at times anger said parties if they are).

But the drama, the portrayal of character, the weight and gravitas given to decisions and the tact and grace with which the setting itself is portrayed…well, it scratches a certain itch of mine in spite of everything.

And, I cannot stress this enough, Eva Green.

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