One Of The Finest Biblical Epics Of All Time.

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2020)

Happy Easter, everyone! To celebrate, I watched Ben-Hur AND The Greatest Story Ever Told on TCM. I have seen Ben-Hur 5 times in my life, and it never ceases to amaze me. Watching it on Easter Sunday only broadened the experience it gives.
The movie follows Ben-Hur, a Judean prince betrayed by his Roman friend and enslaved as a result. Years pass, and he seeks revenge. While he succeeds, he still has a hole in his heart, only to be fulfilled by a kind stranger who is later crucified. (Can you guess who He is?)
Ben-Hur was a huge hit when it came out. While it cost $15 million to make, it made roughly 9 times that in the box office! And mind you-this is in 1959!
Not only that, but it won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Bible movies like The Robe and The Ten Commandments were nominated for the honor but lost to From Here To Eternity and Around The World In 80 Days, respectively. Ben-Hur, however, did win, and it's the only religious film to ever do so, unless you count Chariots of Fire.
Back to the 11 awards, this has been equaled twice by Titanic in 1997 and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King in 2003, but it has never been topped. That alone is quite astonishing.
Ben-Hur deserves all of the praise it gets and it highly succeeds as an epic. Ask anyone what some of the best epics ever made are, and you'll get Ben-Hur any second. They would foolish to not do so, even if they have never seen it. Unless they have never even heard of the movie, to which you may want to make sure they are part of the human race. Ben-Hur is a flawless model of a grand epic, for countless reasons.
Allow me to start with the look of the movie. The costumes are glorious to look it, whether it be a Jew's robe or a centurion's glimmering suit. The cinematography is also still beautiful to look at 61 years later, and it hasn't aged all that much.
In fact, everything visual that Ben-Hur has to offer shines to the highest extent. It's no wonder that the cinematography, costume design, and other similar film-making aspects were awarded at the Oscars.
Then of course, there's the Christian elements of Ben-Hur. I have asked atheists before what their favorite religious films are, and quite a few people have cited Ben-Hur among them. This shows that a lack of belief in Jesus does not diminish the power of this grand epic.
Many modern Christian movies are disliked, and one reason is because the religious message is put before the story. In other words, the message is hammered in, and the story is put last. Those who feel this way should put Ben-Hur on their must watch list.
Jesus is the center of the message, but He is barely shown. In fact, we never hear His voice or see His face. We hear others repeat His words, but Christ Himself is mute whenever He appears. This makes for a unique depiction of Him, and His message actually speak louder than words, to use a common phrase.
While the common Christian message that Jesus died for mankind is shown, another one shines more-Christ-like love. When Ben-Hur sees that God loves him so much that He became man to die for him, he finds the strength to forgive his Roman friend-turned-enemy.
If Christ can forgive all the sins of all mankind, how could he not forgive the one sin of his betrayer? I struggle with this myself, but it's still inspiring.
Oh, and who can forget to mention the most iconic scene, and rightfully so? The chariot race. Ben-Hur challenges his enemy to a chariot race as his revenge, and it's gripping to watch. Words would fail me to describe it, it must be seen to be believed and agreed on that it's so great.
No matter your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, you owe it to yourself to see Ben-Hur. It's a masterpiece that works on many levels-visually, thematically, and spiritually, among others.
As I watched it, I realized a Biblical epic of this level and quality has not been made since The Passion of the Christ, which released 45 years later. That's disappointing. I wish more Biblical epics could be made on this level. But for now, I'll be eternally grateful for the powerful epic that is Ben-Hur.
Note: I wrote this review on Easter Sunday but due to the late hour it will say that it posted the day after.
Warning: I should mention that the movie runs for 212 minutes, or 3 hours and 32 minutes. I personally feel that the time goes by quite decently, but be prepared for that before you watch it. Prepare and plan accordingly.