MovieChat Forums > Ben-Hur (2016) Discussion > Benhur 2016, the Atheist's cut

Benhur 2016, the Atheist's cut

posted 8 years ago by constantinochicago
45 replies | jump to latest

This post is not meant to attack any religion. You can believe whatever you want. So please... Thanks. And also, do not complain about my english, I'm an import.

My main point is that without all the 'Christian' components BenHur would have been a better movie. Everytime he showed up in the movie was an unnecesary distraction and brought nothing to the film, specially the scenes after the race.

This movie could have reached a 7 on IMDB if:

- Jesus doesn't show up
- There is no miracle with the sick sister and mom and they die as they were supposed to.
- Messala dies after the race. Quick conversation with Ben-Hur to wrap up and boom.. dies being still BenHur's enemy..

This would have made the movie way more bad-a$$ and appealing to a broader audience.

Regarding the people that don't like it just because of being a remake, I'm personally in favor of remakes. Many people have a hard time dealing with the 'deep', 'classic theaterish' dialogues of older movies.

I'm also ok with BenHur becoming Chris Martin from Coldplay at the final race, although I needed a few seconds to digest.

[–] leonb60 8 years ago

Except that when Lew Wallace published his book in 1880 it was titled: Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ".
Like it or not - Jesus is a part of the story and the 1959 version explores the impact of Jesus' impact of Judah's life as per the book.
It is not a 'bad-a$$' story... read the book.

[–] ajheinrich59 8 years ago

Anyone who has not read the book by General Lew Wallace will fail to understand that this is PRIMARILY a "tale of the Christ" and the effect of Jesus' on men ruled by violence and hatred.

The first 14 chapters of the book are the story of the birth of Jesus, as told from the perspective of the wiseman, Balthasar. They are filled with references divine guidance, prophetic references and God's providential guidance. It makes clear the divine presence of God in Christ and points to his purpose.

What I loved best about the 1959 film version is that they keep Jesus' face hidden from us. We are captivated not by the character, or even the actions of Jesus, but by the reactions of those he encounters, the most memorable of which is the reaction of the Roman soldier when he attempts to keep Jesus from giving Ben Hur the water.

This movie...IMHO...should be required viewing for anyone seeking the answer to fighting violence, hate and the desire for revenge. Only an encounter with Jesus can free us from the hate that would destroy us all.

[–] Zanza8 8 years ago

without all the 'Christian' components BenHur would have been a better movie. Everytime he showed up in the movie was an unnecesary distraction and brought nothing to the film, specially the scenes after the race.

You can believe what you please, but this is an inappropriate comment, to the point of being offensive. Ben-Hur is based on a book, written by Lew Wallace, titled Ben-Hur, a tale of the Christ. It's the story of how a man bent on revenge became redeemed through following Jesus Christ. What you see as unnecessary distraction is actually the heart of the story. You may think that cutting out the heart of the story would give it a better rating on IMDB and make it more badass, but then it wouldn't be Ben-Hur, a tale of the Christ. You don't like Jesus, fine. Don't watch a movie centered around Jesus and then whinge that Jesus is in the movie.

http://thinkingoutloud-descartes.blogspot.com/