Plot Summary
Moses, the son of Hebrew parents, was raised an Egyptian in a golden age of Egyptian culture. But this culture was built on the backs of Moses’ people, who were enslaved by cruel Pharaohs. Moses was always torn between two cultures, but he was forced to choose when he killed a fellow Egyptian and was driven out into the desert, on the run for his life. After discovering and immersing himself in the Midianite culture, God called him back to Egypt to free His people, the Hebrews. Though reluctant, Moses assumed his role as God’s deliverer.
Production Quality (2 points)
Since this is a highly-funded Hollywood production, of course it’s going to be highly quality. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are all highly professional, especially in the action scenes. The soundtrack is also quite interesting and creative. Sets, locations, and props are excellent and clearly had a lot of money spent on them, even though there are some obvious special effects. The only other error to point out is the very poor editing that causes the story to jump all over the place, but that’s not only a production issue. Overall, it would be nice if a Christian film maker had this much money and spent it this well (coughcouchTimothyCheycoughcough).
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
Like many Hollywood forays into the Biblical market, Exodus: Gods and Kings is an epic failure. Far too much time is spent on extra-Biblical content for no reason, as well as the dumbest head-scratching asides. Historical truth is bent very freely as Moses is transformed into a sword-wielding maniac (with a British accent) and God is turned into a creepy, angry, and manipulative pre-adolescent boy who pours tea and stacks little metal blocks. As time speeds by for the convenience of the runtime, characters are left in the wake and are made lifeless. There’s no way to know what’s happening next as the audience is thrust through time without warning. Iconic and historical sequences are framed in very odd and dark ways, thus making for a very strange and altered account of the story. Many Christians complained about the cavaliered nature of this film, and they were actually justified.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Although some attempts were made to make this cast culturally authentic, this rule mostly only pertains to the supporting cast and the extras. The white guys of Egypt get to take over the lead roles of this cast. However, a lot of money was put into historically authentic costuming, so that’s a plus. However, too many lines from these ‘professional’ actors and actresses are mumbled, thus giving off the impression that they are phoning in their lines and were rather be somewhere else. For authenticity’s sake, I wish they were.
Conclusion
I’ll take singing and disproportionately-shaped cartoon priests played by Steve Martin and Martin Short over this madness any day (nothing beats the Plagues sequence in that film either). DreamWorks may not have nailed historical accuracy either (Moses was 80 when he went back to Egypt guys), but who can beat that soundtrack? Maybe one day I’ll post a review of that animated film, but for now, Exodus: Gods and Kings is a total wreck and waste of Hollywood’s money and your time, KTHNXBYE.
Final Rating: 2 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 