Go big or go home, right? When it comes to Kingdom of Heaven, you really do need to go big though.

Technically, there are 3 versions of the movie. A 2+ hour weak theatrical version that was panned by critics and not well-received by the public. A Director’s Cut that adds about 50 minutes of extra footage to more fully develop the story and then A Director’s Cut Roadshow Presentation that added an Overture and Intermission. Sometimes a director’s cut is more of a vanity project where the director just wants to show off scenes that they liked that didn’t really fit into the movie as a whole. Kingdom of Heaven was the exact opposite. The 45 minutes that got cut out made the movie confusing and poorly told. I’ve never seen the shorter version, but that is a pretty common consensus.

I’m a big fan of Ridley Scott and Gladiator is one of my favorite movies. This movie isn’t better than Gladiator but it is one of his best. The scope and epic presentation are quite impressive and every dollar of the $130M budget is on-screen. I had intended to watch it in 2 parts since it’s 3+ hours long but after I turned it off at the intermission, it wasn’t 5 minutes later that I was back in my chair ready for the rest of it. I knew it would be a late night, but I wanted to see the rest of the story. As with most historical epics, some dramatic license it taken but much of it follows true to actual events. It’s a long movie but don’t let that keep you from seeing it.