Friday Movie Review – Exodus: Gods And Kings

There's no doubt that Ridley Scott has produced some of the most celebrated films of modern cinema. Gladiator, Blade Runner and Alien spring to mind as classics, putting him up there on a pedestal with Spielberg, Scorsese and a few select others. But recent times have seen Scott produce films on huge budgets, with little critical success. Just look at Prometheus, the Alien prequel, which was made on a monster budget, but ultimately failed to live up to it's predecessor's standards. It could be said that Scott hasn't made a good film in nearly fifteen years. Exodus: Gods and Kings is the stuff of CGI dreams, but does it have the substance to go with it?

The film is a retelling of the story of Moses and his relationship with his brother, Ramses. Christian Bale plays the main man, while Joel Edgerton (of Warrior) plays his brother, the Pharaoh Ramesses. They start off as brothers-in-arms, but Ramesses exiles Moses when he finds out that Moses is not his brother by blood. Moses is then contacted by God, and proceeds to lead a slave revolt. God gives him a helping hand by cursing the Egyptians with the ten plagues. Its real emphasis lies with the relationship between the two brothers, and the development of that relationship.

My beef with this movie is that it tries too hard to be an epic blockbuster. The dialogue is too forced, the atmosphere too forlorn and the CGI too much. Bale's undeniable talents are not exploited in his lead role, and while Edgerton is good, they both could be so much better. However, the plot, even though it is one of the best-known stories around, is entertaining and the culmination, the parting of the Red Sea (check out the trailer), is pretty spectacular.

Although this movie has positives, it is let down by its craving desire to be recognised as an epic. It's worth a watch, but if you get the chance, check out Angelina Jolie's Unbroken instead for an easier watch. Sure anything would be more light-hearted than this.