Chuck Does a Pretty Good Job

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2007)

These Biblical epics were a real part of my childhood. If it wasn't "The Robe" it was "The Ten Commandments" or "The Greatest Story Ever Told." This, of course, is based on the novel by Lew Wallace. It involves a clash between cultures in the Biblical sense. The Romans are the bad guys because they are like us. The downtrodden, eventual followers of Christ, are the victims. Judah Ben Hur finds himself in the middle, confronting his demons and attempting to save his family. The story is pretty slow moving. As a young person, I thought it was endless, but have since gained more of an appreciation for it. There is a lot of action, especially the celebrated chariot race. One of the more interesting portrayals is of the leper colony. Lepers were always talked about in Sunday school, but we never really understood what this was. Seeing food left at the entrances of caves made quite an impression on my young soul. I guess I recommend this because of its grand purpose and wonderful storytelling. I think as a package, there are much better movies that tell the same story.