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Ben-Hur
2016 125 min United States of America PG-13 12+
★5.1
Action, History, Adventure, Drama
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
🎭 Based on
«Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ»
byLewis Wallace
Trailers
EN
EN
EN
Description
A falsely accused nobleman survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.
Budget:
$100M
US Gross:
$26.41M
Worldwide:
$94.06M
Starring
Jack Huston
Actor
Toby Kebbell
Actor
Rodrigo Santoro
Actor
Awards
2 wins & 3 nominations total
Key opinion
The 2016 adaptation of Ben-Hur is widely considered a failure by critics and audiences alike, largely due to its perceived lack of depth compared to the 1959 classic. While a minority of viewers appreciate the film as a modern, standalone action-oriented spectacle, most dismiss it for poor character development, anachronistic choices, and weak, superficial storytelling.
| Cinematography | The chariot race stands out as the film's most successful and spectacular sequence, though opinions differ on whether its execution relies too heavily on jarring CGI or ineffective camera work. | |
| Acting | Jack Huston and Toby Kebbell receive criticism for failing to elevate their characters, with many viewers finding their portrayals of Judah and Messala either wooden or melodramatically villainous. | |
| Screenplay | The script is broadly panned as fragmented, shallow, and lacking the emotional gravitas necessary to support the story’s central themes of revenge and redemption. | |
| Acting | Morgan Freeman’s performance as the wise advisor is widely viewed as an apathetic, phoned-in cameo that feels disconnected from the rest of the film. | |
| Culture | The film’s historical accuracy and cultural representation are heavily criticized for featuring anachronistic costumes, questionable dialect, and poor integration of biblical elements. | |
| Editing | The rapid editing and shaky camerawork are divisive, with some viewers finding the style dizzying and incoherent, while others find it functional for an action-heavy approach. |