Exodus: Gods and Kings
review by
ANIZ FILMVALA
*****
"‘Exodus:
Gods and Kings’ Directed by Ridley Scott is a gargantuan take on the
biblical interpretation, the evacuation [Exodus] of the Hebrews from Egypt
led by Moses.Egyptian King Pharaoh Ramses [Joel Edgerton - the most excellent face of Exodus] a rotten ruler and the heir to the Egyptian throne is Moses’s step brother and is against the migration of 600,000 Hebrew slaves. The rebellious leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Empire.
Unlike the Cecil B. De Mille’s The Ten Commandments (1923 film) the Moses story only takes up to a modern setting involving living by the lessons of the Ten commandments. Two brothers make opposite decisions, one follows his mother's teaching of the Ten Commandments and becomes a poor carpenter, and the other takes up the evil way to rise on the top.
This one does not begin at the beginning but pitches us into the middle of the hostilities between the two Brothers. Throughout the film, the visual are outstandingly done but the principal cast has performed inconsistently. Scott’s flamboyance for widescreen metaphors and the addition of 3D technology makes Exodus a vivid biblical tale.
The battle scenes and the curses of God are scary as the mighty desolation of Nile turns blood red thus causing a mass overflowing of dead fish and the frogs come out in millions from bottom to top therefore their dead flesh attracts ample of flies which causes the deadliest skin syndrome.
Ultimately it’s the parting of the Red Sea sequence [if experienced in IMAX] which is appealing, done with spectacular visual drama and sound effects which will keep you on edge of the seat.
Cast
Christian Bale as Moses
Joel Edgerton as Ramesses
Aaron Paul as Joshua
John Turturro as Seti
Ben Kingsley as Nun
Sigourney Weaver as Tuya
María Valverde as Zipporah
Indira Varma as High Priestess
Hiam Abbass as Bithiah
Kevork Malikyan as Jethro
Anton Alexander as Dathan
Golshifteh Farahani as Nefertari
Tara Fitzgerald as Miriam
Ben Mendelsohn as Hegep
Dar Salim as Khyan
