*Wow, Noah deserves credit for attempting to bring back the religious movie epic! It's an all star cast with sensational story lines and scenes.
Noah goes beyond the Bible Flood narrative as it tries to answer the age old question of what it means to be human. Director, co writer, and producer Darren Aronofsky created quite an original approach to biblical films. Along with the notable A actors you see above, there were also excellent performances by King Tubal-Cain (Ray Winstone) and even iconic voices like Samyaza the Watcher's (Nick Nolte). Noah is played perfectly by Russel Crowe. Emma Watson as Ila, shows she has life after Harry Potter. Anthony Hopkins, as grandfather Methuselah, adds a new element to a Noah flick, and does superbly as a Gandalf-like figure passing the 'prophetic' torch! The Watchers are a new CGI, representing the fallen angels, whom repent and ally with Noah. Heretical stuff to most Christians I know; I kind of liked it! It allowed Noah to reveal that he came from an already sprawling civilization that had caused God, according to the Book of Genesis, to destroy the world because cities had corrupted it. King Tubal-Cain's kingdom presumably imprisoned the Watchers to use their supernatural knowledge to accelerate urban technology.
Indeed, this movie is best seen for its soul searching in this new millennium. Aronofsky both scores and casts down biblical truths. The world itself was also being depleted, which other Noah films had not included. Humanity was on a destructive path, because war was the final answer to problems. Life started in the oceans. The movie goes far south when it dares to depict vegetarian Noah as a baby killer, blindly obeying God's commands. One of the Watchers commits suicide and goes to heaven, really?!? Noah's sons, Shem and Ham rebel against their perception of a fanatical father.
Yet, I still find it quite rewatchable. The Flood was impressively reworked with scenes developing the gradual deterioration of humanity and the build up to a war for the Ark.
Unfortunately, the ending also continues to degrade into a dysfunctional family, literally, opaquing the first rainbow. Noah was portrayed as way too human and insecure, misinterpreting God as wanting to create a world without men. I still found it originally creative for a familiar bittersweet tale of human beginnings. I will lay it on the Winning 35 yd. Line.
*Paramount Pictures. "Noah 2014." Movie Review, Torrent, Lori Polin, December 11, 2013, http://www.loripolin.com/
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