Exodus: Gods and Kings

I suspect that Director Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings might appeal more to those who haven’t read the Book than those who have.

The team of Writers, including Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine and Steve Zaillian have tried to come up with a more realistic, rather than miraculous explanation of the events in the life of Moses and the freeing of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.   

The result is thought-provoking, whatever your take on it.  Did a bump on the head give Moses hallucinations or was there Divine intervention?  And, even if the former were the case, you’d have to give it up to Moses for bringing the quoted 400,000 people out of Egypt.

I have to give it up to Ridley Scott for bringing back some great spectacle to the screen and to Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski for, brilliantly, capturing Production Designer Arthur Max’s wonderful sets.  
 

Christian Bale makes a strong, forceful Moses, Joel Edgerton is powerful as Ramses and Ben Kingsley is excellent as the head of the Hebrew slave council.  And, while there are a few casting mistakes, they are more than made up for by the find of the gorgeous Maria Valverde as Moses’ wife Zipporah.

The main problem I had with this film was, as I mentioned a few weeks ago with regard to The Imitation Game, is that it took on too much.  The film should have ended once the sea took out Ramses’ forces and the Hebrews were safely on their way.  Instead, the Ten Commandments story and several years of Moses’ aging were too quickly and, unnecessarily, included.

 Nevertheless, I have to give Exodus: Gods and Kings a 4 out of 5.