Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

Better than "Gladiator" -- deeper, more thoughtful, more about human motivation and less about action.

Charlotte Observer by Lawrence Toppman

Bloom finally comes into his own as a man here, somberly thoughtful and melancholic. The elfin archer of "The Lord of the Rings" and the trivial boy-toy of "Troy" have been forgotten.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Wilmington

A gargantuan epic, a historical adventure-drama of overwhelming visual grandeur.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer by William Arnold

Its concept is gutsy, its script is literate and intelligent, its visuals and cinematic craftsmanship are mouth-dropping, and its vision of the insanity of various religions vying to dominate the real estate of the Holy Land comes through with great power.

The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt

Fulfills the requirements of grand-scale moviemaking while serving as a timely reminder that in the conflict between Christianity and Islam it was the Christians who picked the first fight.

Variety by Todd McCarthy

Genuinely spectacular and historically quite respectable, Ridley Scott's latest epic is at its strongest in conveying the savagery spawned by fanaticism.

Washington Post by Stephen Hunter

Full of astonishments, not the least of which are its ideas.

Los Angeles Times by Kenneth Turan

Scott and company have gotten so accomplished at re-creating history that the results have a welcome offhanded quality, making them spectacular without seeming to be showing off.

L.A. Weekly by Scott Foundas

In its depiction of a fleeting, but nevertheless factual, peace in the Middle East, Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven may seem a more quixotic Hollywood fantasy than all six Star Wars movies lumped together.

Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten

The story's parallels with the present are sometimes inescapable, as when Saladin's fireballs catapulted at Balian's castle strike an eerie resemblance to the "shock and awe" of the U.S.-led coalition's initial assault on Iraq.

Rolling Stone by Peter Travers

Odd as it is to say, Kingdom of Heaven loses its momentum the more Balian gets religion.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

Kingdom of Heaven may have problems, but it delivers.

Dallas Observer by Bill Gallo

So, if you want to see this loud but rather ordinary epic, don't expect its tricked-up cultural and theological messages to carry much water. For entertainment value, it's hard to beat the climactic siege of Jerusalem, a Ridley Scott-perfect half-hour that matches anything in "Troy" or "Gladiator" for sheer, bloody, helmet-bashing mayhem.

Time by Richard Corliss

The battle skirmishes here mix sudden violence with slow-motion artistry. The attractive cast can sell an obsession or articulate a conundrum with equal fervor.

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

Scott, working from a script by William Monahan, is so busy balancing our sympathies, making sure no one gets offended, that he has made a pageant of war that would have gotten a thumbs-up from Eleanor Roosevelt.

Village Voice by Michael Atkinson

The movie does what any self-respecting politician would do: sidestep the issues, soft-pedal mortal costs, talk a fat game, and divert your attention away from history with exercises in spectacle and power.

The New Yorker by Anthony Lane

One imagined that a movie about the Crusades would be gallant and mad; one feared that it might stoke some antiquated prejudice. But who could have dreamed that it would produce this rambling, hollow show about a boy?

Empire

A frustratingly thin epic. You're left wanting more exposition, more character development, the tidying up of loose ends.