Noah (**½)
Directed
by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring:
Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman,
Anthony Hopkins, Douglas Booth, Leo McHugh Carroll, Marton Csokas, Nick Nolte
Seen:
April 5th 2014
**½
Out of ****
The
origin text for this story of Noah is NOT the Bible but, among others, the writings
of the ancient Gnostics, those of a sect called the Ophites, and the Zohar, one
of the Kabbalah faith’s scared texts. In fact, the word Zohar is mentioned a
few times in the movie, and it is shown as a mystic and explosive material
wielded by both protagonists and antagonists. After test screening feedback for
Noah, Paramount Pictures added a disclaimer to marketing materials: “"The
film is inspired by the story of Noah. While artistic license has been taken,
we believe that this film is true to the essence, values and integrity of a
story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide. The
biblical story of Noah can be found in the book of Genesis." What they
also should have added is that while the biblical story of Noah can be found in
the book of Genesis, you will not find it in this movie. The movie cites the
creator, never God, as the highest power, but the serpent (the one from the
garden of Eden) and its skin is shown as the more sensible presence/power. For an expert's view, read the following discussion: www.drbrianmattson.com/journal/2014/3/31/sympathy-for-the-devil
All
of that aside, Noah is visually rather impressive, and while some parts of the
movie feels like a well-produced B-grade movie, on the whole you may recognise
the movie-making prowess of Aronofsky if you’ve seen his former films (Pi,
Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, and Black Swan). There are
interesting visions (drunken stupors) that are inventively filmed and/or
created telling some back story elements as well as one flash forward also
(modern warfare is referenced in a telling of Cain killing Abel, with its
ramifications).
Noah (Crowe)
was given the task of building the ark after the creator decides that mankind
has become too evil and must be destroyed. He took his family to the mountain
where his grandfather Methuselah (Hopkins) lives, to confer with him before
starting building. He builds with assistance from the watchers, fallen angels
who are now six-armed rock trolls. Noah is a descendant of Seth, one of Adam
& Eve’s three sons, and his family is all that is left of the line after Cain’s
descendants killed his father Lamech (Csokas) when he was young. Cain’s
descendants however have built a thriving society and serve their king
Tubal-Cain (Winstone) blindly. As Noah sets out to build the ark, Tubal-Cain
and his throngs of people start posing a threat to Noah’s family in the forms
of violence and the temptation of his family members. When the flood starts,
Tubal-Cain manages to stow-away on the ark, and this adds to Noah’s woes as he
himself becomes an almost homicidal maniac in his quest to fulfil the creator’s
wish of decimating all of humanity.
As an
absolute work of fiction, Noah is a good movie with a few strange flaws. While
the movie is serious, attempts at comic relief feel extremely forced, so much
so that in some scenarios it comes off as stupid – Methuselah, just before the
flood comes, is shown foraging for berries to answer his craving. He finds one
and almost in slow motion eats it just before he is wiped away by a tidal wave
of flood water. There is far too little left of the biblical story of Noah as
told in Genesis to call this movie a Christian movie. Parallels to the story don’t
count if the essence so obviously and intensely serves different source
material. Noah is a good movie, but do not assume it’s a Christian movie just
because it features a character and a loose retelling of a story that also
happens to be in the Bible.
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