Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The story of Noah’s Ark in the Book of Genesis is almost universally known to many people of faith.
For those unfamiliar with the story, here’s a quick synopsis: God is displeased with mankind’s misdeeds and hits the reset button through a flood, planning to restart with Noah and his immediate family. He asks that Noah construct a massive ark and gather two of each animal to take into the ark, along with his family members.
From there, God cleanses the Earth in 40 days, and Noah and crew are left adrift for weeks after, using only a bird to find any dry land.
While debate has raged about the actuality of the event, many of the faithful see the story of Noah as a parable of perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Before Darren Aronofsky’s take on this biblical story, the only other cinematic interpretation was the 2007 Steven Carrel vehicle “Evan Almighty,” a sequel to the 2003 hit comedy “Bruce Almighty.” Despite an all-star cast and great production values “Evan Almighty” came off as a ham-handed pro-environment film. “Noah” has been the center of controversy with negative reactions to the initial screenings and the insertion of a pro-animal position within the film. Compounding all this is the banning of the film in several Middle Eastern countries due to its physical depiction of a prophet, which is considered forbidden by Islam.
The odds are stacked against the 2014 biblical epic, even though it has an accomplished director and an all-star cast that includes Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Ray Winston.
God, called the Creator, commands Noah, a descendant of the line of Seth — the third son of Adam and Eve after Cain and Abel — to build an ark. The Ark is to protect the innocents, the animals and Noah’s immediate family, as God cleanses the Earth of humanity, the descendants of Cain, for killing the Earth through abuse and savagery toward fellow men and animals alike.
Aided by the Watchers, fallen angels encased in hardened lava, Noah must carry out God’s will in order to make the cleansed Earth a better place.
While the film keeps the basics of the main biblical narrative, there are many additions that make little sense or are questionable in relation to the source material. The inclusion of Tubal Cain — Cain’s descendant — as the main villain, the existence of the Watchers, and the anti-human ideological line taken by Noah, are some of the more noticeable creative liberties. There is even a character change later in the film that may upset some audiences depending on their religious convictions. In fact, much of what the film’s titular lead stands for contradicts God’s teachings of non-judgment and forgiveness. All of this overshadows the cast’s great performances and Aronofsky’s direction, which is one of the film’s biggest strengths in the use of beautiful film visuals. Working in the film’s favor is the scope and tone of the event, regardless of how the director interpreted it.
If you are a person of faith and decide to see this movie, it is advised that you know that this is only one interpretation of a classical Biblical story. The film gets 3 stars out of 5.
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Follow Collin Chersi on Twitter: @PepperChersi
