Rating of
3/4
Noah is nothing like you'd think it would be.
Indyfreak - wrote on 08/29/14
"I am a man created in your image. Why won't you converse with me?"
That is a deeply and painfully humanizing quote of dialogue spoken by the often loathsome villain of this divisive biblical epic. it shows just how thoroughly the script for Noah (2014) tries to probe the premise of a divinely sanctioned deluge like the Great Flood from Genesis from a clearly human perspective and still pay respect to its Judeo-Christian background.
Those interested should not make the mistake of assuming that this cinematic depiction of Noah will be the same as your parents' Noah or their parent's Noah. It reminds the audience that regardless of the characters' background in the movie, they're all human and prone to the same weaknesses but sharing the same strengths to overcome them as we all do. And it is honestly all the better for it.
The primeval and brutal world that Noah's family inhabits is f**king terrifying and not because of the giants. Yes there's giants in this movie. It's because humans are so vile and cruel towards one another. This is often an intense and surprisingly frightening movie with some heartbreaking moments. At the center of the film's apocalyptic conflict is Noah's struggle to properly understand God's intentions and fulfill his role(who's only referred to as The Creator here). As a result, Noah can be unpredictable (or just plain scary) in his behavior sometimes. It's a fascinating examination of the moral and psychological implications for someone in his position.
The supporting cast is solid with some doing better than others. Jennifer Connolly plays his devoted but strong-willed wife while Anthony Hopkins is his wise grandfather Methuselah. Logan Lerman has a great arc as his son Ham who's conflicted between Noah's mission and his own personal desires. Ray Winstone delivers a great performance as the antagonist, a descendant of Cain and leader of mankind. His actions are certainly villainous but there remains an element of selflessness in his reasoning since from his pov, he's saving humanity from Noah's objective.
It's stuff like that which makes the movie interesting on a philosophical or spiritual level since it challenges the audience and poses important questions for them. As an example of big-budget film-making, it's a vividly dramatic, emotionally intense, thematically rich, and sometimes visually stunning movie.
