Review of Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) by Mazmorrero47 — 12 Dec 2014

The visual elements in Exodus: Gods and Kings (cinematography, art design, and CGI) are competently executed (the sequence with the plagues is a standout). Unfortunately, I get the impression that the movie had several scenes cut for commercial purposes. What makes the Moses story so captivating is that it's about a love-hate relationship between two brothers, an aspect that wasn't explored with much depth. I never felt Moses and Ramses grew up together since they always acted like enemies when they were in each other's presence. The latter being portrayed as a one-dimensional cartoon villain doesn't help much to the cause either. The characters' motivations don't always make sense (E.g: Moses claims to care about the Egyptians, yet he orders his men to burn their food supplies), and their development is rushed (E.g: Moses accepts his fate as a prophet too easily).

The acting is fine, which would normally be a compliment, but keeping in mind we have the likes of Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Paul and Ben Kingsley (the latter three are criminally underused), it comes off as a disappointment. But they're not to blame, the fault relies on the paper-thin script they had to work with. Bale however has his moments, and achieved to project his trademark gravitas into Moses. You buy him as an imposing leader and a morally torn prophet.

Another major problem was God's characterization, which had the subtlety of a Super Bowl commercial. Instead of being a mysterious voice of reason, he's a hateful brat throwing tantrums. I often wondered, why is Moses following his instructions?

Ridley Scott couldn't quite figure out how to handle the religious elements. He tried to please religious and non-religious people alike by mixing realistic explanations (and the suggestion that Moses might be insane) wih mystical tones (the death of the firstborns is supposed to be taken as granted, unlike the other plagues, which are supported with science). It's more confusing than ambiguous.

I hope there is a director's cut out there that makes Exodus: Gods and Kings the great movie that didn't make it into the theaters. As it stands now, it keeps the Ridley Scott tradition of the last 15 years: astonishing visuals undermined by disjointed and pointless storytelling.