Film Review: Noah

Noah   8/10

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connolly, Ray Winstone

Plot: Noah is informed of an apocalyptic flood and must take out a mission by God.

When you think of a traditional biblical epic, you may well picture a three-hour long, speech-heavy and slow moving film from the 1950s… Darren Aronofsky – the genius behind Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream – removes every ounce of boredom and has created a timeless epic.

To start with, the performances in Noah are all remarkably tight. Russell Crowe and Ray Winstone take to the stage as two acting veterans in an epic showdown, and they play out their scenes with real weight (a particular speech just before the flood begins by Ray Winstone is spine tingling). Emma Watson and Logan Lerman stand out the most in the supporting cast; Watson’s character faces tribulation after tribulation and twist after twist. Watson proves that she can establish herself in a post-Potter world. Logan Lerman really surprises here also; his need for a wife plays out devastatingly before the flood hits and he, too, shakes off all remnants of the child actor within him. The real standout here though, is Jennifer Connolly. Her role as Naameh - the mother of the family - fleshes out as the film progresses, and by the final thirty minutes, she oozes this deep, maternal strength that is truly gripping to watch!

Aronofsky has not only assembled one of the most explosive cast of the year thus far, but also a film that makes you feel something - whether you have any religious affiliation or not. The flood plays out in the middle third of the film and unfolds unflinchingly on the big screen (it takes absolutely no prisoners). The shots of these giant rock monsters flinging hundreds of men through the air are colossal, and everything you could possibly want from a blockbuster.

There are some bizarre side stories to the film though. Anthony Hopkins is fantastic, yet his story as Noah’s grandfather is a little bizarre and sidetracks the film at random points. Douglas Booth seems to be sidelined throughout too; he has a lack of dialogue and there are times when he, as well as some other minor characters, are completely disregarded and pop up merely to remind us that they still exist!

In Conclusion: Aronofsky succeeds in making the family drama as epic as the flood itself, which plays out like a battle in Middle Earth. There’s something here for everyone – a disaster film to remember.