Exodus: Gods and Kings Movie Review

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)

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Written by: Adam Cooper & Bill Collage and Jeffrey Caine and Steven Zaillian
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, Sigourney Weaver
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
The defiant leader Moses rises up against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

Verdict
It's a big historical epic that often feels like it's going through the motions. Moses is the protagonist not because of his passion, but that's just how the story was written. This swaps character building for big set pieces. Without character development this feels like a summary of events. While it has its moments, it also could have created so many more moments. That and changing a well known story is always going to irritate a large portion of your audience. This pits brothers against each other but fails to develop them or their rivalry. They both seem like bystanders instead of active participants.
It depends.

Review
Ridley Scott likes to make epic historical epics. This follows Gladiator and Kingdom  of Heaven and it was in turn followed by The Last Duel, Napoleon, and Gladiator II. Half of them are worth watching.

In 1300 BC brothers Ramses (Joel Edgerton) and Moses (Christian Bale) prepare for war. Though Moses is adopted he's accepted in the Egyptian family, but a prophecy predicts that one brother will save the other and become a leader.

Joel Edgerton plays Ramses

Moses, tasked with visiting Pithom and assessing the condition of the Hebrew slaves, discovers his own prophecy and lineage. Moses was born a Hebrew, and he's destined to be the leader of the Hebrews. It's the same prophecy told earlier, though this is more explicit. Ramses is told this revelation and questions Moses. Moses finally admits to it to save a servant's life. Ramses refuses to believe, but ultimately he exiles Moses as he's unable to kill his brother.

Moses makes his way to a nearby village, becoming a shepherd and making a life. You'd think he's be upset at his fate. He went from a prince of Egypt, then relegated to a shepherd. Either he or the movie doesn't have time to explore it. This job is only a way for him to run from his fate as leader of the Hebrews. He doesn't want to stage a revolt against his brother.

Christian Bale plays Moses

Moses has a vision of a burning bush. The movie downplays the miracle aspect of it and provides an explanation. That's the case for many of the miracles, providing an underlying reason, but the action it generates is the same either way. Called by God, Moses intends to free his people by training them to fight back. Giving Moses and Ramses a connection adds depth to every action either of them takes. Moses sneaks into the palace and demands Ramses let the Hebrews go. Ramses isn't that agreeable, granted he has a sword at his throat. As Ramses points out, it's economically infeasible. He has big plans for the city and needs free labor.

Moses leads attacks, but that only results in Ramses retaliating. Eventually ten plagues befall Egypt. While this provides explanation for the plagues, even then it's a fantastical occurrence of events. Crocodile's attack a boat, causing the rivers to run red with blood. The tainted river causes the frogs to leave the river, but the frogs die which causes flies. Despite the plagues Ramses refuses to relent. This doesn't depict Moses beseeching Ramses to relent. Ramses remains resolute, sacrificing his own people. Part of it has to be Ramses not wanting to back down, still thinking about the prophecy and salty about it.

I don't mind how this reinterprets events, but by going big this misses out on small moments. I'd love to see Moses try to prove himself to Ramses with his staff turning into a snake and Ramses advisors trying to explain it away. Moses does less in this version of events, relegated to just an observer instead of a participant that's hesitant to act. Small moments like Moses trying to persuade his brother could have been touching. This could have built more story between them instead of leaving it up to the audience to imagine and fill in gaps. Why doesn't Ramses relent? I suppose it's either indifference or indignation at Moses. Moses's stake seems to be more he was told to lead and he's following orders. It tries to establish his sympathy for the people, but that's undercut by him running away and becoming a shepherd. This does do a nice job of giving the tenth plague an emotional impact. It wish it could have built that emotional foundation for more events.

Moses doesn't part the red sea, and that could have been such a cool moment with tension, faith, and the oncoming assault. You could have the scene explore the duality of Moses believing in God to save him while we see an explanation for the event. This is a story rooted in faith, the faith Moses believes in that will empower him. This movie removes Moses as active. God doesn't act through him but around him. I don't begrudge explaining the miracles, but in doing so it robs them of the importance. This could have explored the perception of what caused the miracles versus how people perceive them. The audience gets an explanation for why, but the people in the movie are amazed at the ends. We can explain the miracles now, Moses couldn't then. Either way the confluence of events is an amazing coincidence, a miracle in its own right. 

The movie trades one miracle for another. Parting the sea couldn't occur, but when do three tornadoes occur simultaneously? This trades the small moments for big action set pieces. A simple scene of Moses hoping and praying that he can part the sea with God's power could have had such an impact. So many people know this story in such a specific way that it's bound to irritate some by changing it. I don't mind that, but by always going big this misses some small moments that could have had a big impact to cement these characters in our minds. Both Ramses and Moses are flat despite the tension they should have to prove themselves to each other.