Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - 4K Digital Assessment

      Kingdom of Heaven, 2005.

      Directed by Ridley Scott.

      Starring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Marton Csokas, and Liam Neeson.

      SYNOPSIS:

      If you enjoy Ridley Scott's religious epic Kingdom of Heaven, you might be aware that it's now available on 4K Ultra HD and digital. This release features a brand new 4K restoration and also includes a wealth of bonus features from earlier editions. I received a code for a digital copy for this review.

      I'm sure I'm not the only one: at times, a film leaves me feeling indifferent. With Ridley Scott's grand epic Kingdom of Heaven, I can admire the artistry and craftsmanship present on screen, and undoubtedly, the director’s cut offers a far better experience, yet nothing in this film truly captivated me.

      Orlando Bloom portrays Balian of Ibelin, a seemingly unassuming blacksmith residing in a small medieval French village. He grapples with the memory of his wife, who took her own life following the birth of a stillborn child.

      When a group of Crusaders approaches him, asking him to return to Jerusalem, the Holy Land (the “kingdom of heaven” alluded to in the film's title) to be with his father, Baron Godfrey (Liam Neeson), he initially refuses. However, he reconsiders after learning that his half-brother, a priest, had his wife dismembered before burial based on a bizarre religious doctrine.

      In response, Balian kills his half-brother and embarks on the dangerous journey to Jerusalem, stopping to visit his father along the way. In the Holy Land, he finds himself embroiled in conflicts between the leper King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton) and Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas), who aspires to govern the city and has allied with the Templar Knights to disrupt the fragile peace between the Crusader States and Sultan Saladin (Ghassan Massoud).

      Balian attempts to steer clear of royal politics, opting instead to run the estate he inherited at Ibelin and to aid its inhabitants in irrigating the land and cultivating much-needed crops. King Baldwin IV's sister, Princess Sibylla (Eva Green), who is Guy’s wife and mother of a son from a previous relationship, visits Balian, and the two become romantically involved, complicating his circumstances further.

      These mounting tensions create a perfect backdrop for full-scale war, and Scott effectively uses the movie's reported $130 million budget to portray a massive assault on Jerusalem. (I have glossed over several plot points, but I aim not to spoil anything.) The scale and grandeur of the battle easily rival the battles in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

      An epilogue notes: “Nearly a thousand years later, peace in the Kingdom of Heaven still remains elusive.” Two decades after the film's release, true peace remains just as distant, leading me to believe that there is no simple solution to the ongoing conflicts. With various groups claiming exclusive entitlement to the Holy Land, it's hard to envision a resolution.

      Kingdom of Heaven was recently released on 4K Ultra HD, and the presentation is said to be stunning. I only received a digital copy for this review, so I cannot comment on the physical disc, but it looked fine on my TV.

      Unlike the disc versions, the digital copy grants access to the rather inferior theatrical version, which may be worth viewing from a filmmaking perspective. The contrast between the two versions clearly illustrates how a film can suffer when approximately 40 minutes is cut from its runtime. (For those curious about the “director’s cut roadshow” version, it is essentially the director's cut with additional overture, intermission, and exit music that evokes the feel of an epic from Hollywood's golden age.)

      Ridley Scott recorded an introduction to the director's cut. Other extras include:

      • Three commentary tracks: Available solely for the roadshow version of the director’s cut, these insightful discussions feature Scott, Bloom, and writer William Monahan; Executive Producer Lisa Ellzey, Visual Effects Supervisor Wesley Sewell, and First Assistant Director Adam Somner; as well as Film Editor Cody Dorn.

      • The Path to Redemption (139 minutes): This detailed documentary, divided into six sections, chronicles the production of Kingdom of Heaven from its early development stages to its release, infused with a religious theme. (Although a bit heavy-handed, it seems Ridley Scott was frustrated that some viewers did not grasp the film’s religious undertones.)

      • Production Sequence (83 minutes): Divided into four segments, this additional feature delves into more behind-the-scenes content. Despite its title, it actually spans pre-production to release. Ridley Scott's commitment to providing bonus material for