Noah (Russell Crowe) believes his dreams and drug induced visions are messages from God. He imagines a cleansing flood, wiping out everything that lives on land and Noah is given specific instructions to build an ark to ferry the innocent through the apocalypse. Noah presumes that means his family as well.
When his grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) gives him one of the last seeds from the Garden of Eden, Noah plants it. Water springs forth from blackened dead land, spreading out in all directions and trees sprout up and grow tall. With the help of the Watchers, giant multi-limbed creatures made of boulders, Noah builds an ark big enough for all the animals in the world.
When the wicked communities near the ark’s constructions site learn of Noah’s prophecy, they turn up in hordes demanding refuge. Tubal Cain (Ray Winstone) doesn’t want to wage a war against the Watchers, until the rain starts to fall, then it’s every sinner for himself.
When Noah’s step daughter in-law Ila (Emma Watson) gives birth to twin sisters, Noah considers slaying them because he’s come to believe that all humans were meant to die in the flood and two more breeders aren’t going to help the cause…
Wait, did we mention the rock monsters?
We say, “What? Were you expecting a realistic Noah film?”
TAYLOR: I heard people scoff at this film and laugh aloud at inappropriate times. I myself chuckled at it once. The reason for their mockery of Noah (the film not the man) is that they have deemed the addition of fantastical fictions to their well known tale to be ridiculous.
On a personal level, I love the irony of that. Unfortunately, I can only report on the film and Noah, once you get past the rock monsters (the Watchers, who are mentioned in the book of Enoch), you are left with a high budget special effects bonanza, with good, although somewhat melodramatic acting.
Noah is a fine film. It’s interesting, very pretty and artistically inventive. If only director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) had tweaked a few more things and called it Gilgamesh, then folks would have less to complain about, which is telling in a way that might be the reason the film was made in the first place.
HOWE: Special effects bonanza, really? The Watchers, as they are called, look shocking. I’ve seen better looking animation in a 1970s’ Dr. Who episode. As for the story, fable or myth, however you interpret it, it wasn’t how I was told the tale when I was little. Gone is the story of the animals going in two by two and is replaced with the entire planet’s animal kingdom, so it must have been a pretty big ark. As for the time- line of events from the Bible to screen, there are a couple of minor changes, but saying that I did enjoy it. Is it a realistic adaptation of the Noah tale? No. Is it an interesting fantasy film? Yes.
TAYLOR: The special effects were every bit as good as The Lord of the Rings. In fact, this film reminded me of LOTR: swords, magic and myth.
— Taylor gives Noah 3 forged tools out of 5.
— Howe gives it 3 magic beans out of 5.
The film is currently showing at the Galaxy Cinemas in Vernon.
– Brian Taylor and Peter Howe are film reviewers based in Vernon B.C. Their column, Reel Reviews, runs in The Morning Star every Friday and Sunday.
