 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Kingdom of Heaven
- Review Date: October 9, 2005
- R
- Genre: Drama
- 2005
Common Sense Media says
Violent movie about the Crusades not for kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie has several one-on-one fight scenes, as well as extreme and explicit battle violence, including sword-fighting, head-chopping, limbs-lopping, impaling, fiery catapults firing, buildings and bodies burning, and blood spurting. The film includes a euphemistic reference to the fact that the hero's father raped his mother (he says, "I knew your mother. To be courteous, I should say it was against her objections"), and various references to the Crusades (battles fought, warriors lost), as a backdrop for the hero's noble cause (he wants to bring Muslims and Christians together, contrary to the desires of all devout folks on all sides). Characters drink wine in goblets. The film includes a romance between the hero and the good king's sultry sister, who is also married to the bad king (this relationship leads to a passionate kiss that fades out before explicit sex). The leprous good king wears a silver mask throughout the film; after his death, the mask is removed to reveal his diseased, caved-in face (an image that might alarm some younger viewers).
What's the story?
Good-hearted, hardworking blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom) learns that his long-absent father is a Crusader, Baron Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson). Mourning the recent suicide of his wife, Balian kills a local priest who refers to her as a sinner. This puts Balian on the run. He seeks the aid of his father, who is en route to Jerusalem, where Balian plans to seek forgiveness for himself and his wife. Along the way, Godfrey trains Balian in sword-fighting and predicts he will be a warrior.
Is it any good?
As these characters represent various civilian or military factions and religious beliefs, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN also delivers an anachronous "message" with weight for America's current wars. That is, Balian makes speeches about everyone getting along and no one having a singular claim to Jerusalem, even as he vows to fight to protect the people who live there against the Muslims who mean to win it back (the previous battle is reported to have left thousands dead).
Still, the film must lead to the 1187 siege of Jerusalem (here brought on by Baldwin's death and Guy's ascendance to the throne; he immediately picks a fight with the Muslims), and Balian must appear to be valiant and morally sound. While the battle scenes are vast and the landscapes are breathtaking, the movie contorts history and political context to achieve these ends. Though the onetime blacksmith tells his own fighters that the history of the place is not their fault ("None of us took this city from the Muslims!"), he also leads the bloody fight to keep the Muslims out.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the film's representation of Muslims (those with speaking parts are virtuous, but those who serve as anonymous invaders of Jerusalem are shown to be barbarous and/or hacked up).
. Families might also talk about the ugly legacy of the Crusades, and
the trivialization of the subject matter here.How does the movie show Balian's
courage as an effort to protect a population, compared to the
vainglorious ambitions of Guy and Reynald?How is Balian's friendship
with Nasir a model for reaching across cultures to make peace?
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AGE
Wonderful movie, but very violent. Iffy for ages 15-16.
There isn't a ton of blood in this movie - but the violence is very extreme, can be graphic, and sometimes very disturbing, such as when a character gets stabbed and then pushed into a fire and you watch him burn. In the beginning, a man says to his son: "I knew your mother. To be courteous, I should say it was against her objections". A man has sex with a woman, but the scene is very brief and comprises of passionate kissing and suggested nudity, but not actual nudity is shown. Some language is used, mainly "b-----d", but nothing like the F or S word. Overall, the sex and language are not big concerns - the main thing is the violence.
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AGE
That was the best movie ever; I loved it immensley.
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AGE
Common Sense Media has underated this! If you liked Gladiator, you'll like this!
Common Sense Media had underated this movie. Its actually a pretty good film. Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, and Alien are Ridley Scott's best movies, and I personally like him as a director. This latest movie is really good too. Very enjoyable. I liked it and I intend to buy it someday. However, this film, like just almost all of Ridley Scott's films is very violent, but for Ridley Scott's standards, this film isn't violent or gory at all compared to Black Hawk Down, where you see all sorts of gore. There is a tiny bit of strong language, and one sex scene which lasts about 15 seconds before fading away. It will go right over most kid's heads. But remember the violence. There is a lot of blood here. I, personally, have seen very many extremely violent movies and never have been bothered by violence or any kind or extreme gore, such as in Apocalypto. (I've seen that, yes, at 13. If you want proof, I'e written a review of it on its Common Sense Media page.) But Kingdom of Heaven is a good movie, no doubt. I liked it. It doesn't beat Saving Private Ryan or Gladiator or Black Hawk Down, but its still a must-see for Ridley Scott fans. This is good stuff. Just know your kid. Is he/she very sensitive to violence, blood and gore? However, if you've seen Gladiator or Black Hawk Down, then this is utterly G-rated.
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AGE
Very good movie that accurately portrays the crusades. If you cannot stand blood and gore then I would not suggest it. If your child is at least 13 he/she will probably be able to judge for themselves. Remember that being over-protective is the fastest way to motivate your child to do inappropriate things.
*SPOILER ALERT*
There are multiple times where people get their throats slit and choke on their blood. There is a leper who dies and you get a lovely open-casket look at him.
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AGE
Much better than I suspected!
I think Orlando Bloom is very intelligent and it shows here. He doesn't use his "beauty" to sell the movie (although, I can't deny, he's gorgeous) there are parts of this movie in which he's hiddeous and he must use his acting and intelligence to portray a man with a beautiful passion for all people.
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AGE
Gosh! This movie is less violent than AVP and its rated R
I say that this movie is not too violent if was the people that rate films i will rate it PG-13. This movie is sames LOTR 3 but LOTR 3 is more violent than kingdom of heaven. My friends and i enjoyed it they are 11-14 i'm 14 i recommended that this movies if for ages 14 and up
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Ridley Scott |
| Cast: | Ghassan Massoud, Jeremy Irons, Orlando Bloom |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 145 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 6, 2005 |
| DVD release date: | October 11, 2005 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong violence and epic warfare |
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