There are some extraordinary special effects in Exodus: Gods and Kings , the latest retelling of the story of Moses from the Old Testament. It’s not boring, despite its length — but look beyond that, and it feels like an odd mix of epic battles, extravagant eyeliner and religious equivocation.
Unlike the strongly spiritual telling of this same story that was Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956), the famously agnostic Ridley Scott aims for a more rational approach in Exodus . Yet, the logical explanations for the mystical events seem half-hearted — be it the parting of the Red Sea, or the 10 plagues that attack Egypt as a sign of God’s wrath, or the decision to show God in the guise of a capricious 10-year-old. This God/child might exist only in Moses’ head since “He” appears after the said head suffers a terrible blow and concussion.
Scott treads the controversially safe path of appealing to the box office by choosing to have his Asian and African characters played by white actors — a long list headlined by Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton, which also includes John Turturro and Ben Kingsley.
The casting, while conceptually problematic, is not visually jarring, given the heavy suntan makeovers, and the film’s mysterious, shadowy lighting — DP Dariusz Wolski’s hand is evident. What’s more awkward is the waste of talent with cast members such as Sigourney Weaver and Aaron Paul given little to do.
Exodus opens with a grown-up Moses (Bale) seen as the favourite of the ageing pharaoh Seti (Turturro). Moses saves his stepbrother Ramses’ (Edgerton) life in a fight against the Hittites — but in doing so, unintentionally substantiates a prophecy about future leaders, which makes Ramses and his mother (Weaver) feel insecure.
The story unfolds at a brisk pace with Moses paying a visit to the city of Pithom, where he learns the truth of his Hebrew lineage from wise Nun (Kingsley), a Jewish elder. Eventually exiled, Moses makes his way to Midian, becomes a shepherd and marries the beautiful Zipporah (Maria Valverde).
Then he meets God/child on the mountain, a game changer.
From the extravagant recreation of ancient Egypt to Ramses’ golden costumes and the battery of special effects, the rumoured $140 million budget is very apparent in the high production values.
Yet, for all that, Exodus is a rather more straightforward film than the strange Biblical retelling that was Darren Aronofsky’s recent Noah . But despite the flirtations with form and content, Scott and the film’s four credited screenwriters don’t take the story anywhere new.