For people who haven’t watched any of the previous adaptations, this might prove to be a better pick than Bollywood period dramas like ‘Mohenjo Daro’ but for those who have, it‘ll just be disappointing.

While Bekmambetov couldn’t be faulted for trying to keep a distance from the 1959 version — and who wouldn’t, given its monstrous 11 Oscars — where Ben-Hur ultimately fails is in how far it seeks to travel. Its ending even further dilutes whatever little impact its sympathetic viewing of Biblical characters may have generated, showing it up for half-hearted at best.

Ben-Hur is exactly what it says on the tin: A remake of a remake, that is also a prime example of Hollywood whitewashing and another addition in the growing list of religious-themed films. Oh, and they put Morgan Freeman in a Bob Marley wig.

Judah Ben-Hur is a classic tale that will live on for centuries, a story that is not quite the tragedy that it could have been.

The 1959 Ben-Hur was a landmark in Hollywood. It was a film that set a precedent for mythological and historical sagas. The new film is like a cheap Chinese clone. Its slick to look at, but once you experience it first hand; you realize it is in essence a cheap knock-off.

There’s really nothing new in it other than what modern technology can bring. The story’s eventual outcome – a lesson in repentance, is lost in the visual bombast designed in overkill.

This movie is garbage. Do yourself a favour and just go watch the original.