Finally got to see Exodus: Gods and Kings
SPOILER FREE
Let me start off by saying I am a fan of the 1956 Charlton Heston classic The Ten Commandments, and also a fan of Ridley Scott. However I am a fan of his early work leading up until 2007. I greatly admire his work of Duelists, Alien, Blade Runner, Legend, Black Rain, 1492 A Conquest of Paradise Thelma and Louise, White Squall, GI Jane, Gladiator, Hannibal, Kingdom of Heaven, and American Gangster. I feel his more recent efforts though have been severely lacking substance even though they clearly have the style and visual impact. Prometheus was an amazing film to look at but was also a terrible film in terms of story structure and numerous plotholes. Robin Hood was disappointing when you look at the work Scott produced prior to it's release with Gladiator, and The Counselor was rather dull and boring. One can make a really good argument that Scott just simply isn't the phenomenal director he once was. Someone who took you on an epic journey with his characters but also made you think about their experience long after exiting the theater. What happened to this man? Going into Exodus I was fearful of how the film was going to turn out because I find it hard to trust him after his recent stream of failures, and having reasonable knowledge of the story of Moses. It also didn't help that the film got verbally bashed by critics and audiences. I had little hope for this movie. Now that I have seen the movie and had time to process it, I can now give my honest two cents on it.
I find it very shocking that this movie not only got the critical panning it received but even more striking that I actually liked it very much. I was expecting to totally despise and tear this one down when doing my review because that's how Ridley Scott's last three movies have left me feeling. Not only did I find Exodus to be visually stunning but it did a pretty decent job of bringing the story of Moses to life. That's not to say the film doesn't have any problems, it has quite a bit. Some of it's real serious ones are in the editing of the film, making the story often feel rushed at times and it beginning with no true introduction of the characters. That may be an issue that can be resolved with a directors cut on DVD/Blu Ray since Ridley Scott tends to always put one out of his movies after their theatrical releases. The story for Exodus centers around defiant leader Moses played by Christian Bale, who rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses played by Joel Edgerton, placing 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. The film follows the basic storyline of the biblical tale, and has fairly good casting choices in the parts. Christian Bale gives an effective performance as Moses, showing both his denial, confusion, acceptance, and determination to embrace his true self and lead his people out of Egypt. Joel Edgerton gives a strong performance as Ramses, showing his lack of understanding and blindness to everything that's happening around him, and the wanting to keep order throughout Egypt. Ben Kingsley is terrific as the elderly Hebrew slave Nun, who knows of Moses true identity and instantly see's a leader deep inside the shell of the Pharaoh's son. Exodus works through the strong acting performances it delivers, the striking visual background of Egypt, and the powerful score that accompanies it. It's shortcomings range from poor editing decisions in certain parts of the film, making it feel as if more was actually happening but got cut out of the final cut. The film has no real introduction and artistic liberties have been taken with the story to make it more supernatural. An example is the voice of God being replaced by a young child who Moses see's in the desert and commands him to do what he ultimately ends up doing. Wouldn't it be more effective to have an actual voice of God speak to Moses from the Heavens? The film doesn't go off the rails with this freedom of artistic expression like Darron Aronofsky's Noah, but it does take certain directions at times that some audiences may or may not agree with.
Overall, Exodus is far from being the disaster it's being made out to be in the press, and is worth watching if you want an epic drama that does reasonable justice to the storyline of Moses. It should never be compared to Cecil B DeMilles classic 1956 film, but seen as it's own interpretation and reimagining. Bale and Edgerton give strong and powerful performances, and the film does hit the right notes when looking at the overall spectrum of the film. However, much of it's flaws will not be fixed unless Ridley Scott releases an official directors cut of the movie when it hits home video. There is much more to this story than what's being shown in theaters.
7.5/10
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