Parents' Guide to

Kingdom of Heaven

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Violent movie about the Crusades not for kids.

Movie R 2005 145 minutes
Kingdom of Heaven Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

daniellero
daniellero Adult
January 16, 2013
age 13+

Over 12/13 yes, but not 16

My son is 12 had to do a an essay and poster on Saladin for his History class. He read books and encyclopedias about Saladin and the crusades, but I let him watch this since it shows Saladin on "the other side". I thought it was a good movie. Violent, yes, but not too bad. My son has read and watched a lot of war books and movies because it is an interest, but for otehrs who haven't been exposed I can see where this film would be scary or too gory.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
darthsitkur
darthsitkur Adult
September 5, 2012
age 15+

great movie :), an instant 10, one of my favorites

kingdom of heaven was my second war movie and I loved it, it's got lots of blood and gore and lots of awesome action, especially the forest fight. kingdom of heaven is as good as Troy but I think kingdom of heaven is better, basically because it has more action and more blood and gore lol
See all 3 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (16):

As these characters represent various civilian or military factions and religious beliefs, this brutal drama 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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Movie Details

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