Just got back from Ben Hur, it was a decent film.
Obviously it's nowhere near as engrossing and epic as the '59 version, but then again, people don't do those movies anymore...
I enjoyed Messala a lot more in this version, you could relate to the guy, whereas in the '59 version he was a total ****. Judah is also a lot more interesting, albeit a lot less heroic and iconic than his '59 counterpart (but then again, that was Heston in his prime, big sandals to fill).
The large Galley battle between the Romans and the Greeks is excellent, as is the chariot race. Both are really well filmed and edited.
Unfortunately, the rest of the movie isn't so well handled, and neither of the protagonists really have the charisma and gravitas of their '59 counterparts, and the movie suffers for it.
There is one scene that stands out for me as a good example of where this film falls short compared to the '59 version: when Judah finds his mother and sister, it is a devastating scene in the '59 version, here it falls flat and has none of the heart wrenching horror and sadness of the earlier movie.
Still, it's an interesting and at times spectacular movie.
6.5/10.