The end of the world is approaching. The sky will open up, great rains lasting for forty days and forty nights will bring forth a flood like no other that will wipe out all life on Earth. All life that is except for Noah, his family and two of every animal that can fit in a massive Ark.
This in a nutshell is the Bible story we are familiar with. Director Darren Aronofsky, in his epic adaptation Noah starring Russell Crowe, opens the proverbial floodgates and tramples over what could be the delicate line of staying closer to scripture or to his revisionist interpretation. Needless to say, the director’s vision is clear the victor.
Aronofsky, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ari Handel, uses references from the Book of Genesis as a broad outline for his film, which includes all of the familiar beats required of the story. This also allows him a lot of rope to make the well known tale of Noah and the Ark all the more his own. Aronofsky perhaps best defines his approach to balancing the film via a sequence about Creation itself. As Crowe’s Noah paraphrases text from the opening passages of Genesis, we see a scientifically accepted version of Creation that fast forwards from the Big Bang all the way to the primates that precede the first man and woman on Earth (and then cue the dissolve to the Garden of Eden). This is a necessary way to tell the audience, no matter what you believe, “Let’s all try and get along for the sake of this movie.”
Russell Crowe’s Noah, not the kindly old man you may be expecting, is instead a grizzled and skilled warrior who has existential visions of the world’s impending doom. The Creator is displeased with the evil that has corrupted humanity, and is fine to wipe the Earth clean of his Sixth Day’s work. There is no booming voice from above that commands Noah to build a massive Ark, his marching order are all in his head. It’s Noah’s belief that he and his family are called to serve as saviors for the animals, not human kind, to repopulate the world after the flood. The last of man is destined to die out when Noah’s youngest son succumbs to old age.
Make no mistake, this is a violent gritty tale full of sweeping muddy wastelands, embattled ancient tribes, and a title character who is far from overtly heroic. When you hear “you have never seen a Bible tale like this,” that is true. There is an open mind required for taking in all this is Aronofsky’s interpretation, which is guilty of more than enough creative liberties for the sake of necessary narrative convenience. There is a balance you have to settle on when approaching a story like this, with inherent numerous and inevitable aspects that can’t be answered logically. So yes, a few touchy topics are purposely left vague and in the hands of pure faith (as in Noah and his immediate family are responsible for continuing the human race).
Noah doesn’t hold back when disaster strikes, and it’s a visually stunning achievement as far as Bible epics are concerned. All things considered, the film doesn’t take the expected high road as any kind a straightforward religious morality tale. Frankly all aspects of faith are downplayed, and the Creator’s wishes are left as something for only Noah sees fit to carry on. That said, God’s name is never referred to aloud as God. Rather it is The Creator who is the accepted Almighty here. We actually never hear The Creator give Noah his orders. We see miracles and obviously plenty wrath of God worthy visuals, but don’t expect Noah to have a direct line to a thundering voice in the clouds.
The story is viscerally translated in a stunning fashion courtesy of state of the art special effects and sound design. The world’s first disaster tale takes on a life of terrifying realism here far better than what was possible with the dated visuals available at the time of the granddaddy of all Bible films, DeMille’s The Ten Commandments. An unfair comparison sure, but a reliable point of reference that could not be more different a big screen Bible film.
Noah also lies on the opposite side of the recent Bible renaissance populated by the smashing success of The History Channel’s lavish mini-series The Bible, which presents a reverent glossy portrait of the greatest stories ever told on both sides of the Testament. Aronofsky offers a revisionist experience from the eyes of the zealot Noah, and the extraordinary sacrifices he is prepared to make to complete his marching orders.
Noah believes his mission is to save the world’s animals from destruction. It is Man’s fallen path embracing sin that the Creator is displeased with, so the animals must be spared. Noah is tasked with saving two of each creature to repopulate the Earth after it is washed clean. As far as Noah sees it, humanity blew their chance and their time is up. He and his family are to be the last of the species, which leads to some complications down the line.
Certainly an aspect that may raise some eyebrows is the prominent role played by The Watchers, a group of CGI fallen Angels banished to Earth for disobeying The Creator by taking pity on humanity. They have the been punished with form of giant lumbering rock creatures bearing glowing eyes and deep voices, the sort of creatures that visually fall somewhere along the lines if the Decepticons came from Middle Earth. If you ever wondered how Noah and his family managed to build a massive Ark, here it is presented that the unearthly Watchers literally do all the heavy lifting. They also protect Noah from the marauding forces of the corrupt king Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone), who provide the unexpected Braveheart worthy aspects to this tale.
The Ark as presented, a massive rectangular log cabin barge, is a spectacular visual to behold on screen. When the flood hits, you really believe this maze-like wooden fortress is going to withstand the brutal watery onslaught and eventually protect all its passengers until it hits dry land. Surprisingly, its the animals that get the short stick in the film. All the creatures, both great and small, find their own way to fill the Ark. Once there, they are promptly sedated into a deep sleep by incense. No real animals were actually used on set, CGI takes care of all the non-human parts. This use of the extended nap scenario also conveniently answers any questions of how thousands of animals were fed, properly separated or why the harsh Circle of Life laws didn’t understandably just take over during their time on the Ark.
The story takes a dark turn when humanity is given an unexpected ray of light to flourish forward through Noah’s impending grand children, which doesn’t sit well at all with his understanding of The Creator’s master plan to wipe out mankind. It’s at this point you really stop rooting for Noah, but gives Crowe to opportunity to showcase an amazing on-screen intensity that easily turns the tides on the perception of the supposed hero of the story. The film takes most of its chances in the third act, with all the main players getting to shine in deep emotional scenes.
The assembled main cast is top notch, Jennifer Connelly as Noah’s wife Naameh, Ray Winestone as Tubal-cain, Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah, and Emma Watson as Ila all bring the necessary weight to their roles, especially when Noah has crumbled under the weight of his task, and goes off the deep end.
Noah is not out to test your faith or play it safe by adapting sacred text verbatim. Aronofsky successfully forges his own new vision by selectively interpreting the written word to best suit his bold narrative for the big screen. Wisely, the film doesn’t play off as preachy Bible tale, but takes full advantage of larger than life Old Testament events to instead present a bold epic tale of survival.
Aronofsky without question presents a visionary interpretation here. Despite its massive scale and eye popping visuals, Noah is still closer in tone to his vastly under appreciated The Fountain than some of the big budget disaster films it may easily seem to rub shoulders with. Crowe firmly anchors the film with his performance, bring the necessary incredible weight to the complicated title role presented here. You certainly need to check a lot of your preconceptions and roll with what you see here, since the film offers a dark visionary experience that you won’t lose faith in.
Noah opens in theaters and IMAX on March 28th.
REVIEW RATING: ★★★★★
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins, Logan Lerman, Ray Winstone
Screenwriters: Darren Aronofsky & Ari Handel
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 139 minutes
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