Since Gladiator, a barrage of bloodstained historical epics have filled the cinema screens. But you can have too much of a good thing as recent, lacklustre offerings like King Arthur and Alexander have proved. Yet with Gladiator director Ridley Scott helming this Crusades-era epic, the omens look good for one more victory march.

And rightly so, because in its best moments Kingdom of Heaven is stunning. Unfortunately it also has some glaring flaws that keep it from becoming a true classic. One drawback is simply that this sort of material is so familiar now. The movie probably contains the best battle scenes on film, but we're now so used to seeing vast armies and desperate sieges that the amazement factor isn't there anymore.

The story follows grieving widower Balian (Orlando Bloom) on his journey from simple blacksmith to honourable knight. Discovering he's the illegitimate son of nobleman Godfrey (an excellent Liam Neeson), Balian leaves France to join his father on a quest to Jerusalem.

There he hopes to rediscover God, and maintain the delicate peace between the different faiths laying claim to the holy city. But instead he's soon embroiled in political manipulations that threaten to plummet the land into a catastrophic war.

Scott is always visually impressive but he outdoes himself here. His recreation of the 12th Century is fabulous, and totally convincing. The wintry French countryside looks cold, grimy and harsh, yet full of starkly beautiful scenery.

His vision of Jerusalem, meanwhile, is staggering, beautifully evoking the colours, textures and atmosphere of the city. It's impossible to spot where sets end and computer wizardry begins; you'll swear you can smell the spices and feel the scorching sun. And then there are those amazing battle scenes. Such large-scale warfare has rarely seemed so fierce, bloody and believable.

The film's pace is a little off, however, and clearly some scenes have been left on the cutting room floor. Balian, for instance, becomes a master swordsman virtually overnight, while several characters vanish without the send-off they deserve.

There's sure to be a director's cut DVD looming on the horizon. But though some sequences seem rushed, others, like the romantic subplot, meander tediously along without ever becoming interesting.

Bloom doesn't have the searing charisma of, say, Russell Crowe's Maximus (those all-important inspirational speeches aren't terribly inspiring), but he's surprisingly good, graduating successfully from his more lightweight roles.

It's a shame, then, that Balian is the least interesting character in the film. More intriguing by far are the excellent support, including Jeremy Irons' battle-scarred Tiberias, David Thewlis' noble Hospitaller, and charismatic Muslim leader Saladin (Ghassan Massoud).

The film treads carefully with its portrayal of the conflict between faiths, but this makes it more interesting, rather than a politically correct compromise. Both Saladin and Balian are conscientious leaders fighting to defend their people, meaning that there is no clear-cut victory to root for. The villains of the film are those who spark the conflict with acts of violence, not those who actually wage it.

Many more of these war-torn epics, and battle fatigue is bound to set in. But for one last time at least, Kingdom of Heaven reaps its share of glory.