Movie

Kingdom of Heaven

Name: Kingdom of Heaven
Released: 2005

2005 • Action, Adventure, Drama

Woke Score

6.6

out of 10

Plot

It is the time of the Crusades during the Middle Ages -- the world-shaping 200-year collision between Europe and the East. A blacksmith named Balian has lost his family and nearly his faith. The religious wars raging in the far-off Holy Land seem remote to him, yet he is pulled into that immense drama. Amid the pageantry and intrigues of medieval Jerusalem, he falls in love, grows into a leader, and ultimately uses all his courage and skill to defend the city against staggering odds. Destiny comes seeking Balian in the form of a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, a Crusader briefly home to France from fighting in the East. Revealing himself as Balian's father, Godfrey shows him the true meaning of knighthood and takes him on a journey across continents to the fabled Holy City. In Jerusalem at that moment--between the Second and Third Crusades--a fragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV, aided by his advisor Tiberias, and the military restraint of the legendary Muslim leader Saladin Ayubi. But Baldwin's days are numbered, and strains of fanaticism, greed, and jealousy among the Crusaders threaten to shatter the truce. King Baldwin's vision of peace--a kingdom of heaven--is shared by a handful of knights, including Godfrey of Ibelin, who swear to uphold it with their lives and honor. As Godfrey passes his sword to his son, he also passes on that sacred oath: to protect the helpless, safeguard the peace, and work toward harmony between religions and cultures, so that a kingdom of heaven can flourish on earth. Balian takes the sword and steps into history.

Overall Series Review

The film utilizes the historical backdrop of the Crusades to deliver a modern, anachronistic allegorical message of religious pluralism and secular humanism, which heavily privileges a moral framework detached from the historical Christian context. The hero, Balian, is presented as an enlightened, non-dogmatic man whose morality and 'right action' are superior to the religious doctrine of his time. This moral hierarchy consistently places most figures representing Western Christian institutions and zealotry—such as the Templars and the Catholic clergy—as the main antagonists who are driven by greed, power, and fanaticism. In contrast, the Muslim leader Saladin is portrayed as a model of chivalry, honor, and merciful restraint, exhibiting what the movie presents as true faith and universal virtue. The Western European heritage and the Crusader movement are framed as fundamentally corrupt and a force of aggression, while the heroine's character is modernized to be 'stronger and wiser' by making her reject her arranged marriage and fall for the non-traditional hero. The narrative structure actively deconstructs religious belief as a source of conflict, advocating for an uncorrupted, secular 'kingdom of conscience' on earth.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics8/10

The core conflict pits noble, enlightened, secular-minded Christians (Balian, Baldwin IV) and the Muslim leader Saladin against the fanatical, dogmatic, and greedy Christian zealots (Templars, Bishop). This creates an identity hierarchy where the 'good' characters are defined by their rejection of traditional Christian identity and the embrace of an anachronistic universalist meritocracy, while the 'evil' characters are defined by their Christian-European fanaticism.

Oikophobia9/10

Western civilization and its institutions, specifically the Crusades and the French kingdom, are depicted as fundamentally corrupt, bigoted, and driven by lust for land and wealth. The antagonists are the defenders of the European-Christian cause. The hero explicitly leaves his 'home' (France) to seek redemption in the 'better world' of Jerusalem, only to find the Christian elements corrupting it. Saladin and the Saracen forces embody the 'Noble Savage' trope, representing spiritual and moral superiority to the European invaders.

Feminism6/10

Queen Sibylla's character is deliberately re-written by the filmmakers to be 'stronger and wiser,' positioning her as an unhappy royal who despises her politically expedient marriage to Guy. She enters an adulterous relationship with the hero, Balian, effectively framing the traditional, patriarchal royal family structure as one of misery and bondage. The narrative ultimately sees her choosing a private life with the hero over her queenship, which offers a mixed message, but the deconstruction of her marriage is pronounced.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative focuses on a traditional male-female pairing, and there is no visible centering of alternative sexualities or explicit deconstruction of the nuclear family beyond the hero’s and heroine’s extramarital relationship. The theme of sexual ideology is absent from the central plot's moralizing agenda.

Anti-Theism9/10

The film's primary moral thrust is anti-dogmatic, presenting institutional Christianity as the root of the period's evil. All Christian religious leaders and fervent believers (the Bishop, Templars, and a crusading priest) are portrayed as villains, cowards, or corrupt profiteers. The hero's moral journey involves rejecting traditional religious faith and instead adhering to a secular 'kingdom of conscience,' culminating in a line where a key character states the fight was 'for wealth and land,' not for God.