Noah--2014

Noah—Directed by Darren Aronofsky/ starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Logan Lerman/written by Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel/PG-13/137 min.

Bifocal Reviews Written by “Ageless1der” Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR) I call this film, Noah and the Lord of the Rings. I don’t know if director/writer Aronofsky could make up his mind, which way he wanted to go. Was this speculative fantasy, or book-to-screen Biblical? It’s clear to see that he put his own spin on it, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Whether he was trying to attract a religious group, or a younger movie going fan, I find no fault with the acting. The performances were good. There were no particular standouts for me. However, I felt that it took this particular story too long to get to the flood and the meat of the conflict. The addition of a love story with Emma Watson, did not affect me either way. The beginning was very sketchy, with stumps of trees on the ground, rock people and a barren land that somehow was sustaining human life. Being a realist, I didn’t buy it. But then again, it may have been intended as a fantasy. Others will have to answer for the fantasy buffs. I can’t give this movie more than two and ½ binoculars.

(OG) I’m not much of a Biblical scholar. I mean, I’ve read the book, but I’ve never really obsessed over it. However, from what I saw in this film, I cannot understand the hoopla. It’s obvious that an outline of a myth, with heavy allegorical intentions, was embellished upon with the same exact purpose as the original tale. Good will triumph over Evil. God protects the good and faithful and punishes the wicked. I thought it was interesting that the some of the fallen angels had been turned to stone-people for helping humanity, but there was probably a bit of Earth-First messaging hidden in the new metaphors. After all, the “good” people also liked berries and were vegetarians, while the evil ate meat, and incorrectly believed that humans are so much like God that they have the right to kill. All in all, I found a few holes in the modern story, just as I do in the Bible verses. The only real surprise in this movie for me, was when I found out that one of the characters I’d been watching (a lustful angel) was using the voice of Nick Nolte! I’ll give this one three binoculars. I wasn’t bored and the acting was good.