Based on the Biblical story of Moses and
his plight to free the Israelites from the oppression of the Pharaoh, Ridley
Scott directs a somewhat eyebrow raising rendition of the well-known tale.
Thankfully this film dives straight to the
point as we meet a mature Moses (Christian Bale) and his brother Ramesses (Joel
Edgerton) both with an equally fresh bronze tan glow, who are alerted to a
prophecy about one of them becoming a great leader. As events start to unfold
in a way that none of them could have foreseen, Moses is left questioning his lineage
and Ramesses is fearful of his legacy. The two intertwine as it becomes brother
against brother with the lives of the Israelites on the table, and neither
party willing to back down. One brother has on his side; wealth, power and
royalty, the other; truth, justice and God.
It was an interesting take to make the
world more realistic by rationalising the seven plagues. The same could even be
said to pinning down the little boy as nothing more than Moses’ imagination
after a slight bump to the head. But why these events could be explained and
the death of firstborns and the shallow sea could not, left me as an audience
feeling very confused and dissatisfied.
Overall even with its budget, this film
added nothing new to the already popular tale of Moses. I would have rather
spent my time rewatching the 1998 animation version The Prince Of Egypt that hosted the voicing talents of; Val Kilmer,
Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer and Sandra Bullock. Naming the film Exodus:
Gods and Kings was very presumptuous as it connotes some sort of power,
authority and mystery. It should have been more aptly named Magicians Secrets,
or Exodus: How To Make Your Movie Goers Disappear.
