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I saw it on opening night with an unsaved friend. Before I read any reviews. The unsaved friend came out of the movie, and asked me about 5 things she knew were not in the Bible. An unsaved person knew it was wrong, and she is also into ecology, and thought the movie made a mess even of that portion of the script.
My friend makes movies for a living. She hated it. I am a Christian, and I thought it was the worst movie I have ever seen. The acting was terrible, the directing awful, the script was drivel. The pace was so slow I honestly considered leaving.
As my friend said, (and she is a pagan!) she thought it was too violent for children. It was too violent for me.
Endlessly long portions of Biblically incorrect material punctuated by horrible violence and overwhelming noise.
Did I mention the rock people? I think Star Trek in the 60's produced a more believable rock person that these "angels imprisoned in molten lava."
Do NOT waste your money.
By the way, my prayers were answered in that the badness of the movie opened the door to give my testimony to my friend. She didn't agree with me, but we both agreed it was the worst movie we have ever seen.
Did I mention that Russell Crowe was awful? Not just because of the plot, but his wooden acting. I would be ashamed to have participated in a movie that was so bad.
Did I mention how bad the movie was?? OK, righty!
PS. Cycel, I'm with you on the truth of the UEL, and how the Canadians beat the Americans and burned down the White House in the war of 1812. Canada rules!
My friend makes movies for a living. She hated it. I am a Christian, and I thought it was the worst movie I have ever seen. The acting was terrible, the directing awful, the script was drivel. The pace was so slow I honestly considered leaving.
As my friend said, (and she is a pagan!) she thought it was too violent for children. It was too violent for me.
Endlessly long portions of Biblically incorrect material punctuated by horrible violence and overwhelming noise.
Did I mention the rock people? I think Star Trek in the 60's produced a more believable rock person that these "angels imprisoned in molten lava."
Do NOT waste your money.
By the way, my prayers were answered in that the badness of the movie opened the door to give my testimony to my friend. She didn't agree with me, but we both agreed it was the worst movie we have ever seen.
Did I mention that Russell Crowe was awful? Not just because of the plot, but his wooden acting. I would be ashamed to have participated in a movie that was so bad.
Did I mention how bad the movie was?? OK, righty!
PS. Cycel, I'm with you on the truth of the UEL, and how the Canadians beat the Americans and burned down the White House in the war of 1812. Canada rules!
There were a sleugh of people who watched it here near La Habra Ca where we had a 5.1 on the richter, felt all over So. Cal. on Mar. 28. Many watching Noah didn't know if they were experiencing special effects or what.
T
Tintin
Guest
I suppose now's not a good time to say I thought Noah was a really good movie, if highly speculative? It's certainly very Jewish - more Jewish tradition and rabbinic debate than Scripture. That said, I'm amazed people are saying the acting was bad. Personally, I thought I understand good acting and I thought the movie displayed some that was very good. Oh well. Here are my thoughts.
NOAH: A short review
The Noah movie is deeply philosophical and psychological. It’s structured as an aggressive debate on the nature of God, mankind, sin, suffering, justice, mercy and redemption, in the tradition of rabbinic arguments and the great thinkers of the Christian Church throughout its tumultuous history. Much of this formidable debate plays out as a small (but heated) family drama between Noah and his kin.
The movie borrows from a number of ancient source materials, namely the Old Testament Bible, the interesting but uninspired Book of Enoch and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Noah proves to be Darren Aronofsky’s most mainstream movie to date (that said I’ve only seen three others of his) but it’s probably still the most unorthodox interpretation of Noah and the Great Flood you’re ever likely to witness.
A really good (if highly speculative) take on the book of Genesis, chapters 6-9. You'll be thinking about the movie long after you've left the cinema.
Check out my detailed review below to find out more.
8/10
NOAH: A short review
The Noah movie is deeply philosophical and psychological. It’s structured as an aggressive debate on the nature of God, mankind, sin, suffering, justice, mercy and redemption, in the tradition of rabbinic arguments and the great thinkers of the Christian Church throughout its tumultuous history. Much of this formidable debate plays out as a small (but heated) family drama between Noah and his kin.
The movie borrows from a number of ancient source materials, namely the Old Testament Bible, the interesting but uninspired Book of Enoch and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Noah proves to be Darren Aronofsky’s most mainstream movie to date (that said I’ve only seen three others of his) but it’s probably still the most unorthodox interpretation of Noah and the Great Flood you’re ever likely to witness.
A really good (if highly speculative) take on the book of Genesis, chapters 6-9. You'll be thinking about the movie long after you've left the cinema.
Check out my detailed review below to find out more.
8/10
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T
Tintin
Guest
NOAH: A rather long review
Great movie! Going into it, I knew this version would be different from the historical account found in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, Chapters 6-9. The movie is, in parts, both true to the Bible and rather speculative. The story borrows from Noah's story in the Old Testament but also other sections in the Bible, including the earlier chapters of Genesis (the creation, the fall, Cain and Abel, the early genealogies). There's some Jewish lore (the Book of Enoch), some Jewish mythology and Mesopotamian mythology and of course, director Darren Aronofsky's own ideas.
I've seen some of Aronofsky's other works - Pi (good), The Fountain (clever but dull) and Black Swan (good), so I had some idea of what to expect. He is clearly passionate about the story he's telling and he's not afraid to take it in unorthodox directions.
I found the storytelling to be layered and challenging and the major characters to be both psychologically and philosophically rich, save for Noah's son, Japtheth. Much of the acting was well done, especially Russell Crowe playing Noah.
Noah's story is fascinating. It's terribly dark and disturbing and the movie is sombre in tone. Noah has many doubts and his dreams eventually drive him mad. He later develops a form of cabin fever aboard the Ark. That said, his story extrapolates on what may have happened eg. Noah's doubting his role in God's plan, family struggles, withstanding the culture of sin surrounding them, the fear and horror of experiencing the Flood - hearing all those outside the Ark dying, the doubts in creating an Ark and then trusting that God was watching over them, surivour's guilt and so on. This Noah's a far cry from the biblical man but he's certainly shown to be fallible. That and his eventual psychosis is intriguing to watch.
The visuals were often compelling but not distracting. They were only there to further the story (here's looking at you Michael Bay!) I was surprised at how little of the actual Flood was shown. It's not a disaster movie in the tradition of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmirech (you don't really see the continent break apart and the volcanoes erupt. You don't even see the waters rise or recede or much of the violence done to the land, the people and the animals. Much is left to the imagination.
Many say Aronofsky is an atheist. After watching seeing several of his movies and now Noah, I have to strongly disagree. Seems to me, he's either a lapsed Jew or one who's struggling to hold onto his faith. He questions so much and uses all of his characters, to different degrees, to share a little of his story, his fascination with Noah and his own struggle with his Creator God. The result is raw and ugly and disturbing. It's also honest and strangely encouraging. No saccharine religiosity here.
I have a few objections given the speculative nature of the movie. Some of them are major and some minor. My major objections are that the fallen angels are in league with Noah and his family and help them build the Ark (hello, these were Satan's minions). The CGI fallen angels as rock giants looked a little silly and out of place. I wonder why they changed the character design from the graphic novel (which I haven't read - yet). At one point, Noah tells the creation story to his family, but it's laced with evolutionary imagery (which admittedly is artfully done and highly impressive but also contrary to what the Bible teaches. Noah fighting off Tubal-Cain's men as the great waters of the deep shoot up into the sky. That was rather silly. Perhaps Noah's madness was taken too far. The movie needed more humour and at times, a sense of joy.
Minor objections: The stowaway on the Ark wasn't bad, so much as unnecessary. The writers could've mined Genesis 6:1-8 for more material; that was a missed opportunity. The meat = sinful, environment = good, people = bad message was a little preachy, but not nearly as bad as I feared. Also, there not being any dinosaurs aboard the Ark and no scenes where Noah's family tended to the animals. Once they're aboard, we see very little of the animals, because they've been drugged into hibernation (how convenient for the CGI artists!) Finally, I would've liked to have seen more of a civilization pre-Flood.
Judgment, sin, suffering, redemption - these themes are all given a fair hearing. Mankind is certainly not let off the hook for their sins and God isn't portrayed as the enemy (very good).
All in all, Noah was a really good movie. The story is controversial but artfully considered. Just don't go to see it expecting Noah's story to be wholly true to the Bible, because it most certainly isn't.
Warning: Mature audiences and older - contains: Moderate violence, adult themes and disturbing imagery.
8/10
Great movie! Going into it, I knew this version would be different from the historical account found in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, Chapters 6-9. The movie is, in parts, both true to the Bible and rather speculative. The story borrows from Noah's story in the Old Testament but also other sections in the Bible, including the earlier chapters of Genesis (the creation, the fall, Cain and Abel, the early genealogies). There's some Jewish lore (the Book of Enoch), some Jewish mythology and Mesopotamian mythology and of course, director Darren Aronofsky's own ideas.
I've seen some of Aronofsky's other works - Pi (good), The Fountain (clever but dull) and Black Swan (good), so I had some idea of what to expect. He is clearly passionate about the story he's telling and he's not afraid to take it in unorthodox directions.
I found the storytelling to be layered and challenging and the major characters to be both psychologically and philosophically rich, save for Noah's son, Japtheth. Much of the acting was well done, especially Russell Crowe playing Noah.
Noah's story is fascinating. It's terribly dark and disturbing and the movie is sombre in tone. Noah has many doubts and his dreams eventually drive him mad. He later develops a form of cabin fever aboard the Ark. That said, his story extrapolates on what may have happened eg. Noah's doubting his role in God's plan, family struggles, withstanding the culture of sin surrounding them, the fear and horror of experiencing the Flood - hearing all those outside the Ark dying, the doubts in creating an Ark and then trusting that God was watching over them, surivour's guilt and so on. This Noah's a far cry from the biblical man but he's certainly shown to be fallible. That and his eventual psychosis is intriguing to watch.
The visuals were often compelling but not distracting. They were only there to further the story (here's looking at you Michael Bay!) I was surprised at how little of the actual Flood was shown. It's not a disaster movie in the tradition of Dean Devlin and Roland Emmirech (you don't really see the continent break apart and the volcanoes erupt. You don't even see the waters rise or recede or much of the violence done to the land, the people and the animals. Much is left to the imagination.
Many say Aronofsky is an atheist. After watching seeing several of his movies and now Noah, I have to strongly disagree. Seems to me, he's either a lapsed Jew or one who's struggling to hold onto his faith. He questions so much and uses all of his characters, to different degrees, to share a little of his story, his fascination with Noah and his own struggle with his Creator God. The result is raw and ugly and disturbing. It's also honest and strangely encouraging. No saccharine religiosity here.
I have a few objections given the speculative nature of the movie. Some of them are major and some minor. My major objections are that the fallen angels are in league with Noah and his family and help them build the Ark (hello, these were Satan's minions). The CGI fallen angels as rock giants looked a little silly and out of place. I wonder why they changed the character design from the graphic novel (which I haven't read - yet). At one point, Noah tells the creation story to his family, but it's laced with evolutionary imagery (which admittedly is artfully done and highly impressive but also contrary to what the Bible teaches. Noah fighting off Tubal-Cain's men as the great waters of the deep shoot up into the sky. That was rather silly. Perhaps Noah's madness was taken too far. The movie needed more humour and at times, a sense of joy.
Minor objections: The stowaway on the Ark wasn't bad, so much as unnecessary. The writers could've mined Genesis 6:1-8 for more material; that was a missed opportunity. The meat = sinful, environment = good, people = bad message was a little preachy, but not nearly as bad as I feared. Also, there not being any dinosaurs aboard the Ark and no scenes where Noah's family tended to the animals. Once they're aboard, we see very little of the animals, because they've been drugged into hibernation (how convenient for the CGI artists!) Finally, I would've liked to have seen more of a civilization pre-Flood.
Judgment, sin, suffering, redemption - these themes are all given a fair hearing. Mankind is certainly not let off the hook for their sins and God isn't portrayed as the enemy (very good).
All in all, Noah was a really good movie. The story is controversial but artfully considered. Just don't go to see it expecting Noah's story to be wholly true to the Bible, because it most certainly isn't.
Warning: Mature audiences and older - contains: Moderate violence, adult themes and disturbing imagery.
8/10
Some reports here in the states say he is atheist but who knows what the truth is. and it seemed much of the story came from information in the Dead Sea scrolls, book of Enoch and so on. In my opinion they took part from the bible, book of Enoch and other ancient sources and came up with "their own" spin on it. It did not follow scripture and I knew that when I went(but curiosity killed the cat I guess lol).
From a Christian standpoint the movie is rather heretical, but I will say the special effects were great and it had some pretty intense scenes that I did like. Watching the animals enter the ark and watching the flood begin looked almost real to me. I personally didn't "hate" the movie but I would certainly not recommend taking a church group to see it. No one should see it think they'll see a biblical representation of this story.
And that is the best perspective Elizabeth. Im confused when people got the idea that this would be a biblical movie. Sure its based on a biblical story but anyone familiar with this director(Im assuming that would be very few here) should have known this would be a verse for verse recreation. Sorry to burst your unfounded expectations?
I was exited when I first heard it was coming out but now have no intention of giving any of my money to the director or actors for the roles they played in this film. I would still like to see it just to know what's in it, but only if the ocassion arises where I can watch it for free (and then will probably still feel like I got robbed).
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pastac
Guest
If we know the true story what is the big deal? We live with all sorts of unbelievers each day heck you even post with them on the site so why all the fuss over a movie. They have been doing this for years Temptation of the Christ. Jesus,10 commandments,the bible ect all of them had some sort of spin on them that was not true to the bible as we would like to think so why such an uproar over an interpertation over a movie. is it any different than the interpretation of our own views?
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Tintin
Guest
You make a good point. Still, the Jesus movie was made by Christians as a witnessing tool.
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Tintin
Guest
Hi mate. I've seen four of his movies now (Pi, The Fountain, Black Swan, and now - Noah). Noah is definitely Aronofsky's most accessible movie, of those I've seen. I have no desire to see Requiem for a Dream though.
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pastac
Guest
And in some ways this may be a good witnessing tool we may never know. The word teaches us that God uses to foolish things to confound the wise. Remember now he used a donkey to tell a message!! Why not this movie it may be the only Noah some ever here about I gues some Noah is better than no Noah or some jesus better than no Jesus at all in that same thought. Just a few thoughts.
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Tintin
Guest
Oh, yes! God can totally use Noah to bring Him glory. And I don't think the movie is half as foolish as many Christians believe it is. I thought Noah was very good. I don't know that I'd organise a church group to go see it. But if you have friends and they're interested, you might want to leave your options open. Read the Noah story from Genesis and then have a deep and meaningful discussion. It really works!
I was just thinking this. Although I don't think it was the intention of the director. Maybe this movie will cause people that never open their bibles to check the accuracy of the story. Hopefully they won't stop with the flood.
T
Tintin
Guest
Exactly, mate!
According to three major Bible sources, the new film Noah starring Russell Crowe is making people want to research the real story.
"Noah" Film Is Encouraging People to Read the Bible - ChurchLeaders.com - Christian Leadership Blogs, Articles, Videos, How To's, and Free Resources
Hi mate. I've seen four of his movies now (Pi, The Fountain, Black Swan, and now - Noah). Noah is definitely Aronofsky's most accessible movie, of those I've seen. I have no desire to see Requiem for a Dream though.
Requiem for a Dream is one of those terrible depressing movies that you will probably never want to watch a second time...that said its a masterpiece. Though I can't blame you for not wanting to sit through it. Like the happiest part may be the beginning and it's all downhill from there.
Tintin, I can't believe you thought this was a good movie! I was quite prepared for the fact that it was not going to be Biblical. But it simply was a bad movie and a waste of time and money.
Or maybe this is a cultural thing? Maybe movies look different on the bottom of the world? LOL Speaking to you as one from the top of the world, if we use the North Pole as up!
Or maybe this is a cultural thing? Maybe movies look different on the bottom of the world? LOL Speaking to you as one from the top of the world, if we use the North Pole as up!
