Noah

Biblical Noah has made me anticipate a totally epic movie since the very beginning of that project. Actually, the story itself is the best and the most essential story of it all, with pure good and pure evil facing one another. All of this has been getting prepared by possibly the most interesting director of the present time – Darren Aronofsky. Would you expect anything else than an epic movie? I probably wouldn’t. And maybe that’s also why I had to get used to this movie for the first twenty minutes. During that time, I was able to recall reading some articles about Darren having some issues with this movie and the producers forcing his hand or crossing out many of his scenes. But that’s when I was able to get used to the metaphorical conception of this movie. I also got used to the absolutely beautiful Icelandic sceneries, which seemed to resemble the Moon’s landscape. I also enjoyed the awesome music by his go-to composer – Clint Mansell. And I certainly can’t forget about Noah himself – Russell Crowe. It all started to blend a little and after the uncertain beginning came the biggest preparation for the greatest catastrophe in the history of mankind. Throughout the last 40 minutes, it even kept on building up in such an amazing way that only Aronofsky can do nowadays. It doesn’t bother me that this is actually the most classic case of revenge, disappointment and human qualities as such. I enjoyed the beautiful shots, such as when Noah’s silhouette is facing the dawn of the sun, the time-lapse sequences or shots of the whole animal kingdom coming to the Ark. Such scenes are simply unforgettable. Just like this movie is unforgettable to me – even though it’s not perfect, but neither is the Ark story itself. (04/01/2014)

A boring and tedious biblical fantasy with shockingly bad CGI giants and an unexpectedly short flood that ends before one can look around. Fortunately, at least the likeable cast was good. Russell Crowe was great and Hermione also gave a very decent performance, but otherwise the film did not please me with anything. Darren Aronofsky should stick to dramas without visual effects. 50%. (07/13/2014)

As long as Darren Aronofsky and Clint Mansell keep going back to the style of The Fountain, everything is in the best order, and I just marvel at how this well-known theme can be told purely through characters in epic settings. And it doesn't even matter that Darren turned the script into something like Transformers: Origins. But when Noah's escalating paranoia starts to explicitly infuriate, I start shaking my head at times, and at that point the dramatically mature Emma Watson has to salvage more than she should. Actually, even a day after viewing, I couldn't decipher the puzzle with incredible visuals and annoyance from constant dialogues about the Creator or what is right. But because I'm not sure about any potential second viewing, I won't climb any higher even with the best will in the world. (03/27/2014)

The crossover to feature film was a success. Aronofsky relishes in mirroring today’s humanity with the descendants of Cain. Dream sequences and trippy tales from the first chapters of the Bible, maintains the same fascinating effectivity that glues the viewer’s your dry eyes to the screen. Russell is excellent, his acting hasn’t been that good for a long time and he handled the work that his Noah has to perform with flying colors. The purpose of building the Ark is a little bit different here, almost turning the picture into a thriller toward the end and giving it a depressing aura only dispersed by Watson at the end. Lots of people fault Darren for selling out to Hollywood, but I can’t sincerely imagine that anyone else would have filmed a better Noah. Or that it wouldn’t have been so distinctive. I have nothing to fault (maybe Noah’s shaved nut, that was a bit extreme). Too little controversy? Not shocking enough? Too biblical? For God’s sake... You’re saying I don’t I have to do it?! (03/30/2014)

I'm really glad that Aronofsky is a bit crazy and didn't process Noah in a conventional way that conservative Christians would probably want. Instead, he served us an almost fantasy semi-schizophrenic story, loosely inspired by the Bible. I can't complain about the craftsmanship, the demanding post-production is quite noticeable in the film, it's appropriately dirty and the overall experience is complemented by a pretty decent suitable soundtrack. Story-wise, it's not that famous. Although the director resisted exact participation in the Bible, some sequences just come off as funny. And why the hell does it have 130 minutes of pure time? I understand that some dialogues had to be left in the editing room for a meaningful story, but as a result, the film loses its pace and starts to bore. I also liked the inner conflict of the main character. And although the film naturally ends in an expected way, it's still not presented in a completely ordinary way... 70% (03/26/2014)