Exodus: Gods & Kings (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
So, 1956’s The Ten Commandments wasn’t enough for ya, Hollywood? Enter ‘Exodus: Gods & Kings’ (directed by the great Ridley Scott, Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator). This film pales to Cecile B. DeMille’s 1956 epic in nearly every way (mostly script/casting), but there are more than enough gorgeous and/or immersive aspects to warrant a viewing. I enjoyed this somber, bombastic epic … even while counting up the copious flaws in my head. The story we know so well: as children, Moses & Ramses grew up together in the lavish palace of Ramses' father, the ailing Pharaoh Seti (John Turturro). As men, Ramses (now Joel Edgerton, of Warrior, The Great Gatsby) rules Egypt, with Moses (now Christian Bale) as his trusted counsel. While inspecting a neighboring region that is run by a corrupt viceroy (a campy Ben Mendelsohn), Moses witnesses the horrific treatment of the Jewish slaves and, a wise man (Ben Kingsley) informs him that he, too … is Jewish.
When Ramses gets word of this, Moses is banished (not killed, as his mother, played briefly by Sigourney Weaver, desires). In the shortest courtship in the history of cinema, Moses meets & marries Sefora (Maria Valverde) & starts life anew in a land faraway ... that is, until God contacts him (1st as the burning bush, then materializing for him in the form of a boy). God tells Moses that he must free the 600,000 people enslaved Jews under the new pharaoh, Ramses. God then assists by sending 10 deadly plagues, but Moses must lead ‘his’ people across the Red Sea & into the safe “promised land”. But a vengeful Ramses decides to re-capture the Israelites/Moses in a hectic pursuit to the Red Sea. And, well, most of us know how the rest plays out.
‘Exodus …’ suffers twice for its 150 minute running time: 1) it has too many long, laborious sections. 2) And yet, it’s not long enough to aptly honor all the source material that’s crammed into the proceedings. There are some gaps in the narrative & moments when events move too quickly to impart proper gravitas. i.e., the courtship, marriage, family life of Moses & Sefora. We never get to truly know his family, so by the end of the film, Moses’ reunion with them felt really empty. Now, where the film plays like gangbusters is in the gruesome middle section when God lets loose his deadly plagues. I was in awe of the mass crocodile attack which turned the waters a Technicolor-like red. I mean, WOW. I even appreciated a few fleeting moments of deadpan levity when one of Ramses’ minions tries to repair the water and fails. The frogs creeped me out {though, how Ramses’ wife couldn’t feel hundreds on her body while she slept made me shake my head in agitation}. The lice/swarms of flies/boils/diseased livestock/locusts made me swerve & squirm in my chair. The thunderstorm of hail & fire looked incredible onscreen. And everything culminates with the ‘death of the firstborn’ plague which was also handled very well; darkness lay over the land, taking the lives of many children, including Ramses’ young boy. So the plagues worked for me, big time. But yeah, a lot of the rest fell sort of flat. The parting of the Red Sea – while visually interesting – differed so much so from the Bible and from the iconic 1956 film that it kind of took me out of the experience for a bit. Moses doesn’t part the sea, per say, and the water only swells up from one direction as a sort of tsunami, not two opposing sides. I also thought the ‘Moses chiseling out the Ten Commandments’ scene was horrifically handled; it lasts all of 1 minute, and we never really see the Jews running amok in the valley of the mountain for God to be angry enough to ORDER Moses to chisel out said commandments. What a hacking to that sequence!
Now, the casting has been a big issue in the press (the fact that the main characters are British/Australian/American). Personally, it didn’t bother me; but I see how it could offend some groups. British or not, Christian Bale does a good job as Moses; subtle, super-serious, writhing with self-doubt, explosive when necessary. By the end of the film (when we see him old & grey), I bought the portrayal as a whole. Still, he ain’t no Charlton Heston. Where Heston went larger-than-life, Bale went impressively introspective … but I’m not sure introspective Moses works as well. Joel Edgerton is fine as under-confident villain, Ramses. But come on, no one can hold a candle to Yul Brenner’s steely, diabolical portrayal. Also, the brotherly relationship btwn. Ramses & Moses is much chillier here than the one depicted in the 1956 film; there needed to be more warmth for characterization/depth purposes, for me. John Turturro is surprisingly effective as Pharaoh Seti. And Sigourney Weaver is the victim of editing/cutting room floor material. In no way do you cast her and then only show her in 2 scenes spouting a couple of venomous lines of dialogue.
Do I recommend this film? I do, barely. Yes, the script is underdeveloped, plot points are glossed over, the editing is hacky, and incidents of violence/dead bodies/dead animals may upset some viewers. But Bale/Edgerton are fine in their roles, and the big saving grace is what we literally see up onscreen -- the visual splendor makes a trip to the theater worthwhile. The cinematography (color schemes, aerial shots of vast Egyptian landscapes) is wonderful. The B.C. period details of the cities, temples, palaces, ornate costumes … is astounding. The make-up work, particularly on those affected by the plagues, is fantastic. The use of CGI is some of the best I’ve seen this year. I also admire the crisp sound design, and appreciate the ethnic/rousing musical score which, while sounding familiar to other films of this ilk, doesn’t call attention to itself, either. So yeah, ‘Exodus: Gods & Kings’ has its immersive stretches and it is something to “behold”. I just wish it didn’t feel hacked down from some longer version (probably an hour or so longer). It reminds me of Ridley Scott’s 2005 epic, Kingdom of Heaven, a poor film that, when released as a much longer Director’s Cut, filled in the narrative gaps and provided more emotional & spiritual depth. I hope there is a Director’s Cut for this one as I’m sure it would be more fulfilling.
When Ramses gets word of this, Moses is banished (not killed, as his mother, played briefly by Sigourney Weaver, desires). In the shortest courtship in the history of cinema, Moses meets & marries Sefora (Maria Valverde) & starts life anew in a land faraway ... that is, until God contacts him (1st as the burning bush, then materializing for him in the form of a boy). God tells Moses that he must free the 600,000 people enslaved Jews under the new pharaoh, Ramses. God then assists by sending 10 deadly plagues, but Moses must lead ‘his’ people across the Red Sea & into the safe “promised land”. But a vengeful Ramses decides to re-capture the Israelites/Moses in a hectic pursuit to the Red Sea. And, well, most of us know how the rest plays out.
‘Exodus …’ suffers twice for its 150 minute running time: 1) it has too many long, laborious sections. 2) And yet, it’s not long enough to aptly honor all the source material that’s crammed into the proceedings. There are some gaps in the narrative & moments when events move too quickly to impart proper gravitas. i.e., the courtship, marriage, family life of Moses & Sefora. We never get to truly know his family, so by the end of the film, Moses’ reunion with them felt really empty. Now, where the film plays like gangbusters is in the gruesome middle section when God lets loose his deadly plagues. I was in awe of the mass crocodile attack which turned the waters a Technicolor-like red. I mean, WOW. I even appreciated a few fleeting moments of deadpan levity when one of Ramses’ minions tries to repair the water and fails. The frogs creeped me out {though, how Ramses’ wife couldn’t feel hundreds on her body while she slept made me shake my head in agitation}. The lice/swarms of flies/boils/diseased livestock/locusts made me swerve & squirm in my chair. The thunderstorm of hail & fire looked incredible onscreen. And everything culminates with the ‘death of the firstborn’ plague which was also handled very well; darkness lay over the land, taking the lives of many children, including Ramses’ young boy. So the plagues worked for me, big time. But yeah, a lot of the rest fell sort of flat. The parting of the Red Sea – while visually interesting – differed so much so from the Bible and from the iconic 1956 film that it kind of took me out of the experience for a bit. Moses doesn’t part the sea, per say, and the water only swells up from one direction as a sort of tsunami, not two opposing sides. I also thought the ‘Moses chiseling out the Ten Commandments’ scene was horrifically handled; it lasts all of 1 minute, and we never really see the Jews running amok in the valley of the mountain for God to be angry enough to ORDER Moses to chisel out said commandments. What a hacking to that sequence!
Now, the casting has been a big issue in the press (the fact that the main characters are British/Australian/American). Personally, it didn’t bother me; but I see how it could offend some groups. British or not, Christian Bale does a good job as Moses; subtle, super-serious, writhing with self-doubt, explosive when necessary. By the end of the film (when we see him old & grey), I bought the portrayal as a whole. Still, he ain’t no Charlton Heston. Where Heston went larger-than-life, Bale went impressively introspective … but I’m not sure introspective Moses works as well. Joel Edgerton is fine as under-confident villain, Ramses. But come on, no one can hold a candle to Yul Brenner’s steely, diabolical portrayal. Also, the brotherly relationship btwn. Ramses & Moses is much chillier here than the one depicted in the 1956 film; there needed to be more warmth for characterization/depth purposes, for me. John Turturro is surprisingly effective as Pharaoh Seti. And Sigourney Weaver is the victim of editing/cutting room floor material. In no way do you cast her and then only show her in 2 scenes spouting a couple of venomous lines of dialogue.
Do I recommend this film? I do, barely. Yes, the script is underdeveloped, plot points are glossed over, the editing is hacky, and incidents of violence/dead bodies/dead animals may upset some viewers. But Bale/Edgerton are fine in their roles, and the big saving grace is what we literally see up onscreen -- the visual splendor makes a trip to the theater worthwhile. The cinematography (color schemes, aerial shots of vast Egyptian landscapes) is wonderful. The B.C. period details of the cities, temples, palaces, ornate costumes … is astounding. The make-up work, particularly on those affected by the plagues, is fantastic. The use of CGI is some of the best I’ve seen this year. I also admire the crisp sound design, and appreciate the ethnic/rousing musical score which, while sounding familiar to other films of this ilk, doesn’t call attention to itself, either. So yeah, ‘Exodus: Gods & Kings’ has its immersive stretches and it is something to “behold”. I just wish it didn’t feel hacked down from some longer version (probably an hour or so longer). It reminds me of Ridley Scott’s 2005 epic, Kingdom of Heaven, a poor film that, when released as a much longer Director’s Cut, filled in the narrative gaps and provided more emotional & spiritual depth. I hope there is a Director’s Cut for this one as I’m sure it would be more fulfilling.