17 September, 2014

"Noah" review

Genre: Action, Adventure, Biblical, Epic, Apocalyptic.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Anthony Hopkins, Douglas Booth.
Year Of Release: 2014
Certificate: 12A (UK)
Runtime: 138 Minutes
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Synopsis: "A man is chosen by his world's creator to undertake a momentous mission before an apocalyptic flood cleanses the world." IMDB


!!!SPOILER HEAVY!!!

Where to begin when it comes to "Noah", it's a safe bet to say anything Biblical or Russell Crowe related usually doesn't interest me at all. That being said when I seen the trailer for this I was intrigued to see what the end product would be.

Darren Aronosky is known for his smaller budget films, just take a look at his filmography I believe "Noah" cost more than his previous 6 films combined and doubled! However this didn't case him to shy away from using that budget his ambition and crazy execution can be seen throughout the entire film.

The entirety of mankind has been stained by the descendants of Cain, so "the creator" has took it upon himself to cleanse for a better word the globe. Noah (Crowe) receives this message through a vision finding out the creator will be bringing a flood to end times. He in turn decides to build an ark to survive the flood and preserve the animal kingdom. A little "History" lesson for those who don't know the Ark story.

The Biblical version of this myth states that the survivors on the Ark are Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. However, Aronofsky took a different approach on board we have Noah, his wife, Japheth a young boy, Ham an adult but not married and Shem who is married but to a barren wife or so we are led to believe plus one surprised addition you have to watch in order to appreciate. While on the Ark Noah is dealt a dilemma to rival any of man before or after said event. His daughter-in-law falls pregnant with twin girls, should he kill his grand-daughters? Therefore ensuing the END of humanity, or should he show mercy and let them survive which goes completely against what his belief in the creator wants him to do.

While the film itself is an epic in pretty much every aspect, some of the CGI can fall short at times, like the rock monsters (Watchers) look very dated to me for some reason. The actual flood and ark are phenomenally done, done well enough that you can really imagine the fear that man at that time would have experienced.

Overall the film was an enjoyable watch, it was a bit long though coming in at just over two hours it does begin to drag a bit. Some of the acting as well was a bit bland especially from Lerman who comes across very wooden and Booth who only seems to be there to be a pretty face. On the other hand, Crowe was incredible, first time I have truly enjoyed a performance by him after watching this I am seriously considering going into his back catalogue and watching stuff I've avoided by him.

The film could be a stepping stone Aronofosky to get into more big budget films, the film has everything you expect from an epic full of over the top action sequences, nice CGI, pretty good acting. I personally would recommend this as a popcorn flick, do not watch if you're looking for a film with substance.

6/10

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