Story
Ben-Hur opens with a scene of a Roman circus arena in Jerusalem. Two men are standing on the back of chariots. One man looks at the other and says, ‘You should have killed me’. The second man says, ‘I will’. The story then jumps to eight years earlier, where we see the same two men on horseback, racing each other across the desert. One of the men is Prince Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), who is Jewish. The other is his adopted brother, Messala Severus (Toby Kebbell), who is Roman.
Disillusioned with his life as Judah’s adopted brother, Messala decides to make his own way in the world and joins the Roman army. After fighting in various wars for the next three years, Messala rises through the ranks to become a tribune. He returns to Jerusalem escorting the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.
After an attempt to assassinate Pontius Pilate, Judah Ben-Hur and his family are wrongly accused and imprisoned. Judah is betrayed by Messala, who sentences Judah to be a galley slave for the rest of his life. Judah spends the next five years as a slave chained to a war galley until one day the ship sinks and Judah is the only survivor.
After being washed up on beach, Judah is found by Sheik IIderim (Morgan Freeman), who befriends him. IIderim has a passion for horse and chariot racing, and wants to race his horses in Jerusalem. After hearing that Messala is now a champion chariot racer, Judah decides to drive IIderim’s chariot, so he can race against Messala in the arena where there are no rules and where the two brothers are intent on destroying each other.
Themes
Family relationships and rivalry; religion; the Roman Empire; blood sports; executions including crucifixion; war
Violence
Ben-Hur contains scenes of intense action violence, blood sports, cruelty and executions, including crucifixion. For example:
Sexual references
Ben-Hur has occasional mild sexual references. For example:
- A man asks a woman to dance with him at a celebration, but the woman tells the man that it isn’t allowed. The man tells the woman that it would give people something to talk about.
- An older woman tells a younger woman that she spends too much idle time with a young man.
- A man talks about a woman’s father finding her a wealthy Roman to marry.
- A soldier jokes to another soldier, ‘She wants you’. Other soldiers snigger and cheer. The soldier argues with the woman (his sister) and then tells the other soldier, ‘She’s asking too much’, jokingly implying that the woman is a prostitute.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Ben-Hur shows some use of substances. For example, a couple of scenes show celebrations where guests hold drinks. One party-goer seems to be drunk and is later seen draped, either asleep or unconscious, over a table.
Nudity and sexual activity
Ben-Hur has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Characters kiss and embrace.
- A married couple are seen in bed.
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
None of concern
Ideas to discuss with your children
Ben-Hur is a remake of the 1956 classic and might appeal to those who like action adventure movies. It might also attract young teenagers, but there are many intense violent and disturbing scenes so we don’t recommend it for viewers under 15 years.
These are the main messages from Ben-Hur:
- Hatred and revenge are damaging to everyone.
- Compassion, forgiveness and understanding lead to hope and promise.
You could talk with your children about the movie’s historical background, the nature of the Roman Empire and Jesus as a historical figure.