Just the the Roman Empire: Ruined by Christianity

Rating: Null/10 (30 August 2001)

When I first began to watch Ben-Hur I found myself expecting to see an epic tale of vengeance, but found myself surprised with the Christian themes that ran throughout the film. I felt that these themes did not work very well with the main idea of the movie. (Being Judah's quest for justice against Messala) This tale of vengeance is expertly told, as is Judah's exile and eventual rise to power. That is what makes this film simply one of the finest I had ever seen. The chariot race is one the greatest scenes ever filmed. I found myself utterly enthralled by the first 2 1/2, 3 hours of the film. However after the Chariot race, the film began to appeal less and less to me as its direction began to turn more and more Christian, and consequently more and more hokey. The film simply should not have had a happy ending! I just shook my head when Judah's mother and sister were cured of leprosy, and the final shot of the Sheppard with "halleluiah!" blasting, was hokey at best. The ending totally destroys Judah's image as a tragic hero, at least in the classical sense. I hated to see such an amazing movie, one truly ahead of its time to be ruined by these, frankly, cheesy Christian moments. Just like the Roman Empire: destroyed by Christianity.