Tell me about Kingdom of Heaven

[Ranger REG]

No, the Holocaust was the slaughter of innocent civilians by a brutal regime. The Crusades were a counter-offensive by some Christian Kingdoms versus some Muslim Kingdoms. The Muslims had conquered most of the Holy Lands, North Africa, and Spain. Some of these places converted peacefully, but often they were taken by the sword. The First Crusade was an attempt to take back Jerusalem. The Crusaders were often poorly led and didn't trust each other as they were a coalition of armies from Kingdoms used to fighting each other. This led to a lot of suffering in any nation that the Crusaders passed through. It was a war of idealogies with brutality from both sides.

I thought the movie took place during the Second Crusade when Jerusalem was surrendered to the forces of Saladin's army in 1187, before King Richard the Lionhearted embark on the Third Crusade to retake Jerusalem and reclaim most of Outremer.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

As for the portrayal, both sides exhibits both noble and savage traits, but without any hint of romanticism or glorification.

 

[Rykion]

I thought the movie took place during the Second Crusade when Jerusalem was surrendered to the forces of Saladin's army in 1187, before King Richard the Lionhearted embark on the Third Crusade to retake Jerusalem and reclaim most of Outremer.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Yep, the movie took place towards the end of the Second Crusade. I was just establishing a very basic background for the Crusades in my response, not going into their entire history. My general statements apply to all of the Crusades except the mention of the goal of the First Crusade. I was pointing out that comparing the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust to the Muslims during the Crusades is hyperbole. I was responding to a quote talking about the Crusades in general rather than the specific events of the movie.

 

[ragboy]

I absolutely hated it, but I had incredibly high expectations and was actually really looking forward to seeing it... I left very, very disappointed as I could hardly stay awake, felt no connection to the characters, and - in the end - didn't care who won or lost. It was a ramshackle, uninteresting, and genuinely boring film. Blah.

Thank You! I thought it was a terrible movie. The first 20 minutes or so (before Balien got to the holy land) were really well done. The rest was Balien's flowing locks and a bunch of very poorly edited scenes that hung on an even worse story. What's so sad is that the historical story of Balien is fantastic. I thought Orlando Bloom was a terrible choice for the part. He just seems to prance about and BLAH! Can't go on. Let's just say I think Orlando Bloom made a great elf. And he made Johnny Depp look positively manly in Pirates of the Carribean.

And that speech before Jeruselem fell? What the hell was that?! I would have thrown down my sword! Or thrown my sword at Balien...

Anyway...