Acclaimed director Ridley Scott’s epic biblical adventure Exodus: Gods and Kings may be his biggest film to date but the director somehow could not entirely succeed in retelling the Moses story. No doubt, the movie has some of the finest stars with the likes of Christian Bale, Ben Kingsley, Joel Edgerton, and Sigourney Weaver, but the big biblical tale falls short of an epic.
Even if I forget the story, its scriptural link, or the debate on God – for that matter, here the slavery in Egypt, the Hebrews, their faith, the story of Moses liberating the slaves of Egypt – as a viewer, it is quite evident that the film is very slow in the first half and later ends with a very flat climax. Of course, there is cinematic excellence in recreating Egypt, the River Nile, plague scenes, and the high-angle shots of armies marching across plains.
The reason I find Exodus not appealing much is probably the story that everyone knows. If as a viewer you forget about biblical accuracies, then most likely, you will find the film entertaining.
Again unlike Noah, released earlier that portrays the story as an internal conflict to keep one’s faith, Exodus very directly represents God as a smiling yet menacing and mischievous little child who directs Moses to pursue what he’s destined to, and on the other hand, the film tries to move away from atheist criticism by only showing God to Moses.
Nevertheless, as far as acting is concerned, Bale has yet again proved his acting prowess as Moses and so as Joel Edgerton as Ramses in their complex relationship. However, I wonder how come the director cast Sir Ben Kingsley and Sigourney Weaver with no screen value with those few shots. I believe these characters could have been developed in a very meaningful way.
Watch the movie trailer of ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’
Exodus: Gods and Kings – An epic biblical film
Genre: Drama
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, and María Valverde.
Written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, and Steven Zaillian.
Music by Alberto Iglesias
Cinematography Dariusz Wolski
Release Date/Year: December 12, 2014
EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS is the story of one man’s attempt to take on the might of an empire. It is the story of the defiant leader Moses as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting 400,000 slaves of Hebrew community on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt, it’s a hostile environment and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. The film is based on the second book of the Old Testament that tells of the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt led by Moses; God gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of Mosaic law on Mount Sinai during the Exodus.
Where to watch Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
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