Exodus Gods and Kings
Bakang Israel | Friday January 9, 2015 13:07
However, it seems that the best was reserved for last, with the release of this legendary Biblical tale Exodus Gods and Kings premiering on Christmas Eve capping the year 2014 in grand style. This meant that some of the diehard movie enthusiasts had to finally make their way to their festive holiday destinations on the 25th of December, after having seen Moses the man of God.
The movie is an interpretation of the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt as led by Moses away from Pharaoh. I am of the belief that one of the driving forces that gives one the edge to watch this epic film, apart from the enticing trailer is the new role, played by Christian Bale (as Moses/Moishe).
Bale is renowned for his superhero character in the Batman trilogy. Acting alongside Bale is Joel Edgerton, who brings a dose of ruthlessness and feistiness to this movie as Ramses the Egyptian Pharaoh who torments the Israelites enslaved in Egypt. Edgerton is familiar with his villain role, as he has played similar roles in films like the Great Gaztby, which was released in 2013.
These are the two main characters of this ancient tale. Watching the film is reminiscent of similar epics blockbusters like Troy and Immortals, which also depicted the manner in which God chose brave man as saints to lead fights against dictator royals in order to liberate people. When watching Exodus Gods and Kings, you get the same feelings of sympathy you might felt when watching the smash hit Gladiator. It is no surprise that the movie was directed by Oscar award winning Ridley Scott, who led the Gladiator movie to its success. This explains why Exodus Gods and Kings is well directed and visually well orchestrated.
The movie begins with a prophecy, which sets two brothers apart, (Moses and Ramesses). With the new discovery of Moses’s true identity as a Hebrew, the tables turn, pitting the two old friends against each another. Ramses, is the wealthy rich Egyptian Pharaoh with riches, which include the Egyptian Army and slaves. Moses is to become the courageous defiant leader, who is a former army general. With the help of God, Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. Exodus Gods and Kings is action packed. It was great to see the ancient Egypt, with the great African monuments formations of Pyramid. Ramses didn’t take centre stage much as most of the film is consumed by the plagues/miracles of God against Pharaoh, however the director rushed to show us the power of God more than Pharoh’s wickedness, hence there is a bit of a loophole there.
At two hours and thirty minutes, the film offers the viewer plenty of time to understand this great tale. One of the highlights of Exodus Gods and Kings is the film’s special effects and exaggerations. The most notable is the when a swarm of locusts and flies invade the king’s kingdom, the frogs everywhere and the crocodile madness in the river Nile, coupled with the Red sea turning bloody. All these natural forces and animal acts gave the movie an extraordinary edge. Perhaps the scene that really stood out was the sea crossover to Israel, when the water subsided and later re-emerged as huge waves.
For a movie that had a huge budget (US$140 million), figures suggest negative reception for this movie. The box office reception indicates that Exodus Gods and Kings has only raked in US$61 million so far. However, the good news is that Exodus hit the number one spot at the box office on its opening weekend, before facing stiff competition from The Hobbit Battle Of The Five Armies, John Wick and Night at the Museum 3. Exodus has currently slipped down from the top ten ranking.
The movie is visually good but lacks cohesion. Exodus Gods and Kings, which is on its second release week in Botswana deserves a 7/10 rating.
Movie: Exodus Gods And Kings
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama
Duration: 2hours 30mins
Age Restriction: 13
Release Date: 24 December, 2014
Director: Ridley Scott
Main Cast Christian Bale as (Moses), Joel Edgerton (Ramses), John Turturro (Seti), Ben Kingsley (Nun) and Aaron Paul (Joshua)