Noah

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  Rating: 3.50 / 5.00

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  Movie Info
  • Director:Darren Aronofsky
  • Genres:Drama
  • Rating:PG-13
  • Release Date:28 March 2014
  • Screenwriter:Ari Handel, Darren Aronofsky
  • Starring:Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connolly, Ray Winstone, Russell Crowe
• 

  Noah

Noah Film Review

What Worked?

The story of Noah’s Ark is familiar to many, but this film splashes the story with red strokes of madness mixed with mysticism that makes it feel new again. The talented Darren Aronofsky directs Noah, starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, and Emma Watson, giving us  a different look at his journey.

Darren Aronofsky has a created a beautiful film, and although we know the story, it hasn’t been told in this particular way before. He courageously mixes this dramatic tale with fantastical elements, while managing to ground it in humanity. The script is strong, and includes an even load of action, drama, and fantasy. One of the film’s strongest aspects is that it’s visually captivating. For example, the shots of the silhouettes  of characters conversing, painted on a warm sunset is beautiful to say the least, and there are plenty of creative shots, including a POV shot from a watcher breaking out of its rock form and shooting up into the heavens. There are also many epic time-lapse sequences to fill the screen with story through nature. The strongest point in Aronofsky’s direction has always been his talent in bringing out intense performances in his actors, and this film is no different.

There really is no weak link in the cast of this film, and it’s led by the very capable Russell Crowe. Crowe gives Noah a relative madness, as well as he projects his kind heart. He is a man that is burdened with the talent of carrying the only hope of starting a new life, and Crowe naturally presents a man that slowly burns from that burden. Tubal-Cain, played by Ray Winstone, is menacing yet also humanized. Winstone plays opposite Crowe with bold strokes, as he is a man guided with a purpose of his own: to create his own fate and make his own decisions. The rest of the cast, including Emma Watson, Jennifer Connolly and Anthony Hopkins, all help in building a well-acted film.

Noah is a movie that pits “right” and “wrong” against each other in a Biblical sense, sometimes redefining what those words mean. It helps us question what a person is made of, and guides us to realize that both madness and morals are inside us all.

Potential Drawbacks:

There will be backlash from those that believe this strays away from the Bible too many times, but that was expected. I’m sure it has its share of flaws in comparison to the tale told on the pages. Additionally, there may be some out there that believe it looks too much like a fantasy movie, especially with the watchers in their rock form.

Although the film is visually captivating, the CGI at times isn’t really anything special. Some of the animals look like they broke out of a video game, and simply stumbled into this movie. It also takes a little time to get used to watching the rock-form of the watchers, as they seem to have crossed over from one of the Lord of the Rings films.

This film overall feels too cautious, and there are moments of a better film in their somewhere, but they’re not fully fleshed out. There’s potential here, but by the end it doesn’t really go anywhere because it leaves us with a safe, neat message that doesn’t stir us at all.

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