Film Review: Exodus: Gods & Kings (USA, 2014)

exodus

Ridley Scott’s latest shot at epic storytelling Exodus: Gods and Kings as is as grand as one would expect, making full use of cutting edge visual effects and immersive, atmospheric set pieces to ensure the film is never dull to look. In terms of plot, the other side of the coin is balanced much better than some of Scott’s more recent films, sticking to a linear retelling of biblical figure Moses and curbing things just enough to stay engaging.

Christian Bale is a smart choice for lead here, bringing enough restrained fury to Moses to make him a compelling character, but Egyptian Pharoah Rhamses (Joel Edgerton) fails to uphold the crucial other side of the film’s main dynamic. Ramses could be thought of as a villain, and he certainly edges towards that as the film progresses, but he lacks the authenticity in character. While Bale does a half decent job at sucking himself out of a contemporary figure and settling into a period piece, Edgerton still looks and feels like he doesn’t exactly know how to portray in relation to the timeline.

We start at the very beginning with Moses as a general for Egyptian pharoah Seti (John Turturro) alongside Stri’s successor Rhamses. The fairly plodding and mere table setting of this first quarter of the film proves little more than an exercise in patience as we slowly build the character of Moses and place him on the path to be exiled by the unwilling Rhamses once Seti’s leadership is passed onto his son. We’re shown glimpses of Rhamses lack of confidence as Edgerton trudges through the movie with a constant ‘sad puppy dog’ look on his face, ultimately arriving towards confusion as a rushed barrage of politics lead to Moses’ exit and transformation from a warrior into a lowly shepherd.

It’s here where the film drags a bit, relying on a beautiful landscape to maintain interest as Moses slowly builds settles into a calm family man via new-found love with Zipporah (Maria Valverde). The first of the film’s two most anticipated scenes, the burning bush, finds it’s way amongst the slow pace and introduces us to Scott’s depiction of God, who is a presence embodied in the film as an 11 year old British actor named Isaac Andrews. Bale’s controversial comments that his character comes across as schizophrenic is given weight with his rather painful-looking head injury, but the scene is smartly wrought with ambiguity as it serves as the turning point in not only Moses’ character, but the intensity of the film in both look and pace.

In Moses’ journey back to Egypt to free hundreds of thousands of Israelites from slavery under Rhamses leadership, we are given a more exciting slice of cinema, visual effects turned up to the maximum with God’s wrath reigning down upon the slavers.

After Moses stalks his way back into the city, we are confronted by some rather brutal plague sequences which all seemingly come from god and relegate Moses to little more than a familiar face used to ground these happenings. The film pulls little punches here, as everything from super-sized crocodiles turning the water into a sea of red (making for quite a spectacle) to a plague which kills children (shown with surprising gratuity) is inflicted upon Egypt. Moses echoes our thoughts as to the point of all this chaos which God has created, asking God who exactly is the intended winner of this supernatural war since everyone is affected negatively.

Because of the plague sequences, Exodus works just as well as a disaster movie, satisfying most of the criteria for the popular genre and Scott knows the value in this. As such, the chaotic scenes thankfully take up a big chunk of the second half, using the film’s excessively long length to at least some great effect.

The most anticipated scene however is when Moses parts the sea, and Scott deviates from religious texts a little here to add a new dimension to the story. Hammy dialogue and drawn out sequences lead to the film’s last visually impressive – and overwhelming – scene in which a gigantic tidal wave comes into play, again turning the film into something which works better as a disaster flick before Exodus fizzles out with a slow-burning ending that is as dull as the blockbuster’s first quarter.

Review Score: THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

Running time: 150 minutes

Exodus: Gods and Kings is in cinemas now

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Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.