Published in: Major Film Reviews

**FILM REVIEW** “Noah”

Author OneFilmFan

Published on: April 1, 2014

This year is seeing what I feel is an unprecedented number of major film releases that are faith-based in their primary focus and I must say it is refreshing to see, as I think Hollywood’s fear of touching subjects of this nature is prohibiting them from tapping a very fruitful demographic of moviegoers who might otherwise not go see that many mainstream releases.  And that is fine of course.  But, if studios are willing to invest money in projects of this nature, I think it would at LEAST give some room for those of the Christian faith to have their beliefs put out there (just as much as all the other religions that so often seem to get screen time over the years), and do it successfully.  That said, this review is exactly about one of those films, which, despite its theological flaws, gives a potent view of the state of mankind and the fallen nature we were ALL born into.  I give you, “Noah”

Directed by Darren Aronofsky (“The Fountain“, “The Wrestler“, “Black Swan“), the film takes on one of the classic Old Testament Bible stories in the title character.  Beginning when Noah is young, we initially see moments he has with his father, Lamech (Marton Csokas), who is speaking with the boy about creation, the Creator, how men’s civilization and corruption has spread over time, but also the responsibilities he will have as part of his heritage.  After an event occurs that causes Noah to flee the scene across the barrenness that is the Earth at this time, we fast forward to the point where Noah (Russell Crowe) is now a grown man, is married to wife Naameh (Jennifer Connelly), and has children of his own in Shem (Douglas Booth), Ham (Logan Lerman), and the youngest Japheth (Leo McHugh Carroll).  However, one night, Noah has a potent dream where he exits his home to see his feet standing on soggy ground soaked in blood, all of this while a huge mountain looms in the background, followed by finding himself completely submerged underwater as an even MORE potent moment occurs….he sees dead bodies floating up all around him from the bottom.  This shakes him awake and it is the first real sign the Creator is speaking to him about a sobering truth….the Creator is going to wipe out life on Earth.  Deciding he must consult his grandfather, Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins), Noah takes his family on a dangerous journey to reach the mountain he lives on, and we continue to notice that Earth is truly desolate at this point, and that the general state of existence is not good.  After having to flee the attack of a group of potential robbers, having just moments earlier finding an injured, young girl Ila (Emma Watson) and taking her with them,  Noah and his brood cross over into land dominated by The Watchers, portrayed here as large misshapen stone giants who we believe could be the Nephilim, and are ultimately captured by them, despite Noah trying to make them realize who he is and the destination he is trying to reach.  One of The Watchers chooses to help them escape their captivity and leads them to Methuselah’s home.   Having an inkling of what Noah is there to discuss, Methuselah reiterates that if man were not to turn from his evil ways, then the Creator would annihilate the world, as this is where Noah is given to another vision, underwater again, where this time he sees animals rising toward the surface and toward a large object, a safe haven.  It is from this vision that Noah finally understands completely that a flood is coming that will wipe out all life, but the Creator has chosen him to build a vessel to survive the storm, giving a way to safety for Noah and his family, while also having it provide safety for a certain number of all creatures so as to be able to start again once the flood is over.

So Noah takes to the grounds below the mountain and through a miracle of the Creator’s hand, water springs up from the dry ground and as it creates streams outflowing in multiple directions from its center, an entire forest is created in order to provide the wood to build the ark.  Skipping ahead in time again, we see how the streams flowed far and wide across the land, and this initially attracts the birds, two of each kind, to where the ark is being built by Noah and his family, along with the aid of a group of Watchers.  We also see that Ila has grown into a young woman, and who is completely enamored with Shem.   As this has transpired, Noah’s son Ham is almost accosted in the forest by a large group of people led by a man who calls himself a king.  Shem advises his father says there is no king other than the Creator, and so Ham leads this large group to where the ark is being built.  Knowing the intentions of the “king” and his followers are not honorable, Noah’s initial confrontation with this individual ends up yielding the fact that this leader is Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone), a threat from Noah’s childhood.  Threatening to seize the ark and thinking Noah and his family are alone, The Watchers make their presence known, which causes the group to retreat, but not without Tubal-cain vowing to come back and keep his promise to claim the ark.  More time goes by and then we see the arrival of the lizards, snakes, insects, and other creepy crawlies to the ark.  We also end up seeing the mammals arrive as well.  Naameh also has a side story going, as she leaves the ark site to visit Methuselah and pleads with him to help Ila, who is barren and could not give Shem children unless she is healed.  This is accomplished, but one wonders at what cost.  However, in the midst of all of this, Ham in particular becomes increasingly agitated that he does NOT have a wife, something that he feels his father promised he would have before the coming flood.  This leads to Noah trekking into the camp of Tubal-cain and there he witnesses the true, brutal horror of what man has become and then suffers another vision of their fate, this time in fiery and agonizing destruction.  Now knowing the time is drawing near for the storm and flood to come, he returns speechless to the ark and has another confrontation with Ham, who in his disappointment of no potential wife returning with Noah from the encampment, runs off to go himself, despite his father’s adamant objections.  Ham does find a young woman, Na’el (Madison Davenport), in hiding after accidentally falling into an open grave ditch outside Tubal-cain’s camp, but then the rain begins to fall.  Ham flees with Na’el as Tubal-cain leads his army of people into the woods towards the ark.  Noah dispatches Shem to locate Ham, but ultimately has to rescue him himself, but in the process, leaving Na’el to die as the mass of people surge towards the ark’s location, much to Ham’s resentment.  As The Watchers strive to protect the ark as the onslaught occurs and the rain pours down. Everyone makes into the ark, and even as The Watchers themselves are defeated, water erupts from the ground beneath everyone, and then massive and quick-moving walls of water come in from all sides and crash into the clearing, wiping out every person present and sending the ark reeling until it finally settles into the deluge.  During all of THIS, the ark gains an unexpected and unwelcome guest who hides away, unnoticed except by Ham.  As they float away and land disappears, we hear the wails of the doomed people through the ark’s hull, Noah explaining that it is a necessary event that things are unfolding the way they are.  As the film continues, Ham is convinced by the stowaway to rebel against his father, even as Noah’s grasp on his understanding of what is yet to come actually starts to cause his sanity to loosen, especially when he finds out Ila is pregnant, threatening to kill her child if it is a girl.  So the final dramas unfold as Shem and Ila’s notion to leave the ark is thwarted, Ila’s first child is born only to find it is actually TWIN girls she is having, Noah attempts to seek the Creator’s advice about killing them, deciding he should, but then cannot go forward with it, and the final showdown with the stowaway giving way to the ark striking land.  So the family settles on the newly revealed land, while Noah puts himself in self-imposed exile initially, drinking himself into a inebriated, and naked, slumber on the beach, where Shem, Japheth, and Ham find him.  Ultimately, thanks to a conversation with Ila, Noah returns to his family, Ham actually leaves to his own adventures, and Noah blesses the two newborn girls as his father had blessed him, all the while the sky above them pulses with rainbows…the Creator’s promise and covenant with Noah that the Earth will never again be destroyed by water.

OK….so…as a FILM, a piece of cinematic artistry, the film does impress.  It is visually stunning in many parts and does serve to, at least for me, emphasize and bring to life many of the events that ARE at least close to the story in the Bible and put them into even greater overall context.  And the acting is of course solid, because of the quality cast assembled for this epic.  SO…the story itself and how it was delivered….the scenes that are shown as the God-given dreams Noah has about the destruction of humanity were very potent to see made real in that it drives home the basic fact that this story is, initially, about mass death that will happen at the God’s will and CHOICE because evil and wickedness has SO poisoned the humans He created.  And this picture of man’s truly fallen nature being illustrated so bluntly actually worked for me in that the film wasn’t afraid to portray that depravity and evil so even WE understand WHY God was choosing to do this.  And yet, in all of it, we also see the HUMAN-ness of Noah, again, in my opinion, in a way that carries weight as well.  And I mean that from the standpoint that so often, I feel like maybe we have heard this story and see many of the Old Testament heroes as perhaps MORE than what they actually were….MEN and WOMEN.  Human, fallible, struggling with even the decisions in obeying what God has called them to do.  And while yes, Noah was seen in God’s eyes as a RIGHTEOUS man, worth saving along with his family and his children and their families, it still seemed somehow refreshing to perhaps just understand that by the end of the flood, is it any wonder Noah went off and got drunk?  I do not mean that lightly at all, mind you.  The STRESS he must have endured even WHEN obeying God’s commands just put him in a new perspective for me, even if these particular emotional moments were not specified distinctly in Genesis.  I guess it’s just to say that I did not mind THESE particular points of conjecture within the film. There were other moments that I took as a visualization of God’s hand moving in a miracle-type way to provide, to heal, and to bless that for what it was portraying, I didn’t mind as much either.

However, as far as the overall presentation of the story itself, well, as you’ve heard plenty by now, they took a LOT of liberties.  A LOT.  The Nephilim as these towering stone giants….hard to think that’s what they looked like, much less that NOWHERE is there EVER a mention in Genesis about them HELPING Noah build the ark, much less all the OTHER interactions they have in the course of the film.  It felt like “Lord of the Rings” in the middle of the story.  The death of Noah’s father, Lamech, was fabricated, as Genesis most certainly does NOT say a young Tubal-cain is the source of his demise!  In fact, the Bible states Lamech went on to have other sons and daughters AFTER Noah.  There were most likely other people that lived in the vicinity of where the ark was built, but an army of them led by Tubal-cain is not recorded in Genesis, much less an epic BATTLE in front of the ark in them trying to take it.  The notion given in one moment by Ham, who in lamenting Na’el’s death, states she was an innocent, though this was never in Genesis nor WERE there ANY innocent people, as is made clear by God when considering and deciding He’s made a mistake in creating man.  I wasn’t at all sure how to take the concept of this mineral that was used to put the animals into a restful sleep while on the ark. Not sure WHERE that idea came from actually.  So, there WAS so much OFF about it, but I will stick with the positives I mentioned in the paragraph before this, and I DO have to mention one other thing…..seeing this film with a friend prompted a full-out discussion about this story IN the Bible and that being THE source for how it all occurred as well as a hour-plus more talk about God and related testimony that was REALLY a blessing to share together after the film.  Obviously, anyone who knows me knows enough that I would not blatantly support something that is SO far off that I feel there would be NO qualities at ALL in the Word being portrayed or taken away from.  But, with this film, I became a catalyst to a discussion about the subject with someone who had questions, and that alone made me honestly feel that as Christians, making our own choices of course, we should not just dismiss this out of hand, as I have seen FAR WORSE interpretations of this story done.  Let it be a chance to let God do some work through us to actually REACH people for Him.  I feel this is a realistic attitude based on what I experienced.

But, as ALWAYS, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment.  Until next time, thank you for reading.