Noah

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is Noah.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

Written by Darren Aronofsky & Ari Handel

Review #249

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief suggestive content.

Run Time: 138 min

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Cast

Russell Crowe...Noah

Jennifer Connelly...Naameh

Ray Winstone...Tubal-cain

Anthony Hopkins...Methuselah

Emma Watson...Ila

Logan Lerman...Ham

Douglas Booth...Shem

There's no secret that biblical movies are controversial. Especially when said biblical film takes liberties with the "source" material. It's a hot button issue with people that live their lives by the teachings of the good book. On the other side of the coin you have people that are able to accept that it's a MOVIE! Sometimes it's meant to just tell a story and entertain. Noah falls into this category and I have to admit that while I thought making a movie about the tale of the great flood seemed risky at best. I trusted Darren Aronofsky to give me a compelling story worthy of my time.

He did that and much much MORE!

Plot

A man is chosen by his world's creator to undertake a momentous mission to rescue the innocent before an apocalyptic flood cleanses the wicked from the world. 

The first thing that needs to be understood here is Noah is NOT a straight up retelling of the bible story. There are several liberties taken with the source material to create this wonderfully crafted take on divine intervention and the power of choice. That in reality is what this film ends up being about. Making a choice and living with the consequences of that choice. I really wish I could dive into more of the story but I can't. What Aronofsky and Handel do with the script is take the core elements of Noah's biblical journey and toss in some pretty heavy thought provoking material.

This comes through masterfully in a moment with Noah and his wife while they are on the ark. Noah is tasked by God to do more than just ensure the survival of the world's animals. What it involves will remain behind zipped lips or fingers in this case. What you need to take out of this is the all consuming struggle Noah goes through as the moment for him to carry out the Almighty's wish grows closer. As Noah's wife walks up to him which at the time appeared to be a moment of pleading for Noah to abandon God's charge in reality was a moment of support. Jennifer Connelly made that abundantly clear when Noah asked her if she understood why he has to do what he's been told to do. Her response was simply...."I understand how hard this has been for you."

That at the heart of it is the real story behind this film.

Noah takes that turn and immediately becomes an different film entirely. That being said, the film has flaws that can't be ignored. There's some questionable use and display of the "other worldly" elements of the film. The movie starts out with this at the outset and it requires a lot of patience to get around the fact that this is going to be a vital part of the narrative. The film really picks up steam during ironically the quietest part.

When they are on the ark.

It's here where another performance shines through.

Emma Watson unquestionably OWNS the second half of this film. She goes toe to toe with Crowe and stands her ground in more ways than one. Hermione is LOOOOOONG gone boys and girls. This young woman can act and her future is very bright. This is a tough review for me because I can't say more without divulging more information. It's disappointing because this film really caught me off guard in the right way. I'm not sure if Aronofsky was intentionally trying to get people to buy into the philosophical shift between Acts 2 and 3 but I bought in and the film was a much better and highly enjoyable experience because of it.

On the 5 star scale. Noah gets 3 stars with a "Go See It!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"