Chris At The Pictures

It says a lot about the power of a film when it can make you forget your own scepticism. As someone who has a great deal of problems with the story of Noah and the Ark (the fact that it is essentially a story about mass extermination with underlying tones of eugenics and resulting incest), I went into Noah - Darren Aronofsky’s take on the Biblical epic starring Russell Crowe in the titular role - not sure whether I could find a way in to the story without just feeling frustrated.

The most interesting thing about the film is that it appears to have been made by someone who understands the story for what it is – a myth – and have a great deal of fun with it creatively. Unlike a Biblical adaptation such as The Passion of the Christ, which took a horrific story and turned it essentially into torture porn, there is a noticeable effort to create something much more mythical and operatic in scale. The film is visually breath-taking, set entirely in an expansive world, full of great sweeping landscapes that feel almost science fiction, the stars still shining across the sky during the day, all captured beautifully by Matthew Libatique’s extraordinary digital cinematography. 

As far as performances go, the film is a powerhouse: whilst Russell Crowe (who only seems to be improving with age) provides a coarse and determined façade as Noah, with the self-righteous fury of a religious zealot burning beneath, he is not the film’s guiding light. Where on Earth has Jennifer Connelly (who I’ve always found to have a rather stale screen presence) been hiding this performance all her life? Absolutely entrancing as Noah’s wife Naameh, she offers some semblance of kindness and sanity in the midst of the harsh and brutal world of the film. Emma Watson has come a very long way since the Harry Potter series and continues to mature and develop into a fine actress, giving a wonderful performance as Noah’s adopted daughter, Ila, who is forced during the course of the story to carry a burden almost greater symbolically than Noah himself.

In terms of visual and special effects, the ark is a seamlessly melded blend of enormous sets and well-designed CGI, and the great montage sequences detailing the passing of years or the creation of the Earth are extraordinary. The CGI effects of the Watchers (fallen angels bound in rock, instructed to help construct the ark) seem to have been designed with great care, their clumsy and difficult movement more reminiscent of a stop-motion creation than the walking monoliths from something like Wrath of the Titans or The Hobbit. It is only the effects used to create the vast numbers of animals that feel a little tacky, the snakes and birds in particular feeling a little Disney-fied at times. 

The flood scene itself is incredibly intense, the great torrents shooting up from beneath the Earth and huge swathes of water crashing over the ark (and the actors) feeling very real despite the heavy use of CGI, Clint Mansell’s booming score giving it even more heft, really accentuating the feel of a classic Biblical epic. It is interesting to note that the film is given a 12a rating by the BBFC for ‘moderate violence and threat’, although I’d argue that a 15 would be more practical. I understand that this story is supposed to be for all ages, but some of the imagery and use of sound in the initial aftermath of the flood is stretching the mark for a 12a by a considerable margin.

Noah is a triumphant return of the Biblical epic to the big screen, boasting sumptuous visuals, incredible performances and a mythical sensibility that makes the story accessible to a vast audience and faces the moral and religious problems of the story in a way that is intriguing and uncompromising.

4.5 Stars