Kingdom of Heaven

"Kingdom of Heaven" could just as easily been named "Kingdom of Boredom". Seemingly longer than the actual Crusades, this story tells the tale of Bailian (Orlando Bloom), a young blacksmith more concerned about protecting the people of Jerusalem than he is about the battle between Christians and Muslims that surrounds him.

The movie opens with Bailian learning that he is the son of Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a knight with a conscience. Godfrey serves King Baldwin (Edward Norton, but see if you realize that), an embattled ruler looking to keep peace between all people. Internal fighting within his counsel, lead by Reynald (Brendan Gleeson), is the King's biggest challenge. It is Reynald's desire to kill all Muslims. Being married to the King's sister Sybilla (Eva Green) has its benefits for Reynald, as he ascends to the throne upon the death of King Baldwin.

It was at this point that I looked at my watch. Surely, it had to be nearing an end. Unfortunately, no, there was still well over an hour to go. The battle scenes are grand in scale, but you've seen better in "Lord of the Rings". Bloom is much stronger here than in any scene from "Troy", but I had difficulty believing the story of a blacksmith rallying a city of scared peasants. Even the love story involving Bailian and Sybilla lacks emotion.

If "Kingdom of Heaven" is the "first big movie of the summer", it's going to be a very long, dry season. I give it a C.

"Kingdom of Heaven" is rated R with a running time of 2 hours 25 minutes.