Plot
The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
Release Year: 2014
Rating: 6.8/10 (4,520 voted)
Critic's Score: 55/100
Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley
Storyline
Epic adventure Exodus: Gods and Kings is the story of one man's daring courage to take on the might of an empire. Using state of the art visual effects and 3D immersion, Scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.
Writers: Adam Cooper, Bill Collage
Cast: Christian Bale -
Moses
Joel Edgerton -
Rhamses
Aaron Paul -
Joshua
Sigourney Weaver -
Tuya
María Valverde -
Séfora
Indira Varma -
High Priestess
Ben Kingsley -
Nun
Golshifteh Farahani -
Nefertari
John Turturro -
Seti
Ben Mendelsohn -
Hegep
Emun Elliott -
Tara Fitzgerald -
Miriam
Kelly Schembri -
Egyptian Civilian
Hiam Abbass -
Bithiah
Dar Salim -
Commander Khyan
Filming Locations: Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
Box Office Details
Budget: $140,000,000
(estimated)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Darren Aronofsky originally wanted Christian Bale to play the title role in Noah (2014) but Bale had to decline due to scheduling conflicts. The role ultimately went to Russell Crowe, a frequent Ridley Scott collaborator. Bale was later cast as Moses, another biblical figure, in this Scott-helmed feature. See more »
Quotes:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 4/10
All creative persons/artists go through a creative funk, it's just part
and parcel of the business they're in. Whether it be a writer who
suffers from the dreaded writers block, an actor that can't seem to buy
a hit or a painter that can't seem to replicate the images in their
heads, the creative lulls affect all. Famed British director Ridley
Scott, the visionary master behind such classics as Alien, Blade Runner
and Gladiator has found himself in one of these creative dead zones,
but the most telling thing about his time in this lowly state is that
his been there for the better part of a decade and after witnessing his
new cashed up epic Exodus, it seems he is destined to remain there for
the foreseeable future.
Exodus is one of the most telling examples of storytelling mediocrity
overshadowing impeccable production values that I've ever seen and it
would be hard for anyone to argue against the pure visual value present
on screen in what is a clearly lavishly splurged upon epic. From
monuments through to the slums of the slave's right down to the extra
clad streets, Exodus brims to life with a detailed and often incredible
visual palette. While the wonders of the on screen production will
consistently make you look twice, there seems like such little point to
an exercise like this when all is surrounded by a script that never
allows us in, alongside Scott directing proceedings like a man that
wants to show off but not engage, direction more concerned with how to
spectacularly kill of horses than making the characters and story come
to life.
Much has been made in the media of late surrounding the casting of
actors in Exodus but more importantly to movie goers it's important to
know just how tame the acting turns are here. Christian Bale makes for
a watchable yet not entirely memorable Moses, his incarnation has
moments of brief humanity but he feels more a caricature than a living
breathing embodiment of one of the Bibles most well-known figures, we
feel tiny bits of the weight Moses had on his shoulders, yet our care
towards him remains dangerously low. On the other end of the spectrum
Australian Joel Edgerton (in perhaps his biggest Hollywood gig yet)
fails to deliver on what should've been a glorious big screen villain
in the form of Rhamses. All eyeliner and grizzled looks, Edgerton fails
to convince in his role and it feels from the get go that sadly he
may've been miscast much like John Turturoo's Seti, Aaron Paul's Joshua
and Ben Kinglsey's Nun, even the usually scene stealing Ben Mendelsohn
as Hegep fails to make much of a mark which leaves the film but a few
genuine moments of memorability, that being all largely related to the
onset of the plagues.
Impressive visuals, stunning sets and some genuinely wow inducing
moments concerning the plagues aren't enough to save this emotionally
void epic from a giant wave of the mundane. Scott sure knows how to
conduct his production department and his sweeping camera sure can
capture some outstanding action but the one time storyteller has lost
sight of how to portray his characters, how to play out a story and
Exodus looks set to become another Scott failure that looks likely to
underwhelm audiences as well as Box Office's the world over.
0