Ridley Scott's biblical epic is spectacular but distant, heavy on effects but light on emotions
Ridley Scott is a terrific director.No doubt about it. The best thing about him is that his movies are spread across different genres, and not tethered to one. It is also the worst thing about him, as the quality of his films are terribly inconsistent.'Exodus' is a biblically 'inspired' film( not my word but wikipedia's) about the exodus of the Hebrews led by Moses. Even before its release it had been subjected to controversy related to its 'whitewashing'. After its release it turns out that it is the least of its numerous problems.
We start with Moses and Ramesses II preparing to plan an attack on the Hittites. Moses is Ramesses' adopted brother but they are very close to each other. One thing leads to another and suddenly Moses is exiled by Ramesses after both of them come to know about his Hebrew parentage. After some odd time jumps and CGI heavy scenes, we find Moses leading his men across Red Sea with a vengeful Ramesses behind him. The main problem with the story is that it hardly includes any character building. What did Moses felt when he came to know about his ancestors? Sadly we never know as he is busy wooing a village girl by that time. Moses is hardly likable and neither does he make his own decisions.They are in turn made by a God who surprisingly looks like a child. The scenes between them which should had been intense discussions about religion and the fine line between good and evil are instead made laughable due to this choice.
We start with Moses and Ramesses II preparing to plan an attack on the Hittites. Moses is Ramesses' adopted brother but they are very close to each other. One thing leads to another and suddenly Moses is exiled by Ramesses after both of them come to know about his Hebrew parentage. After some odd time jumps and CGI heavy scenes, we find Moses leading his men across Red Sea with a vengeful Ramesses behind him. The main problem with the story is that it hardly includes any character building. What did Moses felt when he came to know about his ancestors? Sadly we never know as he is busy wooing a village girl by that time. Moses is hardly likable and neither does he make his own decisions.They are in turn made by a God who surprisingly looks like a child. The scenes between them which should had been intense discussions about religion and the fine line between good and evil are instead made laughable due to this choice.
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Gorgeous special effects trump everything including a good story
The cast list is top notch but is sadly underutilized. Actors like Ben Kingsley, Aaron Paul, John Turturro, Sigourney Weaver are wasted in minor roles. Between the two lead performances, Joel Edgerton gives a slightly better performance than Christian Bale as the cocky but ultimately pitiable Ramesses II.
The special effects are good and the movie is mildly entertaining in its own right. But it is a far cry from Ridley Scott's last sword and sandal epic 'Gladiator' which sometimes suffered from the same problems mentioned above but becomes a vastly superior film due to its strong, emotional central performance.
+ Special effects+Sometimes stirring-- No character development--Wastage of talented actors--No emotional centre72-"Good" |
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