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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2016 This Week 33 IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Bridget Jones's Baby (15) 10:15, 13:00, 15:45, 18:25, 21:05 Finding Dory (U) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00 War Dogs (15) 21:10 The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – World Touring (PG) 10:30, 18:15, 21:00 Ben Hur (12A) 10:30, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Suicide Squad (15) 16:00, 20:55 Bad Moms (15) 13:45, 18:40 The Mechanic Resurrection (15) 10:20, 13:45, 16:05, 18:25, 20:50 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 War Dogs (15) 14:00, 16:20, 18:45, 21:10, 23:40 Finding Dory (U) 14:05, 16:15, 18:30 Pete's Dragon (U) 14:05, 16:25 Nerve (15) 14:05, 16:10, 18:20, 21:05, 23:20 The 9th Life of Louis Drax (15) 14:05, 18:30, 20:40 Mechanic: Resurrection (15) 14:10, 16:20, 18:20, 21:05, 23:20 Nine Lives (PG) 14:10, 16:15, 18:25, 20:50 Bad Moms (15) 14:10, 16:30, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 The Shallows (12) 14:15, 16:20, 18:35, 21:00, 23:05 The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (PG) 14:25, 18:05, 20:55 Bridget Jones's Baby (15) 14:30, 18:20, 21:05, 23:00 Suicide Squad (15) 14:30, 18:25, 21:15, 23:35 Ben-Hur 3D (12A) 14:30, 20:50 Ben-Hur 2D (12A) 18:10, 23:30 Kids in Love (15) 16:30, 20:45 Lights Out (15) 20:55, 22:55 Hell or High Water (15) 20:55, 23:15 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Mechanic: Resurrection (15) 11:15, 13:30, 16:00, 18:20, 20:45 Ben-Hur (12A) 10:20, 13:00, 15:45, 18:25, 21:00 Finding Dory (U) 10:30, 14:00, 16:15, 18:30 Hell or High Water (15) 20:40 Bridget Jones's Baby 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:30, 20:45 Nine Lives (PG) 11:15, 13:30, 16:00, 18:20, 20:45 The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – World Touring (PG) 10:35, 13:10, 15:50, 18:30, 21:00 Suicide Squad (15) 10:40, 13:15, 15:55, 18:30, 21:05 A Good Friday staple since time immemorial, the Charlton Hes- ton-starring 1959 Ben-Hur is most memorable for three main reasons – buttock-clenching length (3 hours 44 minutes!), gay subtext (pointed out by uncred- ited screenwriter Gore Vidal, furiously denied by Heston) and that chariot race (one of the foundations of action cinema as we know it). But this 2016 remake? I'll spare the lazy the trouble of reading the rest of this review – Ben-Hur 2016 a little more than yet another lazy sum- mer blockbuster, a film more TV miniseries than Technicolor marvel. The 1959 William Wyler-di- rected film – technically a re- make of a remake, seeing how the 1880 novel was previously adapted in film form in 1907 and 1925 – kept things fairly simple, being the story of Jew- ish noble Judah Ben-Hur and his friend Messala, whose relation- ship is shattered due to reasons of faith and tribe. However, the 2016 version adds a good dollop of character-based syrup to the mix, as the Roman Messala (To- by Kebbell) is now not only the adopted brother of the titular Ben-Hur (Jack Huston) but also the grandson of one of Caesar's assassins. As for the reasons be- hind Ben-Hur's becoming galley slave and eventual chariot racer, while the original involved a misunderstanding the new ver- sion has Ben-Hur harbouring a zealot youth, leading to a direct attack Pontius Pilate from his host's roof. Subtle, this film is not. Directed by Timur Bekmam- betov (Night Watch, Wanted), Ben-Hur is a snappy affair, eager to move the action from scene to the next. In one way that's a relief, since this remake chops the running time to a relative- ly breezy 2 hours 30 minutes. While his take on the narra- tive suffers from a propensity of clumsy flashes of both back- wards and forwards variety, Bek- mambetov at least directs a cou- ple of decent action scenes, such as a claustrophobic sequence involving an attack on the gal- ley where Ben-Hur has spent the last five years as a slave. His take on the iconic chariot race also manages to entertain with its al- most cheerful crunching of both man and horse, although com- pared to the 1959 version it still ends up being toothless, what with its chariot wheels lacking in terrifying hidden blades. Toby Kebbell makes something of a glowering figure from his Messalla, especially when clad in Roman military finery. On the other hand Jack Huston fails to impress, particularly since he in- evitably stands next to a Charl- ton Heston seemingly hewn out of solid oak – and as a result never manages to look like more than a twig. Otherwise there's little more can be said on the rest of the cast, aside from Mor- gan Freeman's bizarre turn as a dreadlocked chariot trainer (a character somewhat reminiscent of the late Oliver Reed's amoral gladiator trainer in Gladiator) and Rodrigo Santoro showing up at regular intervals as Jesus. In news pleasing to MUSEUM teachers everywhere, this Ben- Hur is even more overt in its intertwining of the main narra- tive with the New Testament, and at one point even has the Christ making a typical sermon on loving one's neighbour while indulging in a spot of carpentry. Well, wasn't he supposed to be the son of a carpenter as well as God? But in the end of the day Ben- Hur 2016 remains a wholly av- erage affair. It does not qualify as an outright a failure, but in a summer lacking in truly memo- rable blockbuster cinema that only makes it all the more for- gettable. As for your Good Fri- day viewing, stick with the 1959 version. By Marco Attard Wishing it was 1959 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ TO THE RACES ★ ★ ★ ★ TO THE CIRCUS ★ ★ ★ TO THE BEACH ★ ★ TO THE TRAFFIC ★ TO THE KNACKERS FILM BEN-HUR ★ ★ Morgan Freeman makes an odd turn as Ben-Hur's manager in chariot. Syrupy and stodgy, the 2016 take on Ben-Hur 2016 is an object lesson in how to turn a classic from the Golden Age of cinema into a woefully average summer blockbuster.