NOAH: 2014: ++: DRAMA/ACTION: I wanted to review this movie earlier but I didn't have the chance since I couldn't get to it at the time. I rented it and had certain expectations because I heard so much acclaim and so many people recommended it. I wasn't disappointed. However, I felt some aspects made the movie uneven. There's also another big issue in the movie that I will bring up at the end of this review.
"Uneven, what does that mean?"
Much of the action occurs in the first "third" of the movie and the action was very entertaining. The Golems or "Watchers" were a different spin on the story and I enjoyed them, while others had serious questions about why the director/ writer Darren Aronofsky included them. In some ways, it does "explain" how such as huge ark was created but at the same time this is a biblical adaptation so it doesn't need any "explanation".
I liked the inclusion of the "Watchers".
Noah's cast was right on the money and I liked the fact that Emma Watson complimented the cast of Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Anthony Hopkins. Russell Crowe's acting was almost a carbon copy of his performance in The Gladiator, but that's a good thing as he gave Noah a more demanding presence. Some interpret the Biblical Noah in this fashion so I assume that was intentional direction by Aronofsky.
Crowe in Gladiator and Noah, longer hair, same attitude...
Would Christian Bale have been a better Noah? Hard to say but he was apparently offered this role as well. I believe there would have been too much cross referencing to Batman and it would have hurt the overall impact and lasting impression of the movie.
Emma Watson continues to impress in this movie and I feel she had a challenging role. I won't give too much away because you should definitely watch this movie if you haven't already. She nailed this role. Her range was really demonstrated here and it overshadows her performances in the Potter movies. You can almost say she stole the show in this movie! Along with Jennifer Lawrence, she is among the top female roles in Hollywood.
Emma Watson led the way with one of the better performances in this movie.
Although Anthony Hopkins' role was minimal in this movie, it's hard to ignore or discuss this movie without discussing him. He plays a somewhat distant but approachable character but this time he isn't planning on biting your ear off. His role in this movie is instrumental in allowing certain elements to evolve so he makes an impact.
"Where's Clarice?"
Standout scenes are when the animals arrive, the battle against the unruly humans before the flood and when Crowe fights the leader Tabal Cane at the end. I also enjoyed the sections where other parts of the Bible were mentioned, especially the Adam & Eve creation story, which is often referenced. Also, the snakes, snakes, snakes were cool!
Here come the snakes, hey they're creatures too!
A snake within a snake, very original! The root of all evil!
The special effects were also excellent in this movie and made the animals, the flooding, the action, and the ark very realistic.
This important scene was done extremely well!
This was an ambitious effort and Aronofsky delivers a great movie. I just thought it could have been a bit more balanced because I felt like I saw some of the best parts after the first third.
Also, where are the different races? It seems very racially homogeneous. I deducted major points over this. This is a glaring problem with the movie and I don't understand how you can leave out other racial classes. Especially now with the shooting of Michael Brown, I was floored by the absence of other races. Was this an agenda or symptomatic of Hollywood? Or worse, was Darren's Aronofsky's treatment of the Noah story a reason why?72%
"A 72%, what is he thinking?"
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