My one-liner : If you're looking for affirmation of your faith, give this a miss!
Man trying to contemplate the nature of the God(s) of the Egyptians, the God of the Hebrews, the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament never really went archaic. The nature of religion and God are things that make echoing statements in every generation of humanity and is still making striking headlines from around the same area that Moses supposedly led his folk to freedom. What was recorded as the Exodus made a repeat only too often in history and twice as per record to the same section of humanity in cruel fashion. As a word, Exodus signifies the mass exit of a group of people, but as a saga the exodus of the Israelites to their homeland of Canaan has given rise to a lot of different interpretations. Ridley Scotts interpretation though epic, could have used a little bit of tempering which isn’t really a complaint because I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. While it has always been clear that he is an expert in the handling of epics, his handling of faith bordering on mania and in some scenes his own questions of faith paint a truly majestic picture, the only flaw in which might be the fact that it is slightly overlong.
The legend of Moses’ birth is an
elaborate tale in itself and given it has had enough exposure, ‘Exodus : Gods
and Kings’ spares us the preamble and places us in the company of the Pharaoh
Seti, his son Rameses and the latter’s childhood compatriot Moses in
consultation before handling an attack by the Hittites. Matching the spirit of
the movie, prophecies are handled as vaguely as they are portended. But let me
leave that to your viewing pleasure. Within that introductory room we meet the
main players in this tale, Christian Bale playing Moses, a brilliant Joel
Edgerton as Rameses, John Turturro as Seti, (I would not be playing fair if I
did not mention the appearance of) Indira Verma as high priestess of the
Pharaoh. The casting list is impeccable in itself with Sigourney Weaver, Ben
Kingsley, Aaron Paul, the beautiful Maria Valverde and Golshifteh Farahani who
joins Ridley Scotts cast after having appeared in Body of Lies contributing to
a cast according to complaints on the internet does not have enough racial
diversity or geographically faithful casting.
Biblical mythology and its roots
in reality are often a question of faith and religion. Ridley Scott, a
self-professed agnostic, takes a measured approach that does not deny either
angle its due. The God of the Old Testament is present in all his/her/its fury.
The objective of Gods interference in the lives of about four hundred thousand
Hebrews lies in the fact that for four hundred years they have been slaves in
the wretched and miserable building camps of the Egyptians. Why and how Moses
takes the cause upon his shoulders is again the subject of Biblical study and
nothing has been missed out from that particular episode. The way the story has
been dealt with accounts for much of the viewing pleasure in Exodus : Gods and
Kings. The script is the product of four minds - Adam Cooper, Bill Collage,
Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian, the latter having been nominated for more than
one Academy Award. While the story keeps one engrossed, the narrative could
have been kept slightly tighter especially towards the end where we meet
multiple climaxes (pun not intended).
Yet again, it would be too much
of a complaint if I kept highlighting narrative details, for the story is
brought alive on screen by the restrained yet commanding presence of both the
leads – Bale and Edgerton. While not much needs to be said about the acting prowess
of Christian Bale, Jole Edgerton in the role of Rameses is a revelation proving
yet again why he should not be restricted to brawler roles like Warrior(where
he did display a subtle sense of how to portray drama). As the despotic and not
slightly psychotic Pharaoh Rameses, the paranoia he conveys in both his frantic
and measured histrionics are a delight to view. His faith in his brother figure
and yet the abrupt change of feeling when he gives thought to the conflict that
might result from him is another aspect the script rushes through but the point
is conveyed as only Edgerton can. ‘What kind of fanatics worship such a God?’
he exclaims at one point and the poignancy strikes home. Exodus well might be
the movie where he starts showcasing his innate genius. Bale plays Moses with
studied and questioning calm. His journey of belief and faith, while forming
the core of the movie also highlights his internal conflict. Ultimately it is
his journey, his unrelenting faith in his actions and his determination to
marshal his people to freedom that makes the movie’s length palatable albeit
only slightly. Small roles they may be that have been handed out to Sigourney
Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Aaron Paul but the gravitas lent by the former two and
the gritty camaraderie between Bale and the latter add to the pithy highlights
of Exodus.
An epic such as this already
has visual grandeur written into the legend in the halls of the Pharaoh, in the
desperation and poverty of the camps of the Hebrews, in burning bushes and
parting seas. Also well known to everyone would be the curses the Egyptians
were subjected to. In bringing these visuals to the screen, Ridley Scott and
the visual effects crew apply as pragmatic an approach as possible always
trying to balance out the nearly plausible with the possible intervention of
something that might be divine. While
PVR cinemas in India needs to realize that running their projectors in economy
mode for a 3D movie is not really a good idea, the grandeur of Egypt at its
peak is conveyed beautifully. I will not give out spoilers here but rather
leave it to the viewers to enjoy the rest of a visually well sculpted movie.
Exodus is not the first of movies
where the deeply personal question of faith, belief and God plays a major role.
What makes it an effectively thought provoking and enjoyable movie is the fact
that everyone involved has their own questions and answers about faith. In
echoing current scenarios of war and religious persecution Ridley Scott only
affirms for the umpteenth time as others have done before him that what was
once a practice that aimed at peace has only of recent times brought war and
cruelty to the fore. In all the animals that ‘God’ might or might not have
created the tendency to murder or torture as a means to an end is seen only in
what has ironically been termed humanity.
Exodus – Three stars and a half
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