Noah

As biblical epics go, this is a belter. One of the more blistering (and in some ways one of the most controversial) films of 2014; once again thanks to Sky Movies I have now been able to watch it. This film was controversial at its heart due to its religious nature and origin, like most biblical tales re-presented and re-vamped in the media, Hollywood or otherwise. But I do not really want to get bogged down in all that. At the box office Noah was broadly speaking quite a success and I can see why.

First and foremost, I believe Darren Aronofsky and his team succeeded in getting the initial setting and tone of Noah right from the off. In terms of the locations, sets, costumes, and characters we get the feeling almost instantly that this is taking place just a few short years after the dawn of man. The times are primal, they are organic, they are sometimes savage and they are raw. All this gives us a unique blend of situations, featuring a tinge of biblical "history" (if you want to go down that route) and a distinctly mythical and legendary factor. Having initially succeeded in setting this world up for us in the first half of the film, Noah then proceeds to tear it apart in biblically apocalyptic fashion - presenting to us a classic tale, incredible disaster movie, and a distinctly human story all in one.

Like the setting of Noah, the characters all feel raw and new in the world. They are all individual yes, but they all manage to encapsulate in their own ways the feeling of people who are just stepping out into the light (or darkness) and still all need the guidance of their Creator along the way. In terms of performances, yes they are all varying in terms of feel, screen time and indeed quality, but each actor seems to have pretty much succeeded in fitting their own character into this world of Noah, allowing the story to flow without one having to question individuals too much.

Whilst not necessarily negative, there are a couple (but not too many) characters/performances that fade into the background and become integral yet forgettable building blocks of the story. Douglas Booth as Shem (the titular character's eldest son) is definitely the underdog in terms of fame-attached-to-the-name, and indeed the performance is just as note-worthy. He is involved in a couple of big scenes, but broadly his is the typical "older brother" in the family unit and really seems like a tool to move the progression of Emma Watson's story forward.

Similarly child actor Leo McHugh Carroll as Japheth is the typical "younger brother" of the piece. Nothing bad to say about his performance, but nothing good either.

With an older and a younger brother, we must have the middle brother - Logan Lerman as Ham; and his character feels very deliberately and very markedly placed into the story to stand out (at least among the "youth" section of the cast). I think it is more the situation written and crafted around Lerman's character, rather than his acting talent that allows him to stand out, but to be fair there are moments that, when given the opportunity he does shine enough to fit into his character well.

Speaking of Emma Watson, hers was quite a pleasantly surprising performance for me. I have followed her transitional career somewhat (including but not limited to Harry Potter of course) and whilst I thought she had potential, I generally thought her presence on screen came off as quite shallow and arrogant. In Noah however, I was glad to watch Emma Watson give a layered and emotive performance as Ila. Yes occasionally a few of her moments seemed a bit forced, and at times her character too feels very deliberately placed into the plot just for the sake of it, but generally a positive, well rounded and again quite fittingly raw performance.

The other main female force in Noah is Jennifer Connelly who, in my experience of watching her work is generally known for creating forgettable stuff (apart from 2001's A Beautiful Mind; both she and the film were terrific). Here she fitted well into the story, her relationship and chemistry with other characters was good, and yet again when she needed to be she could turn up the raw and ragged edge to produce some quite trembling moments.

Ray Winstone was his usual "geezer" self but also gave just enough gritty villainy as nemesis Tubal-cain, and I also just want to mention the consummately superb Sir Anthony Hopkins who was a welcome touch of experience, wisdom and class as Methuselah.

So - Russell Crowe as Noah. A few people criticized this bit of casting, saying Crowe was not right for the role. I must disagree. Most of the characters in this film do not really change much from beginning to end, or if they do such change is very predictable. I think ultimately Crowe succeeds in accurately and emotively portraying Noah's transition (both in terms of the biblical story and what is needed for the film) from erstwhile, dedicated and environmentally conscious family man, to hardy, brave saviour of the innocent, to briefly the first aging alcoholic, to eventual patriarch and replenisher of mankind on Earth. This I feel is one of Russell Crowe's better performances, certainly from what I have seen. He inhabits the character of Noah well, and is strong enough and human enough to lead this epic tale from beginning to end.

That's what Noah is really - an epic tale in the best possible way. As I say the overall tone of this film is crucial, and getting it right even more so. I feel they have broadly done just that, and thus this film does indeed bring the classic tale of Noah's Ark positively and resoundingly into the 21st century.