3^rd December 2014

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014, M)
Firstly I want to note this is not a traditional ‘old-style' biblical epic and thus those people seeking a message of traditional biblical encouragement and endorsement will be disappointed. It is a traditional Hollywood movie, and of course the themes are ones that resonate with Hollywood dramas are front and centre:
Hero starts well and has significant influence; has problems and falls from great height; has time away in the wilderness; comes back renewed and finds true purpose and meaning in achieving tasks set out at the beginning; settles down at end.
Leading actors Christian Bale (Moses) and Joel Edgerton (Ramses) have some excellent scenes and Bale grows into the Moses character, though at times he does give the impression he is like a bearded Old Testament version of John McClane from the Die Hard series. Some other acting parts are a bit hammy and some lines are a little too 21st century for the context. Of course, hammy acting in epic biblical based films has an honourable cinematic tradition, but there is a very odd portrayal by Aaron Paul as Joshua. Paul is well-known for his role in Breaking Bad, and in this role he looks like he tapping into the role of a wide-eyed blue crystal druggie.
Overall the film needs some editing. You do not want people screaming out ‘Let my people go (out of this cinema)'. While the overall editing is good, one could easily remove 25-30 minutes, which at least which would make it more manageable and more seamless in the story. It also oddly drags a little once the Red Sea scene is concluded, with these parts almost like an appendix.
A star in the movie is the computer generated imagery which goes well with the 3D base, though perhaps ironically, or deliberately, ‘The parting of the red sea' was a little underwhelming, but then it is probably difficult to do something without appearing to be a homage to The Ten Commandments (1956), though I suspect the main reason for this film's ‘parting of the Red Sea' is the implicit nature based interpretation for most of the miracles.
From church arenas, I imagine there will be a good bit of criticism and focus on the areas where it departs from the biblical message. One could list many, though the use of the giant crocodiles to turn the river into blood is an intriguing secular approach and reminded me more of the black comedy of Lake Placid (1999).
The choice of a child to ‘play out' the voice of God - when God is speaking direct to Moses, will also ensure endless controversy and question about what he was attempting to do? Scott told The Hollywood Reporter magazine that "Sacred texts give no specific depiction of God, so for centuries artists and filmmakers have had to choose their own visual depiction," Scott tells THR. "Malak exudes innocence and purity, and those two qualities are extremely powerful." (November 21, 2014)
I believe overall people need to be realistic. The director Ridley Scott did not set out to make a film to capture a Christian audience. This is clear from the start as he uses the term B.C.E. for the period setting, firmly establishing it in a secular context. God is very present in the film, but God is perhaps primarily the God of certain people's imagination, rather than the Great I Am.

I have often commented on how films provide opportunities to discuss faith, and this is one that certainly provides an opportunity to start a conversation, that could become a very biblical one.

Peter Bentley is the ACC National Director