From my favorite movies..

Expected more

Absolutely Fantastic

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

We've watched both this version of the Esther as well as (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168331/?ref_=rvi_tt).Here's my take ...This version of the Esther certainly reveals a larger budget. It has great CGI effects and the costumes are more beautiful. Even the palace interior designs were better looking. Everywhere you look, the physical part of the movie was adorned with eye-popping glamor and beauty. I would rank this category a 7-8 out of 10.But, when one watches a biblically based story, one is looking for authenticity, historical accuracy and heart-felt conviction. Besides the introduction which linked the hatred of Haman's people to King Saul wiping out their people in the book of 1 Samuel, the rest of the movie moved too much away from the biblical story. So, what kind of inaccuracies am I talking about?Towards the end, the queen was supposed to invite the king to two banquets before she revealed the petition. It was collapsed into one. The real Esther never had a boy-friend but this Hollywood movie added its own into the story to sensationalize.Next, Mordecai was supposed to be wailing and crying in the streets when he found out that his people will be annihilated. Wailing was emphasized in the Bible to indict deep and extreme emotional outcry. This emotional content was very subdued and skimped over.Also, the part about Esther telling Mordecai to instruct the people of Israel to pray and fast for 3 days and nights was again lightly skimped over. This is where it needs to be emphasized and emotions poured on it with versus quoted and praying depicted. But, I saw none of those in this movie.With a star-studded cast such as Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif and John Rys-Davies, if the story content were presented in a more accurate manner, it would have been a success. The stars did their acting well and so did Tiffiny DuPont. The rest were average in their acting.In short, I was pretty disappointed with this movie for the lack of inspiring spiritual contents.

The movie overall was very good. The acting, directing, scripting, all good. The scenes and costumes are rich and beautiful, a feast for the eyes.My only complaint is that it didn't stick to the story in the Bible. I understand that there needed to be some embellishment, but to stray from the story like it did is disappointing. Tommy Tenney, the author of the book they derived the movie from is a well known Christian author and speaker. I haven't read the book, so I don't know if he too strayed so far from the actual story.I was also disappointed to see that they lost money on the film. I truly hope that will not discourage them from making more movies. We really need more movies that have good morals and standards, but that will keep you interested throughout the movie (and this one did). Not an easy task these days...

Our story begins with an explanation into the villain's history and hatred of the Jews, setting the scene for a tale of intrigue, adventure, and romance. Hadassah is a young Jewish girl raised by her guardian Mordecai in ancient Persia. Through fate and circumstance, she wins the love of a king with her wit and beauty, but must fight past many obstacles and enemies to survive wicked plots and save her people from certain destruction. Having seen One night with the king for the first time, it is with mixed feelings that I write this review. Though it could be said that the climax of the film is drawn out just a little too long, Esther's fear seems real and well-founded. Her whirlwind romance with the king seemed to unfold somewhat swiftly, as he falls in love with her only after two meetings, with emotions that are a little overdone for such a romantic scene. The fairytale is better than the history and a thoroughly enjoyable picture, indulging in lavish costumes and breath-taking scenery. Not an overly religious movie, but with the appropriately placed mentions concerning faith and theology. Esther is presented as intelligent, innocent and winsome, maturing quickly with her ascent as queen to a woman of deep courage and compassion. The character of Xerxes is compelling and captivating to watch, being a proud man torn by the tradition of his crown and the feelings of his heart, a choice that cost him his first queen. Kept alive with quick-witted humor and graced with notable cameos and performances by Peter O'Toole and John Rhys-Davies, One night with the king is not about faith alone, but the courage to do what is right, even acting against all tradition and customs.

People! People! How can you say that it was off track and that the Biblical side of the story was taken out? how do you expect this great reenactment of history to reach people who have no idea of God or of the Bible? One night with the king has changed our world and if I had the money I would fund another Biblical movie... this was one of the best movies i've seen... 21st century FOX made a special department just for Gods personal movies, called FOXfaith. now if that doesn't prove the that this movie was a God thing I don't know what does! May God have mercy on all you who discredit His mighty works.