Noah (2014)

That's right folks it's back. For a movie so polarizing you'd think it was about the Jesus Christ. "Noah." I haven't written in this blog for more than a year but this movie deserves a review on it's controversy alone..

"Short" version: Noah is an interesting telling of a story every little church going southern boy grew up with, but it takes some serious liberties. I think it did, however, do a good job of exploring some of Noah's humanity and how he could mentally/spiritually struggle with extraordinary task he was given. This is not a straight King James Bible telling, it does take alternate theories of how the events could have occurred and weave them into the story.

Now the "Long" version. Noah is cool. Both as a story and a character. A man is tasked by God to save what is worth saving of creation in a world that has become too wicked to exist any longer.  Russell Crowe does a great job with this icon from the Bible. I think he really brings a feeling of humanity to the character who has doubts and fears just like any other person, but still knows that he has a job given by the creator and must complete it at ANY cost. Possibly my favorite scene is immediately after the flood starts. Noah sits alone and he can hear screams of help coming from the out side the ark, and he knows there is nothing he can do. It's a cold lonely moment for the character. Jennifer Connelly is Naameh, Noah's Wife. She is loving, supportive, and feels real. She brings another source of real conflict into the character. She witness the miracles and trials of this monumental task that pushes Noah to his breaking point and she must be with him through it all. Ray Winstone is Tubal-cain. A great bad guy. he is dirty, mean, and strong. He is a corrupting force that just screams defiance. He has several moments speaking out against God, and even has a moment where he asks God why he never answers. Anthony Hopkins was Methuselah, and was AMAZING IN ALL THINGS, Moving on. Noah's kids were served their purpose well. Douglas Booth as Shem and Logan Lerman as Ham. Emma Watson is Ila. Her character has several burdens to carry in this movie and Emma executes them well. I haven't really seen that much of her outside of Harry Potter, but this is nice and I want to see more.

The movie looks really good for the most part. It's a totally different world than you are used to. but feels right for the story. It's simple but also dangerous. Everything has good color and texture specific to its region. I liked the near total black they had everyone except Noah's family wearing. It was reminiscent of a red shirt in the original Star Trek. Wearing black pretty much means you are wicked and die in the flood. From the deserts to the forests and beaches everything was lovely. The big gripe I had was the animals. It's really hard to have that many live animals around and 1-control them, 2-have them not eat each other. So, they CG'd all the animals. The birds looked fine, but the land animals got a little video gamey.

Now for the part that everyone it in a hooplah about. They story. Again this is not your straight KJV telling. It takes from several alternate theories on the ark's construction among several other things.  SINGLE SPOILER ALERT. Tiny spoiler ahead. Stop now or skip ahead. There are giant rock monsters. Well, they aren't monsters. They are fallen angels. These angels helped man achieve their dominance and then men kicked them to the curb. They are still on Earth because they defied the creator by coming to help the humans. So there, don't be surprised when  you see them. I was, but I got over it. This telling does get a bit heavy on the nature conservation at times and feels overstated. So again, this is a NOT a word for word Biblical film. It takes some liberties. Most of which I don't feel take away too much from the story. I suggest thinking of it that way. rather than trying to force it into a box that it cannot fit in. But Noah still has to trust in God for his provisions and safety to complete his task which is a great thinking to take away from a secular film.

This is a different telling than most of my friends will be used to. It's a well made film that entertains, and go see that reason. I very much enjoyed it even though it is not exactly what I thought it would, or even should be, as a Bible believing Christian. Again, is not a straight up Bible story. It is a good movie based on a Bible story. Enjoy.