Movie Review/Summary

Movie Description

Kingdom of Heaven revolves around the life of Balian, a resident and blacksmith of France in the year 1184. In the movie’s opening, the audience realizes Balian’s spouse has committed suicide and thus affecting him in a negative manner. A group of Crusaders visits the region and Balian meets his father, Godfrey, whom he refuses to accompany to Jerusalem. During his wife’s burial, Balian murders a priest in a bid to salvage his spouse’s chain and this forces him to escape from his abode. As the protagonist unites with his father and the other crusaders, war breaks between the traveling groups leading to Godfrey’s fatal harm.

Balian upholds his father’s journey to Jerusalem where he faces and supersedes Islamic assaults directed to him. With his arrival to Jerusalem, Balian becomes acquainted with the regime of King Baldwin IV. Muslims as directed by Saladin advance various assaults to Jerusalem and therefore Balian in accordance to his father’s words accords his skills in defending the Christian-inhabited city. Following various battles, Jerusalem is acquired by the Muslims and Balian is only able to warrant the residents’ journey to Christian nations for protection before returning to France with new spouse, Sibylla.

Review

The plot and overall movie in terms of realism was well executed largely due to the actors and therefore the required message is soundly achieved. Themes are well defined and outlined in the film enhancing the conflict message. I learnt the movie has been disapprovingly received by various religious scholars by the fact it contradicts the historical outlined harmonious associations noted between the Crusaders, Muslims and Christians residing in Jerusalem. Following this, it is dreaded the movie may actually institute warring relations within the identified groups.

Movie Description

The Passion of Christ delivers a distinct phase of Christ’s life beginning with the tribulation (betrayal) period in His ministry and ends with the resurrection. The movie is set in Israel and opens with the salient prayer session Christ offers in Gethsemane prior to His capture. His three accompanying followers in this period offer no consolation as they are noted in a deep slumber. Judas then leads the soldiers into the garden, identifies Jesus and acquires his remuneration. Peter moves to defend Christ and strikes Malchus, whom Christ heals. As the rabbi is captured, the apostles take flight with an exception of Peter who pursues the subsequent events in a detached manner; his participation culminates with the denial.

Apostle John on the other hand informs Christ’s mother about the happenings while Judas damned by guilt resorts to suicide. The serving high priest indicts Christ with blasphemy and presents Him to Pontius Pilate with the crucifixion petition, which is essentially granted. The journey to the crucifixion location then begins, with the two thieves. At some point, Simon of Cyrene aids Christ with the cross until the ordeal is achieved. Christ offers a pardon prayer and dies; sparking a weighty earthquake leads to the temple’s ruin and an exposed inner sanctuary as the veiling cloth is split into halves. It concludes with a screaming Devil following Christ’s reappearance from death.

Review

The film is excellently presented in terms of acting and historical parallels. Although it only focuses on a distinct part of Christ’s life, everything is presented as known with only a few deviations like the screaming Devil. The producer also achieves an admirable presentation of Christ’s latter ministry from an extensive form of investigation achieved through the use of Modern Bible, Hebrew texts, conventional Jewish practices and narratives, and Catholic teachings. I noted the graphics employed in the film are very expressive and thus amplifying affective appeal within the film. However, this has also raised unenthusiastic reactions towards the acting in terms of the brutality element.

Movie Description

300 is a movie reviewing a conflict between the Spartans and Persians located in Thermopylae. The period is noted as 480 BC as identified by the narrator and protagonist, King Leonidas. Although Sparta can only afford three hundred combatants for the battle, Thespians accord their aid with seven hundred fighters and additional unknown slaves in terms of the number. King Xerxes from the Persian group releases one hundred thousand combatants in the battle. King Leonidas is aware of the odds created within the situation due to the great Persian fighters but he still determines to permit the fighting in a bid to coerce the Spartan council into forming a joint force towards conquering the Persians.

King Xerxes offers ten days to King Leonidas for a concession but this is not achieved and the battle commences. The Persians actually overcome the Spartans by learning of the battle formation from a rogue Spartan known as Thermopylae. King Leonidas and his group are all executed and the Persians but the valiant act from the Spartans acts as a motivator for the rest of the populace as they form combatants numbering ten thousand. This group accords it loyalty to Dilios their leader. The Persians on the other hand create a group of thirty thousand individuals and the two warring nations convene at Plataea for the next war.

Review

The language, names, props and attires evidenced in the film complement the early setting and thus impart a feeling of the Spartan lifestyles and society in the story. The timeline offered in the film too align with the historical occurrence of the battle and the manner in which the Persians overcame their counterparts due to large armies. The film however was largely disapproved of concerning the representation of the Persians as well as the violence standard set within the story. This is because present settings tend to hold the Persians as inhumane individuals. The actors offer good performances to support the desired message and are helpful in offering recreating the battle in a visual manner to the present populace as I learnt concerning the historical clash between the two factions.