Going Medieval: 25 films to watch while waiting for Game of Thrones season 8

5) Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

If you like your medieval epics absolutely star-studded, look no further than the historical drama Kingdom of Heaven. Directed by Ridley Scott and featuring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons and Edward Norton, the high-powered casting is part and parcel of this film’s ambition. An extra treat: Game of Thrones cast members Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) and Alexander Siddig (Doran Martell) all make appearances. (Don’t blink, however, or you might miss Coster-Waldau.)

Set during the 12th century, Kingdom of Heaven chronicles the journey of an everyman blacksmith (Orlando Bloom as a fictionalized version of the historic figure Balian of Ibelin) who learns he is the son of a lord crusader (Liam Neeson) and is swept up in the titanic struggle to defend the city of Jerusalem from the armies of Saladin.

Kingdom of Heaven opened to mixed reviews and a good share of critical drubbings. Scott’s later director’s cut version of the film was considered a superior effort by some and received higher acclaim. Roger Ebert liked the movie, stating, “There is a certain scale that’s inevitable in films of this sort, and Scott does it better than anybody. Even so, I enjoyed the dialogue and plot more than the action . . . The movie is above all about the personal codes of its heroes, both Christian and Muslim. They are men of honor: Gentlemen, we would say, if they were only a little gentle.”

Personally, I really like this movie, even though it gets a piddly 39% review score on Rotten Tomatoes (though the audience score is much better at 72%). This film doesn’t always succeed on every level, but the main story is compelling, the cinematography breathtaking and the battle sequences as sprawling and detailed as one could ever hope for. If you’re looking for a big, fun medieval action movie, I’d highly recommend it.