Producer-director Ridley Scott (“Alien” 1979) takes some liberties with the Biblical text in his movie version of the life of Moses in “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” In the process, much of the drama of Moses’ confrontation with Pharaoh, the ensuing plagues, and the crossing of the Red Sea is lost in the shuffle.
Scott and the screenwriters (Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian) imply that the parting of the Red Sea was the result of a tidal wave, left out several of the ten plagues, and add one plague of a crocodile attack.
The performances were at least passable. Christian Bale is not as convincing as Noah as Chuck Heston was back in 1956 in “The Ten Commandments.” Of course, Heston never played Batman. Joel Edgerton was make-up bound as Ramesses, and John Turturro, who played their father, the senior Pharaoh, is somewhat out of his element here. Others along for the ride are Aaron Paul as Joshua, Tara Fitzgerald as Miriam, Maria Valverde as Zipporah, Ben Mendelsohn, Dar Salim, Kevork Malikyan, Ben Kingsley, and Sigourney Weaver.
Thanks to the special effects (FX), the crossing through the Red Sea and subsequent drowning of the Egyptian army is always exciting. “Exodus: Gods and Kings” was a modest hit at the box office, enough to cover the large budget and extensive advertising expense that is needed for big films like this. Just like a plague of locust eating up everything in sight, these expenses ate up the financial profit of the film, much to the chagrin of Chernin Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and 20th Century Fox.
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
cinema
My Review
Producer-director Ridley Scott (“Alien” 1979) takes some liberties with the Biblical text in his movie version of the life of Moses in “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” In the process, much of the drama of Moses’ confrontation with Pharaoh, the ensuing plagues, and the crossing of the Red Sea is lost in the shuffle.
Scott and the screenwriters (Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian) imply that the parting of the Red Sea was the result of a tidal wave, left out several of the ten plagues, and add one plague of a crocodile attack.
The performances were at least passable. Christian Bale is not as convincing as Noah as Chuck Heston was back in 1956 in “The Ten Commandments.” Of course, Heston never played Batman. Joel Edgerton was make-up bound as Ramesses, and John Turturro, who played their father, the senior Pharaoh, is somewhat out of his element here. Others along for the ride are Aaron Paul as Joshua, Tara Fitzgerald as Miriam, Maria Valverde as Zipporah, Ben Mendelsohn, Dar Salim, Kevork Malikyan, Ben Kingsley, and Sigourney Weaver.
Thanks to the special effects (FX), the crossing through the Red Sea and subsequent drowning of the Egyptian army is always exciting. “Exodus: Gods and Kings” was a modest hit at the box office, enough to cover the large budget and extensive advertising expense that is needed for big films like this. Just like a plague of locust eating up everything in sight, these expenses ate up the financial profit of the film, much to the chagrin of Chernin Entertainment, Scott Free Productions, and 20th Century Fox.