Exodus : Gods And Kings

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 5th December, 2014
Time : 114 minutes
Director : Ridley Scott; Writers : Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, Steven Zaillian; Music : Alberto Iglesias
Starring : Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Maria Valverde, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, Ben Mendelsohn, Dar Salim, Sigourney Weaver, Indira Varma, Aaron Paul



It’s the story of Moses. Grim. Sombre. Slow. Tragic for the most part. And apart from some snazzy sets, special effects and a fondness for Christian Bale derived from his past work, doesn’t work at all as a feature film…

It’s the story of how two step-brothers, Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton, turn against each other, once their father, the Pharoah, John Turturro, passes away. How Bale discovers the secret of his birth, communicates with God through visions / hallucinations and then leads his people away from Egypt, away from their life of slavery, fighting the land and the army he once inhabited and led.

The only interesting part was watching the classic human failings – jealousy, greed, doubt, betrayal, self-preservation (vs greater good). And, the most fascinating part, whether the prophecy, like most astrological predictions, turns out to be a self-fulfilling one just because the ruler is wracked by insecurity, determined not to let it happen. In this case, if Joel hadn’t gone against his brother – would events have unfolded differently ? Or is his insecurity a key factor, nay, the reason, behind the prophecy itself ?

Have realized religious epics don’t work for me - Noah was another recent example. They soon deteriorate into who’s God is stronger, more powerful than the other. And if the seven plagues that afflicted Egypt, were the ‘right’ answer for 400 years of oppression – doesn’t that sanctify the idea of revenge ? Here I can only quote the Mahatma – “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind”