Animated Film 'Legend of Destruction' Revisits Jewish Revolt Against Rome With Star-Studded English Voice Cast

An Israeli animated film titled "Legend of Destruction" has been reviewed by The Guardian, which described the movie as "rather fascinating" though "oddly told and a bit severe." According to the review, the film took eight years to complete and was finished in 2021, but has largely remained unreleased in the intervening period, a delay the review suggested may or may not be connected to international criticism Israel has faced during that time.

The film is directed by Gidi Dar, who co-wrote the script with Shuli Rand, and depicts events from the first century, roughly 66 years after the birth of Christ, according to the review. It does not address the current conflict, though The Guardian noted that viewers "if you squint a bit" might discern parallels with contemporary events, including themes of revolutions fracturing from within, powerful entities collapsing due to their own excesses, and ordinary people suffering as cities burn.

According to the review, the film's narrative closely follows historical accounts recorded by Flavius Josephus in "The Jewish War" and the Talmud. The story recounts how Jewish resistance rose up in Judea, particularly in Jerusalem, against occupying Roman forces and the reigning Jewish elite, including the Temple's high priests and Queen Berenice of Cilicia, over what the film portrays as excessive taxation.

The review described the narrative's protagonist as an ordinary man named Ben Batich, voiced in the English-language version by Oscar Isaac, who becomes a leader of one resistance faction after he can no longer accept pleas for patience and tolerance from his mother, voiced by Marilu Henner, and his uncle, a rabbi named Yohanan ben Zakkai, voiced by Elliott Gould. Evangeline Lilly voices Queen Berenice of Cilicia in the film, according to the review.

The Guardian noted that the film employs an innovative visual style, using painted still images in a manner the review compared to being read a graphic novel, with the star-studded voice cast providing narration and dialogue over the static imagery.