Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut Roadshow Version) | Unedited Reaction (Patreon)

Wow, this was a BEAUTIFUL MOVIE and I barely felt the three hours pass as it pulled me into this meditation on faith, power, morality, the human cost of believing that something belongs to us absolutely.

Even with how epic and bloody it was (I hope the blood squirt artist got a raise for this one LOL). For a movie full of enormous battles, armies stretching across the horizon, and people fighting over something they believe belongs only to them... The moments that stayed with me the most were the quiet ones.Balian going to Jerusalem searching for forgiveness and God.Baldwin hiding a dying body behind a beautifully powerful mask.Saladin picking up the fallen cross after his victory.Two men standing across from one another after so much bloodshed, asking..What is Jerusalem worth?"Nothing... Everything."I absolutely LOVED the quotes sprinkled throughout this movie. How each character interpreted them differently, justified them differently, changed with them over time. Such as we are, you will be. We are what we do. What man is a man who does not make the world better? It boldly asked the bigger questions some of us are afraid of. What it actually means to be a good person in a world where everyone claims God is on their side. And even with the heavier themes of faith, it never really felt like it was asking which religion was right. No... It asked the deeper more uncomfortable question that those blinded by faith shy away from: What good is holiness if we abandon our humanity trying to defend it?Balian's journey was so powerful. Going to the Holy Land carrying guilt placed on him and grief caused by it, almost like somewhere sacred might be able to give him the forgiveness he can't give himself. But the movie strips that idea away over time. Redemption isn't waiting for him inside Jerusalem. You can't travel to holiness. You just have to live it. Something that I've realized & believe about religion so deeply myself. God isn't found by going to church every Sunday or else. He is found by your choices in life: protecting those who cannot protect themselves, showing mercy, refusing power when power could cost him his soul.Balian learns that goodness doesn't come from a title, from a crown, from religion, or even being remembered in history books. It comes from what you choose to do when nobody is there to reward you for it. And that's what I loved about this movie the most.Because Balian's realization is the same one I had years ago after being chased away from a church group for not 'attending as often as they'd like'. And it's why "we are what we do" hit me so deeply every time, no matter who said it in this movie. Because it's TRUE.I don't believe that goodness is something we get to claim about ourselves because of how many times a day we worship, where we worship, what label we give ourselves, or how closely we follow someone else's idea of what faith should look like. It lives in the smaller, quieter choices. The way we treat people when there's nothing to gain from it. The grace we give when judgement would be way easier. Whether we leave the world a little softer than we found it.That's what I'll remember the most about this movie.“What man is a man who does not make the world better?”

Maybe that is the only kingdom any of us truly get to leave behind. 🤍Thank you for your support on Patreon!Relax and enjoy 🍿🌿SYNC ALONG LINK: https://youtu.be/9aoe00G9GeII watched this on Amazon Prime