Noah: a Review 

In the beginning, the elohim created skies and earth.

     Welcome back. Let's think about Noah.

     I know the movie received a few ho-hum reviews. I know that few people actually loved the movie. I know there were some who thought the movie was so good that they want to see it again with loved ones who have not seen it.

     I number among the latter. Noah will certainly disappoint all comers who expect an obedient, Sunday School version of the man called by God to save his family, himself, and pairs (or sevens) of all the animals in the world on a boat after Yahweh sends a huge flood to punish humanity for its violence.

     I expected to see scenes of a sexually immoral society of men and women; much like what we saw in The Ten Commandments where recently liberated Hebrew babes and hunks orgiastically danced around a golden bull they had formed while Moses was talking to the divine party pooper.

     That did not happen in Noah. Humanity’s wickedness was clearly of the violent kind. The only scene of sexual immorality in the movie clearly suggested forcible rape.

     I also expected scenes with God saying a few words. The voice of Benedict Cumberbatch, James Earl Jones, Morgan Freedom, or that British actor who played Dumbledore in the last six Harry Potter movies would have given God’s word considerable gravitas.

     God was more silent during this movie than I was.

     I also expected Genesis to be present in the movie. Aronofsky did not disappoint. The infusion of Biblical legend with modern storytelling proved intriguing.

     For instance, we find Noah and his family hiding from the descendants of Cain. They have overrun all territories East of Eden. They have invented gun powder, iron weapons, and an early inclination to destroy the planet with technology.

     I know some people were put off by this. Indeed, I had to think about it before I understood what the movie was trying to do. We see people wearing trousers. We see maces attached to wooden handles with bolts, welding helmets, hatchets, and bear traps.

     Why not?  This is consistent with the Biblical legend of humanity being created fully intelligent. History reveals our intelligence evolved over time. Legend reveals our forebears fully functional in malevolent rationality.

     Cain’s descendants seek to snuff out all descendants of Seth. In doing that, they are annihilating the only decent people who manifest love, not violence, on the planet and to the planet.

     What I liked most about the movie was how events and information (shall I say it?) “evolved” towards the movie's denouement.

     In the Bible, an epic appears in a poem. There are only four chapters written about Noah in Genesis. Contrast that to Moses' forty chapters in Exodus.  Even with more material to work with, De Mille's The Ten Commandments resorted to storytelling.

     In that movie, there was a long story about a jealous brother with a birthright and an adopted brother. Both loved the same woman, but she loved the adopted brother, Moses. Indeed, Seti, the father, preferred Moses over his true son, Ramses.

     In this movie, there is a long story where you know how it ends, but you wonder how in the world Noah will get there. 

     So, what do you do with four chapters from Genesis if you're Darren Aronofsky?  I'll tell you what you do; you do what De Mille did.You tell a story where there is none.

     That is exactly what Aronofsky does. And what a tale he tells!

     God never appears to Noah. Dreams appear to Noah. He must interpret them. 

     At first, Noah believes God is about to destroy all life with a flood. He has no idea he might escape that fate. Even his grandfather, Methuselah, cannot help him figure out what to do. Noah decides that everyone is about to die. It takes a second dream for Noah to interpret an escape.

     Other interesting touches besides nine hundred year old relatives drive the story. There is a seed from the Garden of Eden that does interesting things when planted.

     There are Watchers, or fallen angels, who attempted to win back the Creator's love by helping humanity, but the descendants of Cain betrayed them. They have no love for the descendants of Cain or Seth.

     Another interesting touch?  No one refers to God by name. The Creator is God’s name. The Creator is the mysterious presence in the story.

     One last touch? Noah finally closes the door for the last time on the ark, but there is a serious shortage of females.

     To make matters worse, Noah reveals himself to be like a lot of us. When it comes to God, he gets some things right, but the things he gets wrong, he gets murderously wrong. 

     His inability to interpret the Creator as a loving God drives the outcome that decides whether humans become extinct or whether they live again.

     His choice is Adam's choice:  love or obedience. Without spoiling the movie, I can say he chooses well. We're all here, aren't we?

     Go see the movie with an open mind. Go looking for a story, not a Sunday School lesson. If you can do that, there will plenty to talk about in church.

     Next time, I’ll write about what the fundamentalist who lives inside my head found offensive.

     Blessings...