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Wholesome entertainment
Wholesome entertainment, Book of the Genesis, Darren Aronofsky. Meanwhile Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) plays the guiding senior who lives in the mountains and keeps searching for berries.
So, it’s back to Biblical times. And who doesn’t remember the deluge and the birds and animals aboard the Ark to increase and multiply after the destruction of earth and the receding flood waters? The man anointed for the task is Noah.
Based on the ‘Book of the Genesis’, director Darren Aronofsky takes some liberties with the text but brings out the spirit and substance of that era which began with, whenin the beginning there was nothing.
Slowly, colour appeared, then nature and then life – birds and creatures and lastly humans. Adam and Eve and the serpeant, the apple, sin and being driven out of Paradise is all old hat. Much, much later came Noah (Russell Crowe) and his family, his wife Naameh (Jennifer Connelly) and sons Ham (Logan Lerman), Shem (Douglas Booth) and Japheth (Leo McHugh Carrell). They come across an orphan child Ila (Emma Watson) who later marries Shem but life is anything but smooth.
Noah is very demanding and in his interpretation of God’s wishes, rubs folks wrongly. First, it is Ham who breaks away from the family due to differences with Noah. What’s worse, he teams up with Noah’s nemesis Tubal-Cain (Ray Winston). Then his wife is in conflict with him after Ila gives birth to twin girls.
Meanwhile Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) plays the guiding senior who lives in the mountains and keeps searching for berries. Samyaza (Nick Nolte), leader of the Watchers and another watcher (Frank Langella who once played Dracula) are the other cameos designed to hold the attention span.
The visuals are fetchingly shot by Matthew Libalique and an apt screenplay, not unduly verbose, imbues Noah with an old world charm. Then excellent performances by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly further embellish the narrative. Anthony Hopkins is his usual self and though the 132-minute work could easily have been clipped of 20 minutes, still it is wholesome entertainment.
Not in a long while have we seen a Biblical story. It may not be in the same league as Quo Vadis and Ben-Hur (for the times they are a-changing) but it is still worth watching.
