Director: Ridley Scott Cast: Christian
Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, Indira Varma,
John Turturro, Ben Mendelsohn Screenwriter: Adam Cooper,
Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian Editor: Billy Rich Cinematographer:
Dariusz Wolski Musical
director: Alberto Iglesias Distributor: 20th Century
Fox Location: United Kingdom, United States, Spain Running
time: 150 mins.
Technical
assessment: 4 Moral Assessment: 2.5 CINEMA rating: V14
Moses
(Christian Bale) and Rameses (Joel Edgerton) have grown up together in
Pharaoh’s household as adoptive brothers.
Now handsome and heroic adults skilled in the art of war they are sworn
to be there for each other, to the delight of pharaoh Seti (John
Turturro). One day as Seti
consults the oracle it is predicted that one of the two would save the life of
the other and would become the greater leader, but Seti dies before he could
see the prediction come true. Rameses ascends the throne, and makes Moses his
most trusted general. Moses’ days
in the pharaoh’s court, however, are numbered once his true origin as the child
of a Hebrew slave is disclosed.
Two assets
of the Exodus: Gods and Kings are
the CGI and the cast. It is one
“major major” spectacular bible movie, and owing to the theme and director
Ridley Scott’s track record is being compared to the 1956 blockbuster, Cecil B.
de Mille’s The Ten Commandments. The comparison, however, proves to be
inadequate, as it could largely dwell on the technical aspect of both
productions. To be appreciated on
its own merits, Exodus: Gods and Kings
has to be watched with an empty mind.
If you approach it thinking that the magic of CGI will give you a more
awesome version of de Mille’s masterpiece, you will be sorely
disappointed. CGI was unheard of
in the 50s; the amazing footages then were all credited to “camera
tricks”. Thus if you’re looking
forward to seeing a magnificent computer-generated parting of the Red Sea—brace
yourself for a tsunami instead.
It’s been
said that instead of edifying viewers or affirming their faith, Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings may simply shake
it. So be it. Because the film is the director’s
revisioning of biblical events, his interpretation of scriptures, he is given
the artistic license to create an opus according to his perception of
truth. If he sees Moses as a
military-man-turned-prophet, and Ramses as a blinged-out ruler with bizarre
hobbies, or God (or is it His Messenger?) as a brat with a British accent, he is
free to depict them as such—let’s welcome the diversity, vive le
difference! Such
deviations from the familiar portraits are not without merit—Bale and Edgerton
give their characters depth that could prick the viewer’s imagination into
exploring the many facets of faith.
Just temporarily forget about your time-honored biblical knowledge in
order to enjoy the superior technical rendering of the plagues. No one will blame you, however, if you
miss the breathtaking moment when Moses’s staff turns into a serpent, or the
thrill of seeing the multitude walk on dry land between walls of water.
People who
know their bible may regard Exodus: Gods
and Kings as a big disappointment for failing to plumb the depths of God’s
intervention in the affairs of men.
But here is where the challenge lies for the “people of the book”—evangelists, catechists, theologians,
even parents who must guide their children along the paths of truth.
