Exodus: Gods and Kings REVIEW

I should preface this review with something...I love Ridley Scott. Ever since his feature length directorial debut in 1977 with The Duellists, Scott has been consistently releasing incredible, dramatic action flicks. Some of his best and most popular works include Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator (my favorite!), American Gangster, and Prometheus. He has three best director Oscar nominations for Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, and Black Hawk Down. All I'm trying to say is, this dude is talented as shit and prolific as hell. He makes damn good movies and I've been looking forward to Exodus: Gods and Kings for months. On top of all that, I also really like the film's lead, Christian Bale. He's a talented actor, an Oscar winner (The Fighter), my favorite Batman, and I typically enjoy the movies he works on. So, it's safe to say my expectations for this film were higher than Snoop Dogg at a Willie Nelson concert.

He's the hero Canaan deserves,
but not the one it needs right now.

With all that being said...I was not disappointed. In addition to another great performance from Christian Bale, the film featured Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver, and everyone's favorite meth-head, Aaron Paul.  The story began with Moses and Ramses as adults, the tale of baby Moses in a basket floating down the river was skipped right over (but mentioned later). Religious folks might not be too fond of this film since Scott took a few creative liberties with the Biblical tale. Moses first spoke to God after hitting his head and his wife was convinced that he was hallucinating. The plagues and the parting of the Red Sea were caused by events that could be explained; there weren't any miracles. The film is basically an agnostic version of The Exodus. As expected, the production design was incredible. Many film critics are are ranting about the high number of white people in Egypt and the inconsistencies between the accents that many of the actors used. The film's score from composer Alberto Iglesias  wasn't quite as epic or powerful as it should have been. Hans Zimmer (who composed the score for Gladiator) must have been busy with Interstellar. So, if I had to pick three things I didn't like about the film, those would be it.

Before the credits rolled, there was a dedication to director Tony Scott (best known for Top Gun), Ridley Scott's younger brother who committed suicide in 2012.

4/5: Great Scott! Another fantastic flick from Ridley!
(But keep in mind, I'm biased...)