Get Ready for the Modern Bastardized Version of 'Ben-Hur'

I’m not one of these people who scoffs at every Hollywood remake. There’s nothing sacred about film that exempts it from other forms of storytelling. Stories have been retold since the beginning of time. There’s a reason why, even today, audiences pay a premium to attend plays and other theatrical productions. There’s value in experiencing new interpretations of old material.

That said, the latest trailer for the new iteration of Ben-Hur may leave a sour taste in your mouth. Making its way to movie theaters later this year, the film comes from director Timur Bekmambetov, whose previous work includes such fare as Wanted, the NightWatch series, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. Concerned yet?

I don’t know. There’s something about the tagline declaring it “in 3D” that just doesn’t jive with the reverence one expects from this material.