"Kingdom of Heaven" is neither paradise nor purgatory.

Director Ridley Scott re-creates the era of the Crusades with the same enthusiasm he bestowed on "Gladiator's" Roman Empire. The sets are grandiose, the action scenes are staggering and, considering that the Crusades remain one of history's most controversial chapters, the well-balanced film is respectful of both Christians and Muslims.

Yet "Kingdom of Heaven" has thorns. Part of its problem lies with its stars. Although superb actors limn the supporting characters with flair and variety, Orlando Bloom and Eva Green have the most footage. Bloom's character of Balian, a righteous French blacksmith who rises to power, carries the screenplay, but Bloom does not carry the film.

Balian is a reluctant hero, and Bloom's curiously passive persona registers reluctance more readily than heroism. Balian has as woeful a backstory as "Gladiator's" Maximus, and Bloom spends much of the film simply looking sad. Towards the end, he adds another facial expression and manages to look sadder but wiser.

Green plays Jerusalem's Princess Sibylla. She's a devoted sister to her noble, dying brother, the Leper King, Baldwin IV (Edward Norton, covered with a mask but speaking eloquently). She too-quickly falls in love with Balian but, alas, is married to loathsome opportunist Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas).

Green made an impression in Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers," which dealt with the Paris student riots of 1968. She must have gotten into the spirit of things, for she now plays Sibylla as a flirtatious flower child who likes to dress up in designer hippie wear. Her relationship with Balian has little texture, although Green's eyes smolder on cue.

Fortunately, the supporting cast is grand. As the knight who spurs Balian's interest in the Crusades, Liam Neeson has the gift, very important in this type of film, of speaking high-minded rhetoric without sounding pompous. Jeremy Irons and David Thewlis are both excellent as compassionate advisers, and Ghassan Massoud, a star in his native Syria, makes Saladin a splendidly chivalrous Muslim leader.

The screenplay's most unpleasant characters are war-mongering Christian fanatics, which may make some viewers squirm. And, while the film isn't heavy-handed in drawing comparisons with the current war in Iraq, the movie's resolution may also prove controversial.

Director Scott continues to be a master of chaotic mayhem. A battle during the siege of Jerusalem is memorable for its far-reaching catapults of fire and its giant cauldrons of boiling oil. It's the type of savage combat in which the command "fire!" is to be taken literally.

During the first half, Scott, working from William Monahan's screenplay, keeps a solid grip on a linear story line. The second half, however, wobbles under excessive historical data.

You'll remember "Kingdom of Heaven" for its striking pageantry and stunning battles. What's missing is a sense of spirituality and human drama.