Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Douglas Booth, Logan Lerman, and Anthony Hopkins
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Screenplay by: Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel
So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7)
The story of Noah is the first apocalypse story ever told. Humanity has become corrupt and vain and now must be destroyed as punishment. In this version of the tale, Noah (Russell Crowe), is the last descendant of Seth, Adam and Eve's third son. He is a righteous man tasked by the Creator to save the innocents from humanity's impending doom. The rest of the world is made up of descendants of Cain, Adam and Eve's first son. They are wicked and have corrupted the world, and it is because of this that the Creator wishes to destroy humanity, by sending a massive flood. Noah and his family are tasked with saving the innocent by building an ark that can carry them as well as two of every kind of animal, so that creation can continue after the flood ends.
The story is only five chapters long in the book of Genesis. It can be read in less than ten minutes, but this movie is almost two and a half hours long. How does such a short story get made into such a long movie? It strays from the story A LOT. There are so many differences between this story and the story in the Bible. There are already so many interpretations of the story, but this film is a very interesting interpretation.
The particular interpretation that is getting the most attention is that of the Creator. God is referred to as the Creator in this film, and nothing else. The word God is not mentioned once in the entire movie. More observant people in many different religions might be offended by this, but this film is not a particularly religious interpretation of the story. This is a big plus for me. I'm not the biggest fan of movies based on religious interpretations.
As a movie, it's very entertaining. It's quite slow and could probably be about an hour shorter than it already is, but it is still worth seeing. The special effects are pretty good and it's almost like an action/adventure movie. When we think of movies about the apocalypse, we think about movies that have to do with the apocalypse happening in modern times. The story of Noah is the first recorded apocalypse story we know of, and there are so many other cultures with similar stories of a great flood destroying the world. It's a very serious movie and there isn't any comic relief at all.
Russell Crowe delivers a fine performance, as does Jennifer Connelly. Anthony Hopkins is a pleasure to watch on screen, as he is always. But this isn't really a movie that's going to be best known for its acting performances, nor its special effects. This is a movie that's going to be known as another interpretation of the story we all know.
There's something interesting that happens after the movie ends and you walk out of the theater though. You might find yourself wondering if at some point in the future, humanity is to face this story in real life. Have we corrupted our world? If so, are we going to face consequences for it? How is humanity to survive such destruction should it come our way? This aspect is perhaps the best part of the film. It's a conversation starter about the state of humanity today. Perhaps it's relevant to today's world.
Noah is a movie that is not to be missed. While the Bible may not paint the most horrifying picture of this story that one could imagine, that's where Aronofsky comes in. The film is excellently directed and will take you on a truly fascinating journey.
I give Noah an A-.
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Screenplay by: Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel
So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7)
The story of Noah is the first apocalypse story ever told. Humanity has become corrupt and vain and now must be destroyed as punishment. In this version of the tale, Noah (Russell Crowe), is the last descendant of Seth, Adam and Eve's third son. He is a righteous man tasked by the Creator to save the innocents from humanity's impending doom. The rest of the world is made up of descendants of Cain, Adam and Eve's first son. They are wicked and have corrupted the world, and it is because of this that the Creator wishes to destroy humanity, by sending a massive flood. Noah and his family are tasked with saving the innocent by building an ark that can carry them as well as two of every kind of animal, so that creation can continue after the flood ends.
The story is only five chapters long in the book of Genesis. It can be read in less than ten minutes, but this movie is almost two and a half hours long. How does such a short story get made into such a long movie? It strays from the story A LOT. There are so many differences between this story and the story in the Bible. There are already so many interpretations of the story, but this film is a very interesting interpretation.
The particular interpretation that is getting the most attention is that of the Creator. God is referred to as the Creator in this film, and nothing else. The word God is not mentioned once in the entire movie. More observant people in many different religions might be offended by this, but this film is not a particularly religious interpretation of the story. This is a big plus for me. I'm not the biggest fan of movies based on religious interpretations.
As a movie, it's very entertaining. It's quite slow and could probably be about an hour shorter than it already is, but it is still worth seeing. The special effects are pretty good and it's almost like an action/adventure movie. When we think of movies about the apocalypse, we think about movies that have to do with the apocalypse happening in modern times. The story of Noah is the first recorded apocalypse story we know of, and there are so many other cultures with similar stories of a great flood destroying the world. It's a very serious movie and there isn't any comic relief at all.
Russell Crowe delivers a fine performance, as does Jennifer Connelly. Anthony Hopkins is a pleasure to watch on screen, as he is always. But this isn't really a movie that's going to be best known for its acting performances, nor its special effects. This is a movie that's going to be known as another interpretation of the story we all know.
There's something interesting that happens after the movie ends and you walk out of the theater though. You might find yourself wondering if at some point in the future, humanity is to face this story in real life. Have we corrupted our world? If so, are we going to face consequences for it? How is humanity to survive such destruction should it come our way? This aspect is perhaps the best part of the film. It's a conversation starter about the state of humanity today. Perhaps it's relevant to today's world.
Noah is a movie that is not to be missed. While the Bible may not paint the most horrifying picture of this story that one could imagine, that's where Aronofsky comes in. The film is excellently directed and will take you on a truly fascinating journey.
I give Noah an A-.
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