My thoughts on Noah: Overall (but by a fairly thin margin), I enjoyed it. Upfront, the two best things I found about the film: 1. It really portrayed well the barbarity of human nature, that God is a righteous judge against our sin, and reminded me that someday in the future, another judgment remains, except that one will be by fire, not water. 2. I really appreciated the darkness of the film. Think about what the world was like just a few generations after the Fall--prior to Abraham, Moses, etc. I really appreciated the mystery that surrounded the Creator, and I actually preferred this term, because lets be honest, God has become a bit generic today as a term. Im obviously by no means opposed to it, but the Creator has more mystery, more majesty, more divinity attached to it. Darkness and barrenness are frequent themes in the Bible, and I really liked how this was not a white-washed Sunday school story like so many Christian movies are. The filmmakers went TOO FAR in making Noah into a homicidal maniac guy for much of the second half (even though they brought him around), but the reasons behind it were biblically sound: it was revealed to him that the same evil that was within every human being who was being judged was within him. In this sense, I really appreciated the inner torture of Noah and what must have been going through his mind, even if I think the filmmakers went too far. That is a powerful message, and a powerful reality. I saw a lot of clips of God Is Not Dead and frankly was horrified. SO CORNY. Besides the rock monsters (though they were angels trapped in earth), Noah was by no means a corny film. As far as what was different compared to what lots of people were saying: 1. The environmental element was strong, but not nearly as strong as some made it out to be. And yes, I didnt like a lot of what was included on this front, but in some ways, I actually appreciated it. Noah, in retelling the creation story, actually said that man was at war with himself and with creation. I think that is a perfect definition of what happened at the Fall. 2. The Bible says that men had become exceedingly violent, and this was part of why God judged them. Noah made this very obvious, and didnt once back away from it, so in this sense, it was true to the Biblical narrative. Final Conclusions: 1. I think the single biggest strength of the movie was its portrayal of the evil of man, Gods righteous judgment on such evil, but also Gods grace to begin again. This overarching narrative was very obvious, and I found it very powerful. Seeing a bunch of people clinging to the top of a mountain that was being overcome with water as the flood rose was very eerie, because that is the judgment of God we all deserve (outside of Christ) and will be getting again, soon. 2. The biggest aspect I didnt like about the movie was how the Creator actually put the choice of mans fate into Noahs hands. This was ridiculous. The whole point of the story is Gods mercy, that He righteously judges, but he provides a way to begin anew, to provide a fresh start, etc. The point is that GOD, even when He had every right to completely wipe us out, made this choice, not man. This movie put the choice largely in Noahs hands. It somewhat backed away from this by saying the Creator put the choice in Noahs hands because He knew he would make the right one, but that was a bit muddled for me. It was Gods choice to judge, and it was Gods choice to be merciful. Period. 3. Finally...all the stuff about Kabalah and what not...I personally think its a bit overblown. Perhaps its just the artist in me, but I dont object to creative license to the extent it enhances the story, or provides an interesting perspective on it. Noah strayed from this on occasion, there is no doubt. But a lot of the creative license that was taken I found very, very interesting, and thought-provoking. I dont think this is a bad thing. I do think there were SOME disturbing moments in the film that made the Kabalah arguments have more weight with me, but overall...I think its overblown. So if I had to rate Noah out of 10, Id give it a 6.5-7. A decent movie that will have me thinking for quite awhile, and most of that thinking will be on the horror of Gods judgment, and the beauty of His grace. It was a bit boring at times, but not too bad from a secular atheist director.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 18:18:43 +0000
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