The movie “Noah” goes to show that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Director Darren Aronofsky received negative hype from the overtly religious about his theatrical adaption of the Biblical story. However, despite all the rage, it pulled in $44 million in national ticket sales, according to The New York Times.
I do not understand all the negativity surrounding the film. Yes, it is based off the Bible. But Aronofsky has never claimed that he was sticking to the original. If you take the movie for the artistic story it is, “Noah” is exceptional.
“Noah” depicts a world forgotten by its Creator after humanity failed him by eating the forbidden fruit. The world has succumbed to chaos, with the children of Cain wreaking havoc upon humanity, and the only good in the world is the last of the line of Seth – Noah, played by Russell Crowe, and his family. When The Creator sends Noah a message that the world is going to be destroyed by water, he builds the ark so all the animals can survive the flood.
What greatly differs from the biblical interpretation is the characterization of God and Noah. God, known only as the Creator to humanity at the time, is seen almost as a villain who has set the world in motion then allows them to destroy themselves for pure amusement. Noah is
given a dark makeover as well. He is so set on fulfilling the will of the Creator, which he has interpreted to be the complete destruction of humanity in favor of a world ruled by animals, that Noah is prepared to destroy his own moral compass. There is almost a sense of irony that Noah, who is a vegetarian, is willing to kill humans because they eat animals, all in the sense of “justice”.
Some of the more far- fetched characters in the movie include large rock monsters, The Watchers, that serve as an interpretation of the Nephilim in the book of Genesis. While in no way biblically accurate, the special effects of the movie are phenomenal. The bumbling persona of The Watchers is so lifelike it is almost like they are walking across the desert with Noah and his family.
While the movie doesn’t serve as a religious lesson, it is a beautiful metaphor for the behavior of humans and how our actions have consequence. If we lay waste to the world, ripping apart the environment, there are repercussions.
We live in a fragile world and unless we learn to get along and live in harmony, all of it shall be laid to waste. Perhaps this serves better as an environmental film instead.
“Noah” is rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief suggestive content and is playing at the Cinemark Towne Centre in Conway.
