Originally published December 13, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
Exodus: Gods and Kings, 2014.
Directed by Ridley Scott.
Starring Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, Aaron Paul and Sigourney Weaver.
SYNOPSIS:
The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
When revered director Quentin Tarantino takes to interviews and discusses that filmmaking is a young man’s game and that so many auteurs overstay their welcome, one can’t help but feel that Ridley Scott is a perfect representation. Coming off of a roll of commonly agreed-upon terrible movies (The Counselor, Prometheus) Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings seems to be an attempt at re-creating something in the vein of Gladiator; his sprawling lengthy epic that won the award for Best Picture.
Let’s just get it out of the way, Exodus: Gods and Kings is another misfire, and certainly won’t be up for any awards outside of special effects categories, and even that is a stretch. It isn’t the much controversially discussed and debated race-bending of the film that drags everything down under though. Acting is the strongest aspect of the film; as a matter of fact, I dread watching a version of this movie without Christian Bale.
Leading up to the film’s release, Christian Bale was quoted in an interview stating that Moses was actually a raging psychopath. Those are some strong words that will undoubtedly upset religious fanatics, but Bale takes that interpretation of the biblical figure and weaves his own portrayal of Moses with those vengeful tendencies. Spoiler alert for anyone who has never picked up a Bible, but this is a man who wiped out the firstborn children of his enemies for the tenth and final plague. Clearly, he is worshiping a God that is off his rocker.
On the other hand is Joel Edgerton hamming it up as Ramses, chewing the scenery for the first half of the film in cliché comical villain ways, until the movie suddenly becomes very grim and serious. Therein lies the biggest problem with Exodus: Gods And Kings; its tone is a bit scattered. One minute Ramses is an evil Pharaoh using Jews as slaves for his bidding, and the next we’re sympathizing the death of his firstborn child. Who the hell do you even for in this movie? That tidal wave at the end is pretty cool, so I guess that.
Ridley Scott also directs the film so carelessly and bland that the movie is an aching chore to actually get through. It’s already two and a half hours long, but it may as well be five because that’s how freaking long it feels. The worst part is that the entire middle section of the movie drags and drags, while the opening and final acts are admittedly entertaining and filled with some pretty spectacular action sequences. Witnessing all of the plagues is certainly a highlight of the film, making for some of the more compelling scenes of the movie; for example the sea turning to blood.
Another possibility is that this is a similar situation to Kingdom of Heaven, where actually making the movie longer and fleshing out more characters could improve the experience. Maybe Ridley Scott did have something grand on his hands here but studio interference butchered it. Based on his more recent releases it is something I highly doubt, but worth mentioning considering Kingdom of Heaven goes from crap to gold with its directors cut.
As it stands now though, Exodus: Gods and Kings is a disappointing mess that will have you falling asleep at points. If you really want to see it, watch the first 30 minutes, theater hop to another movie, and when that’s done come back for the final 30 minutes. Its only saving grace are its action sequences and the acting that accompanies them. Christian Bale playing a lunatic version of Moses for a narrative that doesn’t kiss the Bible’s ass was also a welcome surprise. Ultimately, there is a good movie somewhere in here, but you probably just need a better director than Ridley Scott to bring it out.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder – An aficionado of film, wrestling, and gaming. He currently writes for Flickering Myth, We Got This Covered, and Wrestle Enigma. Follow me on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&list=PL18yMRIfoszFJHnpNzqHh6gswQ0Srpi5E&v=zzYUW1bfw34
