Exodus: Gods and Kings
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, John Turturro, Sigourney Weaver, and Ben Kingsley.
Rated PG-13 for violence including battle sequences and intense images.
I recently heard director Ridley Scott say that he tends to view things on an epic scale, and his latest film, Exodus: Gods and Kings, is absolutely no exception to that mindset. This may very well be Scott's most ambitious film to date and is a retelling of a story that is the foundation for many people's faith. While Scott delivers yet another visual wonder, one can't help but feel that there should have been more heart and emotion behind all the stylistic flair.
Most should already be familiar with the story of Moses as told in the Old Testament. This film elects to pick up when Moses (Bale) is already an adult and the military leader of Pharaoh's army. Though adopted, Moses has been raised as a prince of Egypt along with the Pharaoh's rightful heir, Rameses (Edgerton). After learning of his true heritage and a visitation from the God of Abraham, Moses must seek to attain the freedom of his people from the brutal clutches of his estranged brother, Rameses.
Ridley Scott is one of my favorite directors. Even though most of his recent films have not had the impact found in his earlier work, you still have to pay attention when his name is attached to a project. Scott has the ability to create a world in each of his films that the audience can get lost in, and Exodus lives up to that reputation. This film is truly a feast for the eyes, particularly in the last act with the plagues and the Red Sea. Scott also has a brilliant eye for staging and shooting tremendously exciting action sequences, such as the battle near the beginning of the film and the Egyptian chariots racing through a mountain pass towards the Red Sea.
Unlike 2014's other biblical epic, Noah, Scott attempts to keep this biblical tale grounded in reality, and his vision of how the Nile was turned to blood is particularly creative. However, not all of Scott's interpretations in this film work. For example, God, or possibly God's messenger, is portrayed as a young boy within Moses' conscience. When dealing with Hollywood depictions of biblical texts I never expect true authenticity and I can see how maybe this creative choice might have been made if the filmmakers believed that this was the best way for God to reach Moses, but this representation of God is problematic, because I do not believe that Christian Bale's version of Moses would have responded well to a child telling him what to do. This is one of the areas where the emotional impact should have been prevalent. Moses is depicted as an atheist in the first part of the film, and I felt that his conversion should have been a lot stronger and more believable.
Like the superior animated film, Prince of Egypt, Moses and Rameses are treated as brothers who have a close bond growing up; however, unlike that animated gem, Exodus does not fully explore that tension and complicated relationship when the two are at odds with each other. The parting of the Red Sea is, perhaps, not as cinematic as you might think. It is actually quite subtle, and in all honesty is probably more accurate to how it may have really happened. However, the following scenes when the sea comes raging back to engulf any left behind are truly intense and a highlight of the film.
It seems odd to say this, but I feel like Ridley Scott's epic masterpiece, Gladiator, a story that is actually about revenge, is more spiritual and emotional than Exodus. On paper and in concept that shouldn't be the case. Exodus has its highlights, including the performances from Bale and Edgerton, but there are plenty of faults, including characters that have nothing to do much like Sigourney Weaver. Scott usually releases a director's cut with his epic films, and I'm curious to see if there's a director's cut of this movie that is superior to what is in theaters, as was the case with the amazing director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven.
RATING: B-
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