Kingdom of Heaven

I liked 85-90% of this movie. It started off...oddly, almost like something out of a dream. By the time it reached the end, I could see why it had started that way, but I'm not sure it was the best way to do it. I find it amusing that in a movie about a battle between Christians and Muslims, the overall flavor was Zen. I can see why a conservative Christian might not care for it. The message is that what is in your heart is more important than how you choose to worship (or not worship) God. This is something I have never had reason to doubt. Something that always struck me about the crusades was how civilized the Saracens were compared to the Christian Crusaders. That no longer seems to be the case in the modern Middle East. Pity.

One part that I did not think was done well was where Orlando Bloom's character (Valien? Balien?) was offered a chance at the throne. It was a choice that he could not accept, but neither should he have declined it. What should he have done? Chosen a middle road. In a sense, this is what wound up happening, but the Zen flavor was severely interrupted for a space of a bout five minutes. So something should have been done differently there. I think a single extra line for Orlando might have done it, but I'm too tired to think what the line should have been.

I remember when this first came out, reviewers suggested there were obvious parallels to Iraq. Beyond a war in the Middle East, I don't see that much that's similar (Okay, idiotic warhawks, but they always turn up).

Morning Addendum:
I forgot to mention what I did like about the movie. First, I liked the scene where Orlando is being taught the sword. I would have liked that part to go on longer, but of course it was interrupted by a fight scene. I liked Orlando Bloom's character, over all. And this line, uttered to a priest horrified at the prospect of burning bodies to prevent disease, was priceless: "God will understand. And if He does not, then He is not God, and we need not worry."

Also, this movie made it very clear that the only way to win a war is not to fight it. As soon as fighting begins, both sides have already lost. Oh, one may be called "the winner," but when the battlefield is littered with the bodies of friend and foe alike and the vultures fly thick in the air, how can anyone be called "victorious?" Fight only when you've no other option.