‘Remember, first to finish…Last to die’ claims the upcoming action adventure Ben-Hur which tells an epic historical tale of vengeance and war. Paramount Pictures released the trailer unraveling the revengeful story and substantial work of visual effects to recreate antiquity.
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley, Ben-Hur seems to retell the story of vengeance and justice six decades after the 1959 Charlton Heston starrer film of the same name.
The trailer begins with the depth of slavery induced in the viewers as the lead Jack Huston serves as a helpless slave for five years. Washed away with luck favouring him, Ben Hur encounters the Sheik lIderim played by Morgan Freeman who later becomes the protagonist’s mentor and helps him learn the tricks of the trade.
The fight to gain justice and take revenge with utmost rage begins as Ben Hur narrates his royal past with the dreadful injustice done to his innocent family. This rage against his own brother Messala played by Toby Kebbell leads to the final decision to be made in the form of an outrageous chariot race which undoubtedly reminds us of the phenomenal chariot sequence of the 1959 film.
A battle between death and life, between truth and trust, Ben Hur features the creation of history and in-depth action shots that claim the use of VFX. Mr. X, Scanline VFX and Soho VFX are the studios that have worked on creating the visual effects for this film. The backgrounds, crowd multiplication, action shots, crucifixion and the chariot race turmoil seem to be among the few work of VFX. Well, the essence of the film lies in the chariot race that will decide the fate of the two brothers and their entire kingdom, and the race seems to be enthralling from the quick shots of the trailer itself. To add to the euphoria, VFX will play a vital role to bring the vigour and terror of this battle alive by creating what seems impossible to the naked eye.
Produced by Mark Burnett, Sean Daniel, Joni Levin and Roma Downey, Ben-Hur is also an adaptation of the Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The film also stars Rodrigo Santoro and Nazanin Boniadi. An appreciable work of VFX with a dominant tale worth telling, Ben-Hur produced by Paramount Pictures and MGM is set to hit theatres on 12 August 2016.