Having originally getting poor reviews,i didnt pay any attention to this movie.my interest was stirred at this version.as ridley scott states at the begining of the film,this is not an excuse to add more here and there,its how ridley originally wanted it.the theatre version,thanks to the studios chopping bits out here and there, left a confusing story and film.here,it all makes sense.it is pure class. A brilliantly told recount of part of the crusades.i have just come back from the middle east,where whilst i was there, i visited kerak castle.this film brought it all to life.scotts eye for detail, insisting the muslim characters were played by muslim actors,the clothes,music,photography etc is astounding.ridley does epics well,and this is an excellent epic.

The reason why dvds were invented is surely to save films which were butchered to satisfy studio executives on theatrical release. There must be many who saw this film at the cinema and wondered what was going on.This is especially true of the Eva Green character, here her story arc actually makes sense and the whole film feels more coherent as a whole for the extra hour inserted here. It's a pity that Scott's films constantly have to issued on dvd for us to see finally see his vision as opposed to the cut-down cinema releases. Wouldn't it be great to see them up on the bigscreen instead of waiting months or years for the definitive versions?

This film leaves the theatrical version in the dust. The added story lines add far more depth to the characters; making the film far more enjoyable to watch. However my main issue with this film is the fact that is is on two discs, meaning there is a break in the middle. Although this doesn't retract from the film itself it just makes the viewing experience a little disjointed. That is why I have given it 4 stars. A copy of this film maybe better perhaps as it does not have this break...

I am a fan of Ridley Scott's work and I like this film no doubt. However, sometimes Sir Ridley overreaches. This is what happens in this film. What it is trying to do, in a post 9/11 world is admirable. Attempting to explore the dialogue that existed between the Crusaders and Arabs, the film gets confused. In short the film tries to hard, to do and be too many things. While the storyline is fine the point(s) get lost amidst the exploration of characters (If that is the point then it is genius but I don't think it is).
The acting is pretty good but Orlando Bloom is not quite a leading man, yet; he simply lacks the gravitas of an older man and the out-and-out arrogance of a younger man.
The motivation of some characters seems to change and at other times linger without reason. The extended edition does go some way to clarify this but is still weak.

Enough negativity. There are some brilliant little forays into social commentary; the best being The Knights Templar. Here is a faction that murders in the name of religion. Aside from the general struggles for The Holy Land they make a point of killing any Arab for no reason and without the authority of the Religion for which they ostensibly fight. Sound familiar? It should.
Again the dialogue between the Christian King, the leprotic Ed Norton and Saladin is a good representation of leaders who accept they have opposing views but can still deal with each other with respect and dignity.

The action scenes are everything you'd expect from a Ridley Scott film and his creation of the medieval Holy Land is as visual as ever. The siege of Jerusalem is immense, the fighting brutal.

Overall this film is well worth a watch but don't go into it expecting Gladiator.

The film is great from the start to end, full of action, very well written, very well acted and well directed by Ridley Scott. The special effects in the battle scences are spectacular and is also a film you can get emotionally involved in really easily!

I was honestly surprised by the full lenght cut of this movie. Rarely a movie makes so little sense in the theater, and so much sense in the dvd player. Somehow it all comes together here. Saladin is every bit as great as he was in the theater version.

Well, I, like everyone else, heard that Kingdom of Heaven was "A crusades epic that's easy on the eye but hard on the backside, Kingdom Of Heaven is disappointing" and that's what I believed until one of my friends sat me down and forced me to watch this, the Definitive Edition. The next day I was straight on Play.com to buy my own copy.
It's amazing. In the version shown in cinemas, a large proportion of the actual story was cut out. Due to this the long action sequences and complicated, military conversations made tiresome work as we felt no compassion towards the characters, not knowing their stories. In this Definitive Edition you grow to know the characters more, feel their pain and understand their actions. Also in this version, Eva Green's character, Sibylla, has a whole additional storyline, which was completely cut from the original release, that makes us really sympathise with her and understand her dramatic character change about half way through.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoy all three and a bit hours of this film every time I watch it.

OK, the film like everyone has said is better than the first cut. but for those people expecting this to come in a shiny new tin (Like I was to go with all the other 'definitive' shiny tin dvd's) will be outraged (again like me) to find this comes in what can only be described as an old VHS box with the disc's just thrown in. I'm picky I know but when I'm upgrading to these new 'definitive' versions I expect better packing. Thats why it I've taken away 3 stars.

The cinema cut of this film was butchered. This is the 3hour 5 minute cut. This is how Ridley Scott visioned the movie.The luke warm response to the cinema version was justified. This directors cut restores the film on how is should have been shown, and is breathtakingly brilliant, and can be held up as being as good as the extended cut of Gladiator and the equaly excellent Directors Cut of Troy !
The story is allot deeper and the characters are fleshed out, what were camio characters in the cinema version now are key roles, and sub plots are fully restored. Also there are hours of bonus features on this 4 disc set. Ridley Scott brings us a fantastic film and a brilliant all round package. I can't urge you enough to buy this DVD, as it is suberb value for money. While your at it also buy the Extended Cut of Gladiator, and the Directors Cut of Troy ! Now Scotts vision can be seen to what a suberb movie it realy is, Buy Now !

Excellent, this edition gives more detail and story to each character. Shows who the civilised societies realy were!