Mike's movie guide:

Orlando Bloom, the actor best known for his arrow shooting as Legolas in "Lord of the Rings," has become a virtuous, sword-swinging crusader in "Kingdom of Heaven."

Set in 12th century Europe and the exotic East, the movie is an epic romantic action film about a young blacksmith (Bloom) who becomes a renowned knight, saves a kingdom, and falls in a love with a princess. That is the basic plot of the movie, as described by our own CAC, but there is much, much more. As far as plots go there is nothing truly original about a peasant who becomes a glorious hero, yet the plot remains a good one.

Ridley Scott, acclaimed director of "Gladiator," manages to give enough deviations from the expected plot to make a good movie. I cannot say that this movie is truly great since there were a few confusing moments in the story towards the beginning but I can say that it is definitely worth watching. The acting is superb, the scenery is amazing and the crusade/save Jerusalem is intriguing.

The number of celebrities in this movie are few but there are many faces you will likely recognize without name recognition. Orlando Bloom headlines a good cast that includes Liam Neeson ("Batman Begins"), Jeremy Irons ("Man in the Iron Mask"), Bredan Gleeson (the fighter for hire in "Gangs of New York") and relative newcomer Eva Green. Unlike some epic movies, the acting is very believable and realistic which allows for a better viewing experience (obviously).

I do not know exactly why critics took a general dislike to "Kingdom of Heaven," which means that maybe I missed something in my critique of the movie. Truth is that sometimes critics are overly harsh or flat out wrong, as I indeed could be, so do not put all your faith in them/us. If you like epic movies, I specifically do not mean "Troy" or "Alexander," than you should see this movie. The movie will be shown on campus Nov. 4.