Peter Suderman Reviews Exodus: Gods and Kings
Exodus: Gods and Kings is probably the worst big-budget movie I've seen all year, and I saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot.
At first glance, "Exodus: Gods and Kings" might seem to represent a change of pace at the multiplex: Director Ridley Scott's revisionist riff on the Biblical story of the Israelites' flight from Egypt is a lavish Hollywood blockbuster that is neither a comic-book movie nor a sequel in some increasingly bloated big-screen franchise.
And yet in some sense it's also both — a heroic, effects-driven take on a Biblical epic that attempts to recast its story to fit within the box-office-friendly parameters of the director's previous work. Either way, however, it's an epic mess.
Technically, it's not part of a franchise, but "Exodus" falls neatly into line as the latest in a series of ever-more-dubious historical epics from Mr. Scott, the director of the still-resonant "Gladiator" and the still-muddled "Kingdom of Heaven."
"Exodus" calls to mind both, though rarely in a good way: Like "Gladiator," it revolves around a clash between a king — in this case, the Emperor Ramses (Joel Edgerton) — and a member of his inner circle, Moses (a bored-looking Christian Bale), who leads a people's revolt after the elder mentor holding the two at bay (Emperor Seti, played with campy disinterest by John Turturro) passes on. But "Exodus" lacks both the gravitas and the searing violence of that earlier film; it is largely bloodless and, indeed, often boring.
As in "Kingdom of Heaven," the story marries historical sweep to questionable theology and sociopolitical insights.
Read the complete review at The Washington Times.
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http://www.beliefnet.com/colum…..ehind.html – Well, even the Christians hate Left Behind.
‘”Left Behind” is being marketed as Christian entertainment, but it does not qualify in either category.’
Coming from a staid website of Christian film reviews, I believe that qualifies as a burn.
No. It’s got 2% on Rotten Tomato though, so if Loder, in his film reviewing duties, happened to see it, I’m sure it would be worse.
There were a lot of shitty movies this year. Transformers Age of Extinction and Dumb and Dumber To both came out this year.
Plus God’s Not Dead came out this year, while on the topic of shitty christian movies. I wonder which is worse but I’ll never know because damned if I’d watch either. I suppose its not a big budget movie though.
Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas was voted the number one movie on the 100 Worst Movies list or something.
Really a banner year for Christian films isn’t it? We’ve got Noah, Exodus, Saving Christmas, God’s Not Dead, AND Left Behind?
Why aren’t more people believers?
I don’t think I have seen any movies in 2014, so I can confidently say “no”.
SIMPSONS LODER DID IT
/South Park
Look, whatever directorial magic Ridley Scott once had, it’s gone. If Prometheus wasn’t enough proof, then this thudding turd should be.
It’s dead, Jim.
It’s a shame too because the story is pretty good material for a movie. The Prince of Egypt was pretty good.
Cecil B. DeMille made two movies from the Exodus story, a 1923 silent and the 1956 Charlton Heston v. Yul Brynner classic.
I still think Prometheus isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be.
Maybe if more people actually saw The Counselor, that would be the standard example of a bad Ridley Scott movie.
I saw that on a plane, absolute garbage.
Prometheus was the worst thing ever.
Cytotoxic|12.12.14 @ 4:19PM|#|?|filternamelinkcustom
Prometheus was the worst thing ever.
I now need to re-evaluate my hatred of the film.
Prometheus isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be.
You’re right. It’s worse.
sociopolitical insights
Oh God no. I hate it when they try to wedge modern political commentary into absolutely unrelated “historical” works. It always lands like a warm turd on concrete.
She was excellent in the 300 sequel.
You mean like the “Noah as a suicidal vegetarian” disaster? Noah was Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome meets The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers only with stone Ents.
Whether you believe in it or not the Bible tells some pretty good stories, and they don’t need “updating.”
CB DeMille is spinning in his grave.
I’ll be honest, what I really want is a movie about King David collecting two hundred Philistine foreskins for his wife’s dowry.
The update is he only uses his teeth and his tongue, amirite?
You vex me.
You’re terribly vexed?
(one of the worst lines in the movie, delivered with zero timing or humor by someone who is otherwise a decent actor)
Don’t leave us hanging off the edge of our seats!!! What was the line???
(in the voice of someone who is incredibly bored and secretly thinking what suckers the casting directors were for hiring him): “It vexes me. I’m terribly vexed.”
Geez, the only movie I ever walked out of was “Fame”.
FUCK that movie sucked!
Re: Almanian,
My wife and I walked out of The Scorpion King, after the few lucky shots with the bow.
I’ve always found it perplexing that people like that movie.
Crowe’s “acting” was fucking terrible too, and he got a fucking Oscar for it. I’ve seen him compared to Brando, and it fits, both were marginal talents who were enormously overrated.
Anybody who has a strong threshold for pain should listen to some TOFOG…
Why do people hate Gladiator? It’s a great movie.
Yeah, but you also like Star Trek Into Dumbness, so your taste in film is, well, shit.
Nope. My taste in film is near-perfect. The problem is always with everyone else.
Khaaaaaaaan!
The movie industry today is populated, stem to stern as far as I can tell, with incredibly shallow people who cannot make a period movie without jacking it full of stupid anachronisms.
The actors are simply incapable of acting like anybody other than early 21st century people. The trailer for Exodus has a quick scene where tells Rameses “Not gonna happen” or somesuch. I knew instantly I would never watch the movie.
if you are interested in history ,then you will like this movie Gods and Kings.Egypt is a lavish Hollywood blockbuster and you will find a historical story