A star-studded cast and an incredible visual effects budget come together in ‘Noah’ to tell the classic Bible tale in a new and insightful way. Daren Aronofsky, being a self-proclaimed atheist, takes artistic liberty with the famous biblical story. He creates a stunning representation of world consumed by greed and hatred, ready to be cleansed by God’s flood. Moviegoers expecting a traditional rendition should keep an open mind and explore the issues of morality and human nature raised in the film.
‘Noah”s star-studded cast includes big names like Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins and Logan Lerman. Russell Crowe delivers his usual action flick self and doesn’t transcend by any means, but Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson are powerhouses. The two women portray an incredible amount of emotional depth and, honestly, make the movie. The effects are unbelievably cool and large scale. Some of the most interesting cinematography comes into play with the creation story, using stop motion to show the passing of time and the addition of animals to the world. However some scenes, like the story of Adam and Eve, are rather campy and ridiculous with large amounts of colorful, unnecessary CGI. Spoiler alert: the end of the movie fades out into a beautiful rainbow.
The film makes many deviations from the Bible, but considers some interesting plot points when it comes to the animals and the flood. The entire world, ruined and mostly barren by man, magically rejuvenates enough trees to supply Noah and draw in animals to his ark. Perhaps the most creative addition is the giant rock monsters representing fallen angels that protect the ark from outside invaders. The film forces audiences to consider the reality of incest and sexuality that would make repopulating the earth possible after the flood. This is rather uncomfortable for audiences but an unavoidable truth when five people survive a global disaster. The biggest criticism of ‘Noah’ is the length of the movie, mostly because, after the flood, the film seems to drag on in a strange direction almost like a made-for-TV movie.
‘Noah’ seems to be more of an artistic endeavor than an atheist statement or a biblical film realized. If approached by open-minded audiences, a thought provoking movie experience is sure to follow. The film is surely not everyone’s cup of tea, but certainly not a film to overlook for ingenuity or creative filmmaking.
‘Noah’ is rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief suggestive content.
