Whenever anybody talks of Ben-Hur the first thing they recall is the
chariot race. In William Wyler's 1959 Oscar-winning classic, Charlton Heston
flew around that wide expanse of a track, captured in breath-taking 70mm at a
time when spectacle like that truly felt like a spectacle. And clearly director
Timur Bekmambetov, who previously-helmed Wanted and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,
remembers that chariot scene quite well because it seems to be his main point
of interest. Fortunately, the lack of emotional drama isn't enough to completely
sink this modern update despite it lacking the prestige of prior versions, but
at least it's not 3 1/2 hours long, thank God.
Remaking Ben-Hur was always going to be a difficult
proposition, even in today's climate when the most pitiful faith-based movies
still find an audience. The most famous version won an astounding eleven
Academy Awards, which you'd think would be a deterrent from anybody trying to
redo it for any reason. That hasn't been the case by a long stretch.
Bekmambetov's hiring signaled immediately this Ben-Hur wouldn't be concerned
with Oscars aspirations; blockbuster entertainment geared towards the
already-converted was its goal. And that audience will surely find this more
palatable than they did Darren Aronofsky's supposedly left-leaning Noah, despite some contemporary
changes to the material.
Beginning at the starting blocks of the big chariot race, former
Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) and his adoptive brother, the Roman
warrior Messala (Toby Kebbell, good luck finding a blockbuster he isn't in),
jaw at one another about vengeance and old grievances. They had been like
actual brothers once, and the film flashes back to that innocent time. Ben-Hur
comes from a wealthy family, born into privilege that he feels very comfortable
in, while Messala is the grandson of a Roman traitor involved in Caesar's murder.
As an orphan he was taken in and raised by Ben-Hur's family, although the
mother (Ayelet Zurer) clearly plays favorites. Shamed by his given wealth and
the constant shunning, Messala seeks individual power by joining the Roman
legions on their global conquests. Meanwhile, Ben-Hur finds love, and begins to
find a new faith in his seemingly random encounters with a certain charismatic
and sexy carpenter, Jesus Christ (Rodrigo Santoro). 
This is a major change from the book but is closer to how the many
adaptations have gone. Another change comes after Messala returns years later,
a Roman commander who has fought and won many battles. He needs Ben-Hur's help
squashing those who oppose Roman rule, but his brother offers little support.
Rather than a falling roof tile it's an arrow shot at Pontius Pilate (Pilou
Asbaek as the man who crucified Jesus) which triggers Messala's betrayal of
Ben-Hur and his family. Tiles are boring, but an arrow fired by an agitator
(Moises Arias) staying in Ben-Hur's home is a twist that makes his downfall
more ironic. The once-wealthy prince is thrown in shackles to become a slave,
while his family is hauled off to be killed.
Surpassing the chariot race as the centerpiece is the galley
scene, a claustrophobic jaw-dropper of hot oil, flaming arrows, and watery
death. The 3D is especially good here as projectiles wizz past the rows of
battered slaves, including Ben-Hur, all stripped of their humanity and beaten
into submission. It's here that Ben-Hur, after years in the galley (we see like
30 seconds of it) decides it's time to go home and get some payback. But first
he has to survive. The carnage Bekmambetov unleashes is impressive and
horrifying, but not dissimilar to the gruesomeness of his prior work. Let's not
forget he's the guy who gave us Wanted,
a movie that had "violence is freedom" as the basic core message.
Whether you're familiar with the Ben-Hur story or not the
characters will feel that way, thanks to a no-frills screenplay by Oscar winner
John Ridley and Keith R. Clarke. They breeze quickly through philosophical
discussions on faith, freedom, and family, in order to get to the next
impressive action sequence. That said, some of the quiet scenes have surprising
strength as Ben-Hur wrestles with his desire for peace and need for payback.
You can feel the pull within him as he tries to reconcile the man Messala is
now with the one he used to share such a brotherly bond with. 
Huston doesn't command the screen like Heston did but he brings a
sensitivity that makes him endearing and sympathetic. He's not a natural action
hero, though, and that is never more apparent than during the chariot race when
Kebbell really takes charge. Add to the list of strong performances by Kebbell
in movies he's probably too good for, a list that includes Fantastic Four, Warcraft, Wrath of the Titans...and
that's just the start. There's a welcome expansion of the female roles, giving
Zurer and co-star Nazanin Boniadi the chance to bring a different kind of
ferocity than their male counterparts. Santoro feels out of place as Jesus but
then that whole parallel storyline, which ends with a smaller, less torturous
Crucifixion than The
Passion of the Christ, doesn't need to be there. Oh, and Morgan Freeman is
here too, completely phoning it in as a rich African gambler (he's a sheik, but
they never say it) who finds Ben-Hur, and trains him in chariot racing so he
can humiliate Rome in the big arena. Freeman also voices the mostly pointless
narration, because what would a Biblical remake like Ben-Hur be without the voice of God?
Rating: 3 out of 5
