Saw KoH. Marvelous.
May. 6th, 2005 10:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieThis is going to be pretty short, as I am very very tired and my cousin is visiting so I can't post for too long.
But. I saw Kingdom of Heaven tonight and it was glorious. In fact, except for LotR and Lawrence of Arabia, this is the best epic I've ever seen. It's also now in my Favorites Top 10. It's amazing, after Troy which was fun but cheesy and the horrendous King Arthur and Alexander, to see an epic that is adult, complex, and intelligent. Wow. Much better than the overrated Gladiator with its simple revenge arc.
I don't see why some reviewers couldn't empasize with the characters. Yes, there is no neat character arc, and it is not painted by the numbers. Everything is not plotted cleanly: there is no textbook denoument, progression etc. But that is why I loved it. It seemed like a slice of real life. And I deeply cared for the characters: Tiberias, Godfrey, Baldwin (Edward Norton was utterly amazing and deserves an Oscar nom. He made me cry). And I cared deeply for Balian. Much more so than I did for the he-man Maximus. Yes, Balian was complex and you didn't necessarily see a transparent mirror to his soul, but I love a bit of mystery in a character (the same reason I don't like first person narratives). I really really felt for him and for the story and the tragedy and the glory. I cried.
And I know something about the period so was thrilled to see it brought to life.
My favorite scene: Balian's speech and administering the Knight's Oath. Wow. Must see the movie again.
But. I saw Kingdom of Heaven tonight and it was glorious. In fact, except for LotR and Lawrence of Arabia, this is the best epic I've ever seen. It's also now in my Favorites Top 10. It's amazing, after Troy which was fun but cheesy and the horrendous King Arthur and Alexander, to see an epic that is adult, complex, and intelligent. Wow. Much better than the overrated Gladiator with its simple revenge arc.
I don't see why some reviewers couldn't empasize with the characters. Yes, there is no neat character arc, and it is not painted by the numbers. Everything is not plotted cleanly: there is no textbook denoument, progression etc. But that is why I loved it. It seemed like a slice of real life. And I deeply cared for the characters: Tiberias, Godfrey, Baldwin (Edward Norton was utterly amazing and deserves an Oscar nom. He made me cry). And I cared deeply for Balian. Much more so than I did for the he-man Maximus. Yes, Balian was complex and you didn't necessarily see a transparent mirror to his soul, but I love a bit of mystery in a character (the same reason I don't like first person narratives). I really really felt for him and for the story and the tragedy and the glory. I cried.
And I know something about the period so was thrilled to see it brought to life.
My favorite scene: Balian's speech and administering the Knight's Oath. Wow. Must see the movie again.
