In the Bible, God's sovereign rule and authority is called the "kingdom of heaven," or the "kingdom of God," where God's will is done. It is a spiritual reality, not a physical place. However, if one were to assign a location to this "kingdom," many would argue it is Jerusalem because several different world religions consider it to be their "holy place." For thousands of years, countries have fought to gain and hold possession of Jerusalem, and stories have been passed down for ages about "holy wars" that were waged to oust whomever the current ruler was and take it for themselves.

In 2005, Director Ridley Scott made the feature film called Kingdom of Heaven, detailing King Baldwin IV's (Edward Norton; Glass Onion) reign, his subsequent death from leprosy, and the war between King Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas; The Equalizer) and Sultan Saladin (Ghassan Massoud; All the Money in the World) over the control of Jerusalem. Though released several years ago on Blu-ray, Disney/Buena Vista has now released a special edition 4K SteelBook Director's Cut of this title, available for purchase in stores.

When Balian's (Orlando Bloom; Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) wife commits suicide after miscarrying their baby, he becomes ostracized by the village. But when his long-lost father, Godfrey de Ibelin (Liam Neeson; Schindler's List), asks Balian to come with him to Jerusalem, Balian initially declines. However, he changes his mind and, upon his father's death, becomes Baron, inheriting his father's land. Gaining favor with Baldwin, Baldwin asks Balian to become King after his death, but Balian declines. Eventually, Jerusalem falls to Saladin, but Balian and former Queen Sibylla (Eva Green; Casino Royale) are allowed to leave as part of the surrender.

With a solid cast and a well-known director, Kingdom of Heaven should have been more successful than it was. While the theatrical release lasts for 2 hours and 24 minutes, the Director's Cut runs almost an hour longer, even though it seems unnecessary. The first act is slow, but after intermission, the pace picks up significantly.

The Dolby Vision video quality is excellent, with sharp details and a vibrant color palette throughout. Sibylla's clothing is especially colorful and ornate, as one would expect of a queen during the Crusades. Some of the backgrounds look fake with the upgraded resolution, but overall, the film looks terrific.

The Dolby Atmos audio is very strong as well, with ambient sounds and a solid score filling the surround speakers. The dialogue is relegated to the front speakers and comes across clearly. The action sequences have a robust, multi-track Foley sound that serves the overall feel of the movie well.

There are a plethora of extras in this combo pack, with one disc of the three solely devoted to them. Besides a handsomely designed SteelBook that is pretty much black and white, with a Baroque-styled mask on the front panel and a sword on the rear one, the interior displays the key art featured on the original 1080 release, with Orlando Bloom rushing into battle. The extras are as follows:

4K Disc Extras:

Ridley Scott Introduction to Director's Cut Version
Commentary by Producer/Director Ridley Scott, Writer William Monahan, and Actor Orlando Bloom
Commentary by Executive Producer Lisa Ellzey, Visual Effects Supervisor Wesley Sewel, and First Assistant Director Adam Somner
Commentary by Film Editor Dody Dorn
The Engineer's Guide

1080 Disc One Extras:

Ridley Scott Introduction to Director's Cut Version
Commentary by Producer/Director Ridley Scott, Writer William Monahan, and Actor Orlando Bloom
Commentary by Executive Producer Lisa Ellzey, Visual Effects Supervisor Wesley Sewel, and First Assistant Director Adam Somner
Commentary by Film Editor Dody Dorn
The Engineer's Guide

1080 Disc Two:

The Path to Redemption
Production Sequence:
Development
Tripoli Overview
Early Draft Screenplay by William Monahan
Story Notes
Location Scout Gallery
Pre-Production
Cast Rehearsals
Ridleygrams
Colors of the Crusade
Costume Design Gallery
Production Design Primer
Production Design Gallery
Production
Creative Accuracy: The Scholars Speak
Unholy War: Mounting the Siege
Storyboard Galleries
Unit Photography Gallery
Post-Production
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Sound Design Suite
Visual Effects Breakdown
Release and Director's Cut
Press Junket Walkthrough
World Premieres: London, New York, and Tokyo
Special Shoot Gallery
Poster Explorations
Trailers and TV Spots featuring four trailers
Paradise Found: Creating the Director's Cut
Director's Cut Credits
Archive
Interactive Production Grid
Ridley Scott
Production Featurette
Wardrobe Featurette
Orlando Bloom - The Adventure of a Lifetime

Although historically inaccurate, Kingdom of Heaven is a somewhat enjoyable film, though, as previously mentioned, the viewer needs to get through the sludge in the first act to enjoy the second half of the film. Even with the 3-hour-plus runtime, there are several moments when the plot seems to be twisted up and confusing, which is unfortunate. However, by the end, certain things become a little clearer, giving the audience a sense of completion.

The SteelBook artwork is stunning, and the film has a lot to offer, regardless of whether you are a religious individual or not. It is just a shame that Scott couldn't get out of his own way long enough to edit it more concisely. It's a bit of a mishmash of a film that salvages the plot by the end.

Grade: B-