Noah (Film Review)

If I’d seen Noah without any previous knowledge, and then been informed that Darren Aronofsky (director of such films as Requiem of a Dream, The Wrestler, Black Swan, etc…) directed it, I would find that statement very farfetched.  That’s not a criticism of the film (in fact Noah’s quite well made), it’s simply an observation.  From the very beginning Noah’s theme of epic biblical action (a phrase not often seen together) hardly resembles anything Aronofsky's made before; having little resemblance to his earlier films except in one major area, the torment of our main character. 

For a Hollywood film, Noah stays surprisingly true to its source material.  To summarize the set up; the world was created by God but became corrupt by humans after the fall of Adam and Eve (the first two humans made) as well as their son Cain.  Cain’s descendants destroy most of the Earth with their greed, lust, and hatred; causing God to decide it’s time to restart the Earth without the evils of man.  He tasks Noah (Russell Crowe), one of the few righteous believers left, to build a gigantic ark (enough to carry two of every animal) so that He may flood the Earth, cleansing it of all evil.  Though Noah stays true to its source material, the Book of Genesis (the first section of the Bible where Noah’s story is told), it leaves enough ambiguity for interpretations on how the story went; permitting a better modern day understanding while filling up some lose ends and plot holes.

For example, why did none of the animals get hungry and eat one another on the ark?  Well the movie answers this understandable question by having Noah equipped with an incense type sleeping gas that puts all the beasts in a coma till reawakening time.  How about why no one else tried to get on board the ark when the floods began?  The movie’s says other humans did try, but were stopped by fallen angels, cursed into rock giant forms after trying to assist the corrupted Adam and Eve.  At first I wasn't too keen on the idea of fallen stone angels helping Noah (frankly it’s a cheesy concept), especially since they looked more out of a Transformers movie then a biblical tale.  Yet oddly enough their plot came smoothly together in the end; serving as a means to explain how Noah built such an enormous ark and why his family never got attacked.

The issue of family is also dealt heavily here, particularly with Noah’s determination to fulfill God’s will.  The man’s entire life has been dedicated heart and soul to serving his creator no matter the cost to humanity or his own mentality; believing all humans (including himself and his family) to have wickedness in their hearts, unworthy to rule over God’s land.  Here Noah's transformed into a tortured soul struggling to do what he is best at (following God’s orders).  The concept of the tormented protagonist has been dealt with in Aronofsky's earlier films, such as a skilled ballerina’s torment or a pro-wrestlers self-destruction.  The movie’s even able to slip some other biblical ideals into Noah’s own struggles (such as God’s follower Abraham); forcing Noah to choose over what he believes is the greater good, God’s will or his own family’s love and survival.  It’s these interpretations that take Noah away from being your average post-Oscar season epic; giving the film more depth and feeling to stand out.

Another strong point to Noah is its use of cinematography.  Noah contains some lovely imagery, particularly when involving the sky.  Character silhouettes discuss events bordered by majestic night skies of visible planets, shining stars and colors of every shade imaginable.  The sky cinematography is lovely to look at, adding a placid beauty to the film’s biblical themes (quite fitting for a story set during the beginning of time).  The CGI can likewise have its moments, with several impressive shots of the beasts (birds, reptiles, mammals) coming in herds larger than armies; each pair of creatures given their own unique look.    

The cinematography helps its audience better understand the impacting situations, such as when Noah travels in secret to the hellish barbarian camp filled with spine curling screams and chaotic debauchery a mile wide; or when the flood actually begins, and the scene zooms out to reveal a world covered in large swirling white clouds.  The flood changes those same screams to panic and pleas as it slowly destroys what’s left of the human race.  Inside the ark, Noah is shown tormented by the begging cries of men, women, and children; yet stays firm to God’s decision.  “There is no room for them” Noah solemnly says as the scene zooms out from his isolated bleakness to the last of Cain’s descendants clinging to the tip of a mountain as waves slowly decrease their numbers.  I recall seeing this same scene as a kid, acted out in a theater version of Noah’s Ark.  The scene was disturbingly powerful to watch on a stage; and the big screen version only seems to have increased that impact with its well-crafted cinematic imagery.

Despite its dark themes, the ending to Noah is actually one of the more upbeat conclusions of Aronofsky's filmography; yet by no means is it a happy ending.  The struggles have been great and the characters still alive (particularly Noah) are left mentally scarred by the events.  Noah deals with action and adventure as much as it does with questions on morality, free will, and choice.  The distinction of dealing with these darker ideas and new interpretations allows Noah to become its own unique film, as well as a refreshing look towards a fascinating biblical tale.