Ben-Hur Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Ben-Hur Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 7, 2016

2016's Ben-Hur had "toxic" written all over it from the get-go. It's not easy to remake cherished material, at least not in this day and age when it seems style is emphasized over substance, scope is forced rather than organic, and an epic feel and flow are manufactured rather than naturally occurring off the back of the narrative, not the production. Back in the day, things were a little different. 1959's Ben-Hur was a remake of a beloved 1925 silent picture, which was itself based on the book Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ first published in 1880 and written by Lew Wallace. But despite the best intentions of all involved -- including Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, (The Bible A.D. The Bible Continues) -- the end product is a shell of the 1959 film, the standard-bearer for the story and one of the most well respected epics in cinema history. There's was clearly a desire to make this Ben-Hur every bit as successful as William Wyler's classic, but maybe there was too much desire, too much of an effort to freshen, slick, or otherwise update the film not in setting or characters or anything of the sort but in how it's presented, here more in a frenzied and forced spectacle and less in an organic, naturally grand and occurring manner.

A new beginning.

Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) and his adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell) come from two very different backgrounds, the former a Jew and the latter a Roman. Their father wished only for their friendship to help usher in a new era of unity, but such would prove difficult with age and experience. Messala joins the Roman army and returns home a changed man. Judah harbors a fugitive zealot named Dismas (Moisés Arias) who one day attempts to assassinate Pontius Pilate (Pilou Asbæk). Judah takes the fall for his friend and his sentenced to a life of enslavement rowing a Roman warship. Several years pass. During a fierce naval battle, Judah's ship is sunk and he barely escapes death. He washes ashore and is nursed back to health by a good samaritan named Ilderim (Morgan Freeman) who, after Judah heals one of his sick horses, teaches him the art of the chariot race and bargains for Judah's freedom by entering him into a high-stakes contest against Messala.

Ben-Hur struggles to find, never mind maintain, an even keel. Nothing about the movie is particularly noteworthy, but there are spikes of interest and quality of production that at least elevate it beyond its native doldrums and into near-respectable territory. The film falters in its critical opening act, failing to find the sort of rapport between its primary characters that will drive the movie on through to conclusion. Camaraderie is little and the script hits broad, generic notes rather than develop any sort of tangible lifeblood within and between them. The movie favors a rapid-fire hit-hit-hit on relationship highlights, both with one another and the greater world around them. It never does justice to the characters; they need more time to breathe (and better performances) and expand organically on their relationship to draw people into it and ensure a greater weight for the developments of the second and third acts. But that would be a double-edged sword. The movie needs more time, but anything longer than what's here, presented in the same style, would overburden the picture beyond the breaking point on which it teeters from practically the beginning. Director Timur Bekmambetov, who was never the right fit for the movie coming off stylish and largely inane blood and Action movies like Night Watch, Day Watch, Wanted, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, falls back on trying to stylize the movie to success rather than digging for the substance of what has made the story a cherished classic on page and screen alike.

The movie does pick up a little steam in the second act, when Ben-Hur has been enslaved aboard the warship, forced to row incessantly and face certain death in every battle. The sequence is technically fair, doing what it can to craft excitement out of a cramped and crowded location with the action taking place outside on the seas. Damage, fires, and frenzy pull it through, and probably because it's the most visceral sequence in the movie, more concerned with movement and excitement and relying on no significant characterization or relationships allows Bekmambetov to work more closely to what seems his comfort zone. The scene lacks the brutal hard edge it might have enjoyed with a more forgiving rating in mind and a larger budget, but it finds more cinematic texture and flavor than anything else in the movie, even the chariot race that dominates the third act and looks and feels more CG than it does realistic. Like the naval battle, it's fast and quick with some terrific moments of peril, often when random people are trampled by the chariots or dodge out of the way when trying to clean up the track of bodies and debris. That's really the problem with the entire movie. Nothing of significance means anything. There's no emotion to any of its three main pieces: the relationship development between Judah Ben-Hur and Messala Severus in the first act, the naval battle and Judah's relationship with Ilderim in the second, or the chariot race in the third. It's a cold, heartless movie, clearly not by intent but the movie is too dead-set on dazzle and miscast not only on the screen but behind the camera as well, resulting in a film that simultaneously defines both the "could've been special" and "pointless remake" syndromes equally well.

Ben-Hur Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ben-Hur's 1080p transfer delivers all the dazzle one would expect of a big budget modern studio film. The image is clear and precise, particularly as it reveals, with seemingly infinite clarity and attention to detail, all of the visual wonders around the frame, whether resplendent regal garments, lesser and more frayed attire, rough-edged stones, sandy terrain, grasses and trees, or worn and weathered wood in the warship. Skin textures are finely revealing in close-up and even medium-distance shots showcase a satisfying level of textural wonder. Colors are nicely balanced, never overly saturated or underperforming. Roman red (which actually looks more like a purplish maroon) is the highlight throughout the film. Blood, natural greens, and various accentuating and primary colors on garments sparkle, too. Black levels hold up well, particularly in shadowy corners down in the bowels of the slave-powered warship. Skin tones appear faithful to life. Precious few source or encode artifacts are apparent. Fans should be delighted with Paramount's presentation.

Ben-Hur Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ben-Hur races onto Blu-ray with a frequently prolific and, at the same time, nicely nuanced DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. There's no shortage of punishing, but very clear and well defined, bass and commotion. The naval battle rattles with plenty of weight, movement, zip, thuds, and crashes. The steady percussion drumming to which the slaves row is like a heartbeat, one that pulses from the subwoofer with a prolifically tight and detailed thump-thump-thump. The chariot race is likewise a frenzy of clear and exciting sonic mayhem. The stage is consistently littered with heavy thuds of horse hooves on sand, rolling wheels, creaky chariots, screaming men, roaring crowds, and all sorts of smaller support details that roll in through every speaker but with a beautiful sense of balance, place, and realism. Atmospheric effects are effectively delivered, often in the form of near or distant rains and thunders. The surrounds are never shy about carrying any part of the load. Even music, as wide as it may be across the front, seeps into the back for effortless wraparound. Instrumental clarity is precise, even in support of the biggest action scenes. Dialogue delivery is clear and very well prioritized through it all. A terrific listen from Paramount.

Ben-Hur Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Ben-Hur contains several featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, and music videos. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Ben-Hur: The Legacy (1080p, 10:37): A look back at the original book, its author, and film adaptations.
• The Epic Cast (1080p, 12:10): This piece looks more closely at the casting process and the qualities the performers brought to the roles.
• A Tale For Our Times (1080p, 15:25): Repurposing the story for modern audiences, including the qualities Director Timur Bekmambetov brought to the movie, set pieces and shooting locations, costumes, and special effects.
• The Chariot Race (1080p, 10:37): A closer look at making the movie's best-known sequence.
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (1080p, 10:23 total runtime): Discussion, Permission, Goodbye, Reunion, Judah Spies on Messala, Help Yourself, and Life Worse Than Death.
• Music Videos (1080p): Includes three music videos as well as brief behind the scenes pieces for two of them: "The Only Way Out" by Andra Day (3:40), Behind the Scenes of "The Only Way Out" (0:50), "Ceasefire" by For King and Country (4:14), Behind the Scenes of "Ceasefire" (1:00), and "Back to You" by Mary Mary (3:38).

Ben-Hur Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ben-Hur is a movie that defines that new-old adage about "a solution in search of a problem." It joins the mountain of pointless remakes that pale in comparison to the original (in this case originals) classic(s). Miscast on both sides of the camera, absent anything resembling a heart, and not even all that great in terms of visual wonder, it's a film that, for all involved -- from the creative minds to the end consumer -- would have been better left to the imagination, at least with this cast and crew and at this point in time. Paramount's Blu-ray isn't all that feature-packed, but video and audio presentations are darn near perfect. With that in mind, fans can buy with confidence that they're getting a sound technical product.