“What man is a man who does not make the world better.”
– Balian de Ibelin (Kingdom of Heaven)
I do not consider myself a religious person. I consider myself the kind of person that enjoys keeping an eye out for good and positive messages, regardless of the source. There are many good things to be said about the movie Kingdom of Heaven, but there is no ignoring the fact that, while fiction, it is set during one of the darkest times in human history.
The Crusades were a nasty time. They didn’t call them the Dark Ages because of all the puppies, unicorns, and rainbows. There was a lot of death and destruction and the worst part was that the leaders of the time used religion to justify the horrors being committed against others. Kingdom of Heaven offers a glimpse of some of the horrors, but that wasn’t all there was.
Kingdom of Heaven follows a young man that committed the sin of murder. It was not justified and even he knew it. He wanted to save his soul and through a chance encounter with his father, he is offered a chance to take a journey that will test him on many levels. I do not encourage the watching of this movie for religious purposes, nor do I consider it a good family movie. Watch with caution. It is violent, disturbing at times, and not family-friendly.
With that said, there is a lot to be gained by giving this movie a try. What I loved most about Kingdom of Heaven was that even though it was the darkest time in history, there was plenty of light. Just because circumstances are awful or unfavorable, doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference. Even the smallest of efforts can yield the biggest of rewards. Sometimes, the greatest of efforts can yield the most simple, yet valuable rewards.
This is one of my favorite movie quotes of all time. It is short, simple, direct, and while open to interpretation, it is simultaneously unambiguous. If you do nothing, nothing changes. If you do something, things change. Is change always better? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but if you don’t try, you will never know.
Journeyman's Legacy 