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Retro Movie Reviews: 'Exodus: Gods And Kings'

Kent Martinez |
September 25, 2015 | 11:07 a.m. PDT

Columnist

Moses and Ramses face off (20th Century Fox)
Moses and Ramses face off (20th Century Fox)
The story used by Ridley Scott in “Exodus: Gods and Kings” strongly resembles the one found in the second book of the bible “Exodus.” There are some slight adjustments, but it works to make the narrative that much more entertaining. 

Exodus tells the story of slavery and suffering for the Hebrew man and woman. This story shows God's love and deliverance for his chosen nation. Around 1350-1200 B.C., the Pharaoh (John Turturro) who ruled during that time chose to enslave every  Hebrew male and kill every Hebrew male firstborn as he feared the possibility of a revolution being started by the Israelites.

As a result, a baby named Moses (Christopher Bale) is abandoned at the bottom of a river by his mother. He is later found and raised by the daughter of the Pharaoh. The daughter eventually grows up and has a son of her own -- Ramses. Eventually, Ramses (Joel Edgerton) discovers that his cousin/brother is not Egyptian, and it soon becomes a classic case of brother versus former brother, Hebrew versus Egyptian, and Moses freeing the Israelites from the Egyptian nation led by God.

READ MORE: Film Review: 'Aloha'

Bale arguably played the role of Moses in a way that no other actor had before, assuming the role after Charlton Helston, Dougray Scott and Ben Kingsley. The biblical Moses is described in the text as charming and sympathetic toward the Hebrews. In the movie, Bale portrays him as a guy who is not at all that happy -- at least, at first -- to be a Hebrew.

It takes him a while to truly accept them as his own. He is also a bit of a tough guy. When Nun (Ben Kigsley) attempts to tell him his birth story, Moses gives him a hard look, gets up and pointedly tells Nun that it’s best for him to leave rather than Moses doing something he might regret. He is also  confused about who he is and what God wants out of him. When God begins to punish the pharaoh by sending massive plagues on his kingdom, for instance, Moses begins to question God's judgement, feeling that the punishment is too brutal.

Moses is portrayed as the general and head of the Egyptian army. He is a mighty warrior who attacks any tribe whom he considers a threat. However, this traces back to my earlier comment that Scott strays somewhat away from the actual biblical text. For example, there isn’t one verse found in the bible that informs us of Moses training to be a mighty warrior. But you know what, I’m on board with this little story twist. I don’t mind Scott adding a few creative spins to the narrative to make it that much more exciting, even if it is not found in the original text.

The fact is, it's possible that Moses trained in the art of combat as the Egyptians were known for training for battle. Since he was raised by the daughter of the Pharaoh, there is the possibility that he was trained to become the top military soldier.

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The way God was portrayed in the movie is epic and extremely poetic. Whether you want to say that the boy portrayed as a deity was God in the flesh or the angel of God, the idea of using a child to be the human representative of the creator was quite symbolic. The movie plays on popular beliefs about him. God is holy, righteous and innocent of any evil that has ever occurred. Since the beginning of time, he has loved us unconditionally to the point of sending his son to die on the cross. To a certain extent, this is what a child represents. A child is pure, loving, kind, beautiful and innocent of all sin. 

This biblical-inspired story encompasses the true meaning of faith on many different levels. For Moses to believe that God was calling him to free the Israelites from the Egyptians took a great deal of faith. The scene that pushes this theme comes toward the end when the Israelites attempt to cross the red sea to reach the land of Canaan. In most biblical movies, the red sea has already parted ways when the Hebrews attempt to make their way to Canaan. But in this film, the red sea hasn’t parted ways and the Jews are forced to have faith that the red sea will open up, even if it doesn’t seem like it’s going to. Also, when Moses faces Ramses in the middle of the opened up red sea, it took a great deal of faith for Moses to know that even if that red sea closed up and the millions of tons of water came clashing on him, God would protect his life and deliver him out of the hands of his adversary.

READ MORE: A Look Back At Mads Mikkelsen in 'The Hunt'

Watch the movie trailer for "Exodus: Gods and Kings" below.

 

Retro Movie Reviews is a weekly column by Kent Martinez, published every Friday. Read other Retro Movie Reviews here.

Reach Columnist Kent Martinez here. Follow him on Twitter here.



 

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