Worthy of the title "Epic"

Rating: 9/10 (5 August 2009)

Ben-Hur is a BIG movie.
Big sets, big characters, big sequences, and big running time (to accommodate such a film) The story follows a Jewish prince who has been wrongfully imprisoned by the Roman empire. He inspires those whom he comes across, and makes his way into becoming a heir to a roman title. He uses this new royalty to qualify to compete against the very man who imprisoned him. It's the classic story of revenge and redemption.
There are many biblical references in this film, which aren't too much of a distraction (surprisingly). Ben-Hur comes in contact with the J-Man many times throughout the film.
The famed "Chariot Race" surpassed my wildest expectations. I was jaw-dropped. Nothing of this scale could be pulled off today, with our relatively 'safe' way of film making. This race was the real deal, and I could tell that many of the stunt-men left this production with scars to remember it by.
Mr. Heston's intensity was believable. Messala's death scene was brutal. Even compared to the graphic nature of film of today, this older movie shocked me.
This movie doesn't have a single splash of CGI. There are a few backdrops, but for the most part: they built whole towns/cities for this movie. Collumns, statues, galleys/warships, the whole thing. It's mind-boggling.