Review of Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) by Omar L — 30 Nov 2015

It takes a special kind of talent to deliver an hour-long first act that is both too long and rushed at the same time. Continuing his theme of reinterpreting the supernatural, Ridley Scott assembles a movie that is so devoid of the very humanity this story is supposed to uplift.

Characterization is nonexistent, the pacing is abysmal, but most offensively, the story is nonsensical. If you know Exodus, then you are waiting for certain special events to happen in the story, and you just want to see how they're interpreted.

When those events happen (or don't, such as the staff turning into a snake), they arrive in such a dull way that the new interpretation is devoid of any meaning (such as when Moses receives his revelation from the burning bush).

But if you watch the movie as an original story about a man who wants to deliver a civilization out of bondage, there is so little in the movie that actually shows that. You continually ask yourself "why is Moses doing what he's doing? Where are the Israelites that he is so concerned with saving?" If Scott's intent was to show how boring the story of Exodus and Passover is without the supernatural, then he succeeded.

Stick with "The Ten Commandments" and "The Prince of Egypt," and deliver us from "Exodus: Gods and Kings.".