Let's Go Out To The Movies: Noah

Note- I am aware that the Genesis flood narrative the film "Noah" was inspired by is considered holy writ by billions of people across the world. Any criticism of the film is ONLY intended as criticism of the FILM, and not of the scripture on which it is based.-End Note

Also, spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

Alo Party Peoples.

This was a movie poised for controversy. Adapting biblical stories is going to anger certain people no matter how you do it, but doing it as an epic fantasy, that takes guts. Whether it's fundamentalists being mad that it doesn't quite stick to scripture, or at least the Christian version, or the filmmakers apparently being worried that reflexively ir-religious film geeks would dismiss it as just another Bible movie. Someone was probably going to attack this. In fact, for a while it looked like Paramount would release an edited version of the film that would have taken out the more outlandish elements. Eventually they decided that the original cut would be released to theaters with a disclaimer that the film should not be taken as a literal interpretation of scripture.*

I'd say that's a fair compromise, and it was probably necessary to take a few liberties with adapting this particular section of the Bible. I mean no offense by this, but Noah's ark is a rather short section of Genesis and it leaves out a lot of details. So they had to get creative with it if they wanted the movie to be more than fifteen minutes long. And the way they did so was, drawing from much older Jewish texts to make it less like Sunday school and more like Lord Of The Rings.

That's not just a visual comparision, director/writer Darren Aronofsky takes the same kind of approach to Genesis that Peter Jackson took with Tolkien. He certainly respects the source material, but he isn't afraid to change things to make a more interesting film even if it might anger long time adherents.

After the first murder, man has divided itself in two. The descendants of Cain have spread across the known world, building a large urban, and industrial society based around the mining of a special sparking rock called "ichor". While the descendants of Seph continue to guard the Creator's vision and preserve some vestige of paradise. -Note- Yes, in this version, the flood is as much about ending mankind's violence towards the planet as it is man's violence towards each other.-End Note- Over ten generations, the line of Seph has been whittled down to just Noah and his family, who is given strange hallucination like visions of a great flood that will wash away the wickedness of men. He goes on a trip to his grandfather Methuselah, and on the way comes across the Watchers, fallen angels that took pity on Adam and Eve and taught them the way to survive. As punishment for this they were forced to take the form of stone giants that have been hidden from the film's advertizing.

They decide to help Noah in the construction of the ark, and Tunac-Cain discovers this and decides to lead a siege of the ark. Because they are men, made in the Creator's image, and as men they will control their own fate. As you might have predicted, that doesn't work. But it doesn't end there, while looking throughout Tunac-Cain's camp to find wives for his sons, Noah sees the wickedness of man on full display and becomes convinced that the flood is meant to end humanity. He refuses the pleas of his family to let some of the rest of humanity escape destruction. It even gets to the point that he is prepared to kill his newborn grandchildren if they turn out to be girls to make sure that the Creator's plan succeeds.

But he stops just short of that. He is after all, made in the image of God, and that God is not a vengeful god. That god is love, compassion, and mercy. So he allows them to live on and repopulate the earth.

You might have noticed a couple of things. One, that I didn't use the word "God" until the end of that summary. That's because the film never uses it either. Only ever referring to the Creator, an ethereal and omnipotent force that works in mysterious ways. A being that you have to loosen you grip on reality just to interact with. And two, that this movie seems pretty intense. And it is quite challenging for a PG-13 rating. By the time that the flood rolls around, it almost feels like a psychological horror film in spots. The tragedy of mankind's wickedness destroying Noah's faith in humanity. Convincing him that it isn't worth saving.

In conclusion, Noah is certainly quite a trip. In the words of fellow online movie critic Bob Chipman, "it's brave, bold, bizarre, and kind of brilliant." That sums up the movie much better than I can. Have at it.

Have a nice day.

Greg.B

* A disclaimer that, unless it showed up after the credits, was not present at the showing I went to.