Over the past year, biblical epics seem to have been a rich
source for Hollywood blockbusters, each with their director's own take on the
well known and loved religious tales. Last year there was Darren Aronofsky's elaborate,
fantastical and sometimes disturbing epic take on Noah starring Russell Crowe,
Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson. Also last year due to the popularity of the
American miniseries The Bible, it was edited down for an Easter release and
entitled Son Of God, of course focussing on the story of Jesus. Finally the day
after Christmas Day, 20th Century Fox releases Ridley Scott's epic and all star
cast movie of the story of Exodus, Exodus: Gods & Kings.
The problem of releasing a biblical movie in the 21st Century
seems quite divisive. A director has to be very careful to balance the tone of
their movie in order to appeal to the masses without alienating those who don't
believe and those who do believe but may be offended by the content if not
presented correctly.
Many have tried before, such as The Ten Commandments in which
Charlton Heston gives a barnstorming performance as Moses and the epic tale of
Jesus as told in the modestly titled The Greatest Story Ever Told. However, in
recent years biblical stories have become as much of a money spinning event as
any other blockbuster in your local cinema.
While Noah was advertised as an epic and original retelling
of the story of Noah's Ark, nobody can deny that the rock monsters dreamt up by
Darren Aronofsky would have potentially bewildered those who believed and those
who do not.
Also there has been controversy in biblical movies, such as
Martin Scorsese's provocatively titled The Last Temptation Of Christ and Mel
Gibson's epic and widely applauded The Passion Of The Christ which ultimately
led to a severe decline in his career after his depiction of Jewish people came
to light amongst the Hollywood elite.
Now we come to Exodus: Gods & Kings. Moses (Christian
Bale) and Ramses (Joel Edgerton) have grown up together as brothers. Their
father, Seti (John Turturro) is concerned for their futures and a prophecy has
foretold that one will save the other and whoever that is will become king.
Promptly afterwards, a battle breaks out and amongst all the violent commotion
(which we haven't seen this well played from Ridley Scott since Gladiator)
Moses saves Ramses' life, setting their destinies in stone.
Ramses becomes jealous of Moses, particularly due to his
knowledge that his brother was adopted and has him exiled. Moses, being an adaptive
sort goes to find his people and settles down (remarkably quickly) with a wife
(Maria Valverde) and soon a son. However, as well all know that is not the end
of the story, it just feels a bit dull being the first hour of a movie.
20th Century Fox and Ridley Scott must have pulled in a lot
of favours and thrown a lot of money at certain stars in order to pull in the
box office takings they had been hoping, not to mention bringing in bright eyed
and hopeful rising stars (Aaron Paul hidden under a huge bushy beard and wig
comes to mind). There's the likes of John Turturro (as mentioned earlier) Ben
Kingsley and Sigourney Weaver which you will see in this epic movie...for all
of five minutes. Collectively. So those expecting some of the greatest stars of
modern cinema to come toe to toe in various scenes alongside Moses' epic
struggle will no doubt be left disappointed.
I also deliberately didn't mention the 3D aspect of this
movie, firstly because I didn't see it in 3D and secondly because it is barely
worth a mention. Going into a 3D screening of Exodus: Gods & Kings, an
audience may expect a spectacular visual treat (and in 3D no less) and
particularly considering Ridley Scott's reputation as a master of artistry in
the visual aspects of his movies (Blade Runner and for all its faults
Prometheus' 3D aspects were quite beautiful). However, the gritty style of
Scott's biblical Egypt don't match up with the CGI world of 3D enhanced cinema
and from what I could imagine from my 2D screening (aside from the brief plague scenes) the
'money' shots were in the last 20 minutes of the movie. Considering this being
a two and a half hour movie, it's too much to pay for so little.
The ancient Egyptian lifestyle is also rather misjudged and
wouldn't look out of place in a Carry On movie. I won't suggest what Viceroy
Hegep is saying to Moses when he asks him if there's anything he can do to
'please him' but the pure campiness and old fashioned humour distracts from the
story and doesn't suit any purpose other than to expand the characters past the
point where anyone should care about them.
The only parts I can recollect with any kind of enjoyment are
the scenes with Isaac Andrews as God (or Malak as he is listed in the credits).
Taking his role far more seriously than the rest of the cast and probably not
quite so smugly as Christian Bale seems to be taking Moses, Andrews gives an
almighty and powerful performance. Particularly impressive considering he's
only a 11-year old boy.
Epic is certainly the word they were going for when making
Exodus: Gods & Kings, however the meaning of the word in cinematic terms
seems to have been lost here. Epic doesn't mean that it HAS to be two and a
half hours long, but if it is then there has to be some way to grab the
audience and hold their attention to the wonders on the screen. Today there is
plenty of competition for these kind of movies; the spectacle, the stars and
the storytelling should all balance each other out so there's something for
everyone if that is the aim of the director. This time however, as the audience
lifts up off their seats and separates like The Red Sea in the epic finale, the
expectations and potential of such an epic tale will have dried up like the
desert.
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