I must apologize for my lack of posting as of November 7th. School had gotten really busy, but now, with a new year ahead, I hope to be more regular with my posting. Here is just quickie review of Exodus: gods and Kings.
Anytime a story from the bible is to be adapted into a feature film (or any form of entertainment for that matter), controversy is to be expected. Look at Darren Aronofnsky’s Noah, a $125 million biblical epic that, despite its star-studded cast, received mixed reviews from critics, was a moderate success at the box office, and received a slew of critique from Christian critics. Having personally seen the film, I can say that despite the creative decision to add six-armed rock angel giants as well as Noah’s misinterpretation of God’s plan for him as obvious flaws of the film, the number one problem I had with the film was the portrayal of God. In the film, God is simply given the title of “the Creator” and is depicted as an emotionless, uncaring, confusing, and enraged entity, bent on punishing humanity, while silently cackling behind the curtain. Knowing this, I went into the screening of Exodus: Gods and Kings a bit hesitant and weary; would this Ridley Scott directed film with a $140 million dollar budget and an even stronger star-studded cast right the wrongs of Noah? Would there finally be an accurate portrayal of God in film?
Ultimately, the answer is no, but the way Scott’s portrayal of God (or rather, his lack of) is quite interesting, if not also troubling.
Ironically,Ridley Scott attempts to downplay the role of God in the Exodus story. He does this by finding natural explanations for the 10 plagues that haunt Egypt. The climactic parting of the Red Sea is the work of four tornadoes occurring at the same time, rather than by God. The 10 plagues are simply movements of one grand concerto, each playing directly into each other, rather than them simply being individual miraculous installments. Although God is present (portrayed as a young child with serious anger issues) Scott tries to keep God’s involvement to a minimum. Yet by doing so, he only further solidifies the need for God to be at the center of the Exodus story. By attempting to take God out of the equation, the worldly explanation for the miracles seem ridiculous and ludicrous. So in a way, the absence of God in the film turned out to be its greatest asset. For the Christian viewer, one can simply laugh at the sheer absurdity of the 10 plagues unfolding, despite their cinematic glory. For the non-Christian viewer, there will also be a sense of disbelief as Ridley Scott frantically tries to connect the dots of how the Blood of the Nile River can lead to the Plague of the Locusts. Can one take God out of the Exodus story? (or any biblical story for that matter?) No. As evidenced by the film, there will always be a missing component. What one has left is a group of exiled Israelites who are saved by a stroke of luck. Luckily (instead of providentially) Mother Nature is the savior of the story, rather than Father God.
