Whether you’re a religious person or not, I imagine that most of you are familiar with the story of Moses.
I’ll level with you, the Bible isn’t really my thing. You may feel differently – and if that’s the case, you probably have a strong feeling on how this story should be depicted.
Whatever you believe, director Ridley Scott’s (Gladiator) version of events in Exodus: Gods and Kings is likely to be different to the story you’re familiar with.
It portrays Moses more as a hero than the messenger that I remember growing up – and for what it’s worth, I mostly enjoyed it.
The last blockbuster of 2014 doesn’t start with a baby in a basket. Instead, we find Moses (Christian Bale – The Dark Knight trilogy) as a grown man.
He’s a general, no less, in Pharaoh Seti’s (John Turturro – Transformers) army and a beloved brother to heir Ramses (Joel Edgerton – The Great Gatsby).
This is a Moses that seemingly has no time for any religion, believing (perhaps more conventionally) in what he can see and feel.
Things begin to change when Hebrew Nun (Ben Kingsley – Iron Man 3) reveals a devastating secret to him during a trip to speak to the enslaved elders.
And, when it becomes clear that he was given away by his Hebrew parents as a young child (there’s the nod to the abandoned baby in a basket), Ramses promptly banishes his adopted brother.
That sets Moses on a long journey that eventually leads to a meeting with Zipporah (the strikingly beautiful María Valverde – Three Steps Above Heaven). The pair promptly marry and time jumps forward, where we find Moses nicely settled down as a shepherd and a father.
But everything changes when an accident leads to a meeting with God, portrayed in this case by a young lad named Malak (Isaac Andrews – Hercules).
The encounter changes Moses, and he eventually accepts a divine quest to free the enslaved Hebrews.
What follows is pretty catastrophic for the Egyptians, with God’s vengeful Ten Plagues cast upon Ramses and his people.
It’s also bad news for the Hebrews, with the Egyptian leader – who considers himself a living God – unwilling to agree to Moses’ plea to release the slaves. He returns fire with hateful vengeance… and it’s pretty grim stuff all round.
As mentioned at the top, much of what I’ve just described will not fall totally in line with what you may have been taught when it comes to the traditional story.
For me, there was a lot of new ground covered. Other than the baby in the basket, the Ten Commandments and the Ten Plagues, I had pretty much forgotten the rest.
But, as somebody that doesn’t buy into the legitimacy of the story in the first place, I was always going to approach it as a fictional piece of cinema regardless.
Bale, as ever, held the movie together as Moses. One of my favourite actors at the moment, he excels as both a warrior and a confused messenger. Simply, he steals the show here.
There’s been a lot of chat about Edgerton’s casting as Ramses… mainly because he really doesn’t look Egyptian.
That didn’t bother me as much as the character itself, with Ramses depicted a lot weaker and more hapless than I’d have expected.
There’s also a huge supporting cast in Exodus – but sadly a lot of it is wasted. Non more so that Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), whose character Joshua doesn’t really have all that much to do. The same can be said for Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), who gets about ten minutes of screen time as Queen Tuya.
As a visual spectacle, Exodus looks great – although I didn’t feel 3D added much to my experience this time.
The Ten Plagues were the highlight, but at times it did feel a little more CGI heavy than I’d have liked.
It also felt massively long at 154 minutes, which comes in longer than Gone Girl and the third Hobbit film. I love lengthy films, but this one did overstay its welcome.
Exodus isn’t as epic as it could be and it’ll not rank up there with the likes of Gladiator, Alien or Bladerunner in Scott’s vast list of classics.
But it’s not a flop either – and is certainly worth your time if you’re planning to hit the cinema this weekend.
Rating: 7/10
Positives: Christian Bale – enough said.
Negatives: Felt long; strong supporting cast was wasted.
Showtimes at West End Cinema, Boston (January 9 to January 15)
EVENT CINEMA
TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
6.30pm (Mon)
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
6.30pm (Tues)
FILMS SHOWING
**INTO THE WOODS (PG)
Noon (Sat/Sun/Wed), 2.45pm (Fri/Sat/Sun/Wed), 5.30pm (daily), 8.20pm (daily)
**TAKEN 3 (12A)
1pm (Sat/Sun/Wed), 3.30pm (daily), 6pm (daily), 8.30pm (daily)
WOMAN IN BLACK: ANGEL OF DEATH (15)
2.10pm (Fri/Wed), 6.30pm (not Mon/Tues), 8.45pm (not Thurs)
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (12A)
1pm (Wed), 5.40pm (daily), 8.25pm (daily)
EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS 3D (12A)
2.20pm (Fri/Wed)
ANNIE (PG)
2.40pm (Sat/Sun)
DUMB AND DUMBER TO (15)
8.45pm (Thurs)
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 3 (PG)
10am(Sat/Sun), 12.20pm (Sat/Sun), 2.30pm (Sat/Sun), 3.30pm (not Sat/Sun)
TINKERBELL….LEGEND OF THE NEVERBEAST (U)
10am (Sat/Sun), 12.45pm (Sat/Sun)
THE HOBBIT: BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES HFR 3D (12A)
5.15pm (daily)
THE HOBBIT: BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES 2D (12A)
8.15pm (not Mon)
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR 2D (U)
10.30am (Sat/Sun)
PADDINGTON (PG)
10am (Sat/Sun), Noon (Sun), 2.15pm (Sat/Sun), 4.25pm (daily)
KIDS’ CLUB
Sat-Sun 10:30am – The Nut Job 2D (U)
SILVER SCREEN
Wed 11.30am – Exodus: Gods and Kings 3D (12A)
** denotes free list suspended
Box office: 01205 363634
Web: www.westendcinema.co.uk/SavoyBoston
