NOAH (2014)

Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins, Logan Lerman
RunTime: 2 hrs 20 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some mature content and violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://www.noahmovie.co.uk/

Opening Day: 3 April 2014

Synopsis: Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe stars as Noah, a man chosen by God for a great task before an apocalyptic flood destroys the world. 

Movie Review:

“Noah is inspired by the Book of Genesis. Though artistic license has been taken, we believe the film to be true to the values and integrity of the Biblical story.”

The above phrase stared at this reviewer for the longest time before the screening of Darren Aronofsky’s latest work, and one cannot help but wonder whether the controversy surrounding this blockbuster is really necessary. Oh, how can we forget – we are in Singapore, and racial harmony is one thing we hold dear. You see, the American epic biblically inspired fantasy film (that’s what Wikipedia calls it, at least) has already been banned in several Muslim majority nations including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia. In general, the respective censorship boards explained how Arronofsky’s film could be considered insensitive to Muslims because they believe in Prophet Noah (Nabi Nuh) and according to Islamic teachings, it is prohibited to act out any characters of a prophet.

How did things work out for us then? Our friends at the regulatory board conducted several focus groups to gather wider community perspective on the film, and the general consensus was that this was a dramatisation on the Bible story, and at the end of the day, Noah’s goodness and humanity gave the film a happy ending – hence the NC16 (Some Mature Content and Violence) rating and consumer advice.

And accompanying that is the above “religious disclaimer”, as this writer deems an appropriate term. But this doesn’t really concern him at all. Most importantly, how did the film fare as a Arronofsky work, especially with his impressive filmography which includes the innovative Pi (1998), the haunting Requiem for a Dream (2000), the ethereal The Fountain (2006) and the modern horror Black Swan (2010)?

This is Arronofsky’s first big studio production and it shows. The are epic action set pieces and viewers will be suitably impressed by the world’s animals gathering in huge herds. Let’s not even begin talking about the flood that follows. Watch this in digital 2D, 3D – or even better, IMAX 3D.

Big names are involved in this film. Russell Crowe gives it his all to play the titular character, Jennifer Connelly reunites with her leading man from A Beautiful Mind (2001) to play his wife Naameh (albeit a rather bland emotional portrayal), Emma Watson tries to shake off her Hermione persona to play Noah’s daughter in law Ila, and Ray Winstone is deliciously scummy as the film’s antagonist Tubai cain. Elsewhere three fine young men Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth and Leo McHugh play Noah’s son, and Anthony Hopkins takes on the role as Noah’s grandfather. Even Frank Langella and Nick Nolte are involved as voice actors for the Watchers, a group of stone giants associated with biblical angels.

All elements are seemingly in place for a popcorn blockbuster providing 140 minutes of non stop entertainment, but where are the thought provoking darkness and grittiness associated with Arronofsky’s films? They are still intact – look out for unbelievably beautiful sequences of life formation on Earth, Clint Mansell’s apocalyptically angry score, Matthew Libatique’s breathtaking cinematography, Andrew Weisblum’s visually arresting repetitive editing, and above all, a unique take on Noah’s determination gone wrong.

This is a major studio production after all, and while you may not walk out of the theatre as shaken as Arronofsky’s previous films, it still has enough oomph to leave you impressed with its sweeping visuals and powerful reimagining. 

Movie Rating:

(Darren Arronofsky’s latest work is a major studio production that spells E-P-I-C)  

Review by John Li