"Ben-Hur (2016)" receives an additional star, like many large-scale projects, due to its impressive production values. However, the film suffers from poor camerawork, unappealing characters, unattractive costumes—it seems to have everything wrong. The initial introduction of the two brothers sets up their biblical feud that carries through the entire movie. It's evident that the adopted brother is intended as the antagonist, while viewers are meant to support the Jewish character. Yet, the questionable choices made by the supposed hero, combined with a pervasive anti-Semitism present in America, will likely shift audience sympathy towards the scarred underdog who isn’t even mentioned in the title. The film could have been enjoyable if it had concluded with the arrest of the wealthy man who sheltered a zealot and lacked the common sense to secure him or control the weapons he openly displayed. Instead, the story drags on unnecessarily, and "Ben-Hur" will presumably gain some understanding about life, love, and fighting during this two-hour experience. But does that constitute genuine character development? Will it win back your support when he finally gets into his chariot to race his brother in the climactic scene? I'm unsure; watch this nonsense yourself and form your own opinion. 26 November 2016 I’m transferring my reviews from a site that has become unusable, and TMDB looks great—I’m glad to be joining it.

Source on TMDB