Noah

Darren Aronofsky – 2014 – USA

I can’t say I’ve ever been the biggest Darren Aronofsky fan.  I liked Pi (1998) of course, but most everything from Requiem for a Dream (2000) on struck me as self-important and insanely overrated by gushing admirers.  I had no expectations about Noah at all and had read virtually nothing about it.  As a moviegoer, I’ve certainly had my fill of Russell Crowe as the noble hero, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him being used to critique the presentation of heroism for a change.  Interestingly, Aronofsky’s approach to the tale of Noah and his ark is neither religious in nature nor revisionist.  His attitude is almost as if he has no conception of the Bible’s significance.  The film is a Lord of the Rings–vein fantasy epic that merely uses the Noah story for some source material.  And as Tolkien’s poetic writing was amended with action movie material to fill a three-hour running time, here the lean prose of the Pentateuch is augmented with vast battles, exotic weaponry, extraterrestrial beings, and villains capable of superhuman feats of strength and endurance.  Okay, it’s not all that far removed from the Bible at all; it just feels like it is.  In terms of any respect or offense intended to Hebrew/Christian lore, I have no opinion; all I know is that it made the film more interesting.  I particularly liked the complete absence of heavenly proclamations delivered to Noah personally.  The victim of disturbing nightmares and visions, he could be literally insane as much as inspired by divine power.  His actions are heartless and at times psychotic.  His intentions are to erase the blight of humanity from the earth entirely, and if any of his line survive the deluge, it will only be due to someone’s mortal refusal to obey God’s will.