Noah is a movie made for controversy. Unless it provides a visual story that is a literal translation of the scripture it will not satisfy the purists. If it is a total retelling of the Bible story it will alienate those just looking for a good entertaining adventure. So what did the makers of the movie Noah do? They straddled the fence and as a result don't really satisfy anyone.
All of the basics are there in the plot. Noah (Russell Crowe) is a descendant of Seth, the good son of Adam and Eve. The people surrounding him are persons descending from Cain, the son who killed his brother Abel. God, the Creator, has determined that all of the people of the earth are evil and wicked and He will destroy them. He tells Noah He will flood the earth and in order to be saved Noah must build an ark and load up two of all the animals, birds, etc. All of this is done and Noah and his family members survive while everyone else is washed away by the flood.
But to these basic plot points are added an adopted daughter Ila (Emma Watson) who is unable to have children because of a childhood wound. She becomes Shem's (Douglas Booth) wife. This makes Ham (Logan Lerman) feel left out. He wants a wife of his own. This causes a rift between him and his father. There is also a stowaway on the ark that has been added for dramatic effect.
Worst of all, Director Darren Aranofsky and his co-writer on the script Ari Handel, invent a group of rock monsters who are fallen angels who displeased God. They meet up with Noah and become his protectors. They battle off the bad guys while Noah gets everybody into the ark. The look and actions of these creatures take the film into sci-fi territory and damage the presentation of the story.
The acting in the film is acceptable with no one actor being outstanding. Each plays the role assigned and does it with competence. The special effects in the movie are good but not spectacular.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
Noah has been highly anticipated, but it arrives with controversy surrounding it as many have voiced opinions as to its content and purpose. Many of those making remarks had not even seen the film when they made their comments. Now that there have been comments from some who have actually viewed the finished film the reaction seems to be mixed. This is to be expected as the moviemakers did straddle the fence.
I scored Noah a flooded 5 out of 10.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com