DVD Review: Kingdom of Heaven

I just finished watching the extended "director's cut" version of Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, one of the financial cinematic disasters of 2005. I haven't started reviewing films yet, but a summary at the time would have had these key points.

1) Jeremy Irons (Tiberias), David Thewlis (Hospitaler) and Edward Norton (King Baldwin) performed exceptionally well, and while yes, they were blessed with good lines, they delivered those lines in the most memorable fashion.

2) The costumes should have won them an Oscar, or at least a nomination.

3) Sybilla (Eva Green) sorta disappeared from the movie midway through the show, doing nothing but crying, moaning, and showing her grouchy face like she's done the worst thing in the world. Well, technically she DID make Guy De Lusignian (Marton Csokas) the baddie, king of Jerusalem after her brother died.... but also, that was everyone else's fault as well. So... she didn't make sense.

4) For a Ridley Scott film, it was one of the worst piece of editing I've ever seen. the story doesn't flow. The pacing is weird. And Grrr. It was rather frustrating.

5) The score by Harry Gregson Williams was one of the best works every done by a Hans Zimmer apprentice.

I would've given it a C. I watched it twice.

*

After watching the extended version.

1. Sybilla makes sense.

2. The story makes sense, in every regard. Editing flaw fixed.

3. The story takes on a darker tone. More sombre. And certainly more powerful.

4. All the positives from the above review are enchanced.

5. Rating: A

*

I suppose this is a case where you can say that the editing made all the difference between pretty good, and superstar good