Movie and/or TV versions of two popular literary works show up on Blu-ray just in time for Christmas, one of which is an interesting attempt while the other is a misguided return to previously and better exploited waters.
The first, the Shannara Chronicles, takes a series of fantasy novels, adds some unnecessary (and typical) political correctness that also leads to a suspension of one's suspension of disbelief, resulting in a mixed bag that's interesting but ultimately empty. The second, the new Ben-Hur remake, is apparently an attempt to make Lew Wallace' classic "Tale of the Christ" accessible to today's short attention span folk who may not have ability or desire to sit through the nearly four hours required to watch the epic 1959 classic.
