film review: Noah (2014)
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Darren Aronofsky takes on one of the most epic tales of all in this twisted version of the story of Noah.
Up until Black Swan (review) I never had much time for Aronofsky. I found Pi and Requiem for a Dream tiresome and The Wrestler just ok. It was a sports movie after all. The Fountain was kind of fun but it didn’t really leave much of an impression. As much as I loved Black Swan, my favourite film of that year, 1 in 5 isn’t really enough to exactly inspire trust in a director.
Noah looked like fun though. Blood seeping out of the ground, whispers of 6-armed angels… This didn’t sound like the story I remember from Sunday School. It sounded… different.
Turns out, Noah is actually just straight up bonkers. Po-faced but bonkers. Honestly, I didn’t know where to look sometimes, there’s just so many madness on screen at once. You can get away with madness though if you commit to it and that’s exactly what Aronofsky has done here. I mean, a giant rock angels stomp people to death in this film. Giant 6-armed rock angels.
Which is not to say there isn’t genuine drama on-screen. Like in Black Swan and The Wrestler, Aronofsky’s hero is flawed, psychologically damaged by his pursuit of perfection. Unable to quell the storm of the moral dilemma playing out between his heart and mind. Russell Crowe is selling it hard and if you go with it, it works. Or it’s just ludicrous. Whichever.
In fact, everyone is working hard in this. Some are more talented than others but you can’t fault the steadfast belief in this quite crazy tale. It even gets pretty emotional at times. In a film that features giant 6-armed rock angels.
There’s a lot to like about Noah. It’s intense, it’s committed and it’s fun. Not three words I’d usually put together in any review but then Noah not like other films. Ok, you’re a particularly committed Christian you might not like it, Aronofsky has certainly taken liberties, but he’s spiced it up for sure.
Give it a look, just, you know, don’t take it as seriously as it takes itself.
6.5/10
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