Review 336: Exodus: Gods and Kings

 

Exodus: Gods and Kings is one of the most frustrating films I have ever reviewed. One that has great ambitions but only half-heartedly achieves them.

Egyptian Princes Moses (Christian Bale) and Ramses (Joel Edgerton) are raised together as brothers. When Pharaoh Seti I (John Turturro) dies and Ramses becomes Pharaoh, Moses becomes his most trusted adviser. However Moses soon learns of his Hebrew heratige and Ramses subsequently banishes him to the desert - often a death sentence. But God has a mission for Moses: Free the Israelites from slavery. Moses then returns from exile and demands that Ramses let his people go, but the arrogant rule refuses, leading to a battle of divine wills.

The first problem with this film lies in the story, director Ridley Scott attempts to retell the story of Moses Gladiator style and in doing so tries to make the story appeal to Everyman and not just to reglious audiences and to put a new spin on it, the problem is that we know this story all to well.
Even if you haven't seen The Ten Commandments or DreamWorks The Prince of Egypt you've probably heard this story numerous times so you just know how this stories going to go, you know where each to story point is going to hit, you know what the characters feats are going to be and ultimately Scott only succeeds in creating a film that very long and very grim and very boring - sleep inducingly boring, I might say. And to add fuel to the fire, nothing about this movie is really told with any energy

After the opening action scene the film kind of wanders around usually aimlessly.
The film tries to cover too much ground and begins in the wrong place in an almost failed attempt to avoid presenting information that we as an audience already know beforehand about Moses.

Ridley Scott's direction is ponderous & laborious, as expected he crafts amazing images, beautiful visuals and breathtaking scenery but nothing really stands out and jumps off the screen like Ridley Scott's better films. The pacing is sluggish, the cinematography is beautiful and captures of the beauty and exoticness of Old Testament Egypt, the production design is excellent, the scenery is  breathtaking, the score by Alberto Iglesias suitably grand and epic, the editing is lacklustre and does nothing to help the film move any faster. The props are well crafted, the costumes are fabulous, the make up is rich and layered. The action scenes are expertly staged well choreographed and exciting to watch when they are on screen.

The acting is lopsided, Ridley Scott assembles together a huge ensemble cast of enormously talented actor but only puts a handful of them to good use. Some characters are give more screen time and development than other.
To start with Christian Bale gives a pretty solid performance as an idealistic, tormented, visionary Moses, expertly bringing out the character's inner demons as portraying the other fascinating facets of Scott's version of Moses, a warrior, a herald, a family man and sometime a sceptic of God. He obviously hates what he has to do, he's conflicted about his duty to God and his duties as a family man

Unfortunately Joel Edgerton (talented though he may be) feels miscast and out of place as Ramses, he plays him as kind of a petulant rock star and never comes across as menacing. Ultimatly he just left me cold and confused, are we to fear Ramses, loathe him, empathise with him? Neither the film nor Edgerton himself seem sure weather it's one or both and the execution of his character arch is weak as a result.
Because of Bale and Edgerton's lack of chemistry, I didn't believe Moses and Ramses relationship.

Ben Kingsley is sadley wasted as Nun who pops up every now and then to spout exposition about Moses heratige, but even then, his efforts are not enough to save this film.

Amongst the remainder of this large eclectic ensemble cast, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, Maria Valverde, Golshifteh Farahani, Tara Fitzgerald, Indira Varma, John Turturro & Sigourney Weaver pop up here and there.
None of whom are given much of a chance to shine, Weaver & Fitzgerald in particular are introduced, featured for a bit and then just disappear for the rest of the film during Moses exile.
Whilst Farahani (lovely though she is) is abruptly introduced after the nine year mark and goes underdeveloped for the remainder of the film.
Even the lovely Maria Valverde is criminally and barely utilised at all as Moses wife Zipporah.
John Turturro also feels out of place as Pharaoh Seti

Exodus: Gods and Kings is one ponderous bore, 2/5.

The Anonymous Critic.