Though set in the 12th century, Kingdom of Heaven strikes me very much as a 21st century story. Heaven is very much a moral story, and it’s positive towards Christianity superficially, but underneath these finely paved roads is a sewer seething with animosity towards organized religion.

Balian (Orlando Bloom) is the illegitimate son of Godfrey (Liam Neeson), a great Lord in the currently Christian-ruled city of Jerusalem. In the unstable crusade era, the two meet, and Gofrey passes his inheritance on to him. Balian then rides into Jerusalem as one of the more powerful figures in the community. In Jerusalem we see a world of animosity between Christians and Arabs, and Christians in particular are depicted, largely, as blood-thirsty and vice-ridden, with the exception of a few noble souls such as Tiberius (Jeremy Irons).

In contrast to the religious fanaticism on both sides, Balian enters as the sensible, enlightened one. First, he responds ferociously to the priest who cuts off the head of his wife, who had committed suicide. Why would he be so offended by such a thing, wouldn’t he know that’s customary? Whether he knew, his anger reflects a resistance to the traditions of his religious background.

When Balian arrives in Jerusalem, he appears to be making himself into a hero by ordering the creation of a water-well for the people. Is this really so strange? In any case, we leave with the understanding of his wise, practical nature. Balain comes off as pious in his pleas for peace, but doesn’t seem to see any problem in sleeping with the princess of Jerusalem (Eva Green).

Then comes the primary conflict. The Arabs are seeking to take back Jerusalem and the Christians won’t give it up. Balain manages to play both the pacifist and the war-hero, defending as he must. Perhaps most importantly, the battle scenes allow for battle scenes. A massive war is waged up against the walls of Jerusalem that are strikingly similar to The Two Towers, and in many ways, even surpassing in effect.

I have no doubt that these people were just as vice-ridden as they were depicted, if not more. But Kingdom of Heaven seems to fall short of recognizing the real religious fervor of these people and addressing the problems on their own terms. Instead, Balian, though a token Christian himself, suggests that the solution to the conflict is the turning away from religion altogether. Kingdom of Heaven captures the gritty nature of the medieval period with stark realism, but its ideas and attitudes appear thoroughly modern.

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