So the title kind of gives it away huh? I wasn't even planning on watching today but I woke up in the morning and somehow drove myself to the nearest AMC. I'm honestly glad I did.
Noah, aka the movie that made me like Russell Crowe again. Seriously though, Le Mis, Man of Steel, Winter's Tale.....kind of worried me but wow, just wow did he make a comeback with this.
I understand that religion is a very sensitive issue and there are a lot of Christians, Jews, and, even Muslims who would be offended by a fantastical take on a religious text. You have to keep in mind though that this is an adaptation. This is how Darren Aronofsky saw it in his mind. Maybe he watched Lord of The Rings before writing the script? However, religious texts exist to teach you something; there's always a theme to it. As long as an adaptation stays true to that theme, then the movie would have served the origins well.
Now that we got the big elephant in the room out of the way, let's talk about the movie. I usually compile of list of need to knows but this time I feel like cooking out an essay with gifs on the side.
Anyone who knows me personally, is fully aware that I'm an animal lover. It's part of the trademark of being me. So naturally, I was pretty happy about the message God sent to Noah. Save the animals, for they are innocent. Hell yeah God!!!!
There was a lot of animal slaughtering in the movie which made me side "the creator's" decision more. Seriously they killed a bear cub to eat it. A BEAR CUB!!! If you ask me, they got it easy drowning. Their limbs should have been torn up too.
I mean look at that? Aren't you glad the humans died for doing horrendous things to cute little babies like that? I usually dock down many points when an animal unnecessarily dies in a movie, but Darren Aronofsky used it as a vehicle to fuel your hatred for the human species and for viewers to understand why we need to wipe out barbarians like that. A movie is supposed to guide your emotions and they hit the nail on the head with this one.
This is also one good looking movie. The visuals and cinematography are fantastic. The direction was impeccable. There's a particular scene that I thought was executed beautifully. It's a scene where two doves fly towards the ark. Talk about an introduction. The flood was mighty impressive though the snake in the garden could have looked less CGI-ish. The repetition of the story of man was pretty smart. It's to reiterate why what's happening needs to happen. Audiences can see the decline of mankind.
Don't hate me for saying this but I actually liked the addition of "The Watchers". I liked that they were angels trapped in huge ass rocks, because it made the idea of building an arc waaaaaaay more believable. Do you honestly think, Noah and his family could have build that big ass boat by themselves?
Russell Crowe was fanfriggintastic as Noah but we already established that earlier. I would also like to take time to appreciate both women in this movie. Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson killed it in their roles. Jen is an established actor, her Oscar would like to think so too. There's a scene in the ark between her and Noah in a time of desperation. I got goosebumps from that scene. Connelly slayed it. Emma Watson was a pleasant surprise. I always thought she was aite as an actress but this movie proved that she's a force to be reckoned with. Guys, she's much much more than just this:
Hopefully she keeps picking more projects like this. She'll go far.
Besides the fact that the movie seems to have the same stance as I do with animals, I love that it makes you think. Darren Aronofsky just couldn't help himself could he? I'm still wondering if Noah did what was intended of him. Are we all in a much better place than those barbarians were? We still live in a world of hate, we still only care for ourselves and not others. There's a fucking zoo in Denmark who's manager needs to be euthanized, not the animals in it. At the end of the day, how different are we from those who were damned to die? Are we any better? Aren't we just as selfish and destructive? And all of this is coming from someone who isn't even religious. However, this isn't a question of religion, it's a question of integrity. But then again we have people like this:
and maybe that's why we might just survive.
I love movies that make me feel something. I love movies that affirm my beliefs. I love movies like this. So here's my rating:
This was Freaking Awesome (aka 4.75/5 stars)
This was Freaking Awesome (aka 4.75/5 stars)
I hope this post did not offend anyone. If you're an animal hater however I'm glad you got offended. Also to the guy who hit my aunt's car today:
To everyone else though:
Hope you had a Reel Good Time
-Vidya
-Vidya