Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Kings of the Sun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf June 1, 2015

Continuing their professional relationship after competing “Taras Bulba,” director J. Lee Thompson and star Yul Brynner reteamed for 1963’s “Kings of the Sun,” marketed as one of the few major motion pictures to examine ancient Mayan culture, doing so as an epic production with blockbuster intentions. It’s the size that’s most impressive about “Kings of the Sun,” which offers hundreds of extras, towering sets, and frame-filling war scenes. Less inviting is the melodrama at the core of the screenplay, which works diligently but fruitlessly to build an intimate tale of doomed attraction and pained leadership as the populations of Central America and North America collide.

“Kings of the Sun” arranges a love triangle with actors Brynner (portraying Native American Chief Black Eagle), George Chakris (as an overwhelmed Mayan ruler), and Shirley Anne Field (as a peasant turned into a queen), but, strangely, the feature is most consumed with the concept of human sacrifice. With Mayan leadership guided by this appeasement to the Gods, the act of public execution weighs heavily on the characters, each touched by the promise of salvation through death. It’s a fascinating direction for the story that’s never handed full concentration, with the tale disintegrating as it tries to remain a romance of sorts, eventually using jealousy as a means to find a suitable third act showdown.

Kings of the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Source material isn't fresh for the AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Woes emerge from the opening of the movie, with the upper third of the frame warped, pushed into blurriness for the main titles. Trouble pops up periodically throughout the viewing experience, with flicker common, along with vertical scratches, points of damage, and speckling. Some degree of softness is to be expected with period cinematography, but print woes disturb fine detail, making sequences look out of focus. When the elements line up, "Kings of the Sun" does offer some HD punch, with colors lacking excessive fade, while exaggerated skintones register as intended. Delineation isn't crisp, but it's manageable, preserving fire-lit interiors.

Kings of the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't carry precise musical definition, but scoring efforts are pleasingly broad, sustaining the mood when necessary. Dialogue exchanges are adequate, remaining intelligible but never extraordinary, delivering some crispy extremes when emotions run hot. Atmospherics are generally calm, and group activity is understood, giving a feeling of size when the hordes are called into battle.

Kings of the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (3:43, HD) is included.

Kings of the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Thompson has quite the sandbox here, with impressive technical achievements and sheer craftsmanship on display, and battle sequences are filled with swarming extras, delivering comforting Classic Hollywood style, even as the screenplay runs out of gas early on. "Kings of the Sun" deserves credit for its willingness to stage mammoth moments of unrest and the specificity of its subject, but as a whole, it doesn't wind up the viewer as it should. The spectacle often overpowers the drama, leaving the feature hollow but certainly diverting.