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Sophomore Mimi Wood darts toward the goal holding the ball.
Girls’ varsity lacrosse conquers Terra Linda in blowout match
Larkin MoffettMarch 26, 2024

On March 26, the girls’ varsity lacrosse team went head-to-head with Terra Linda High School (TL) in a blowout Marin County Athletic League...

Incoming juniors and seniors can simultaneously take a history course and Advanced Placement African American Studies (Photo by Lauren Poulin).
Diverse perspectives: Redwood set to launch Advanced Placement African American Studies
Emily GarciaMarch 26, 2024

Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course will officially be launched and offered...

Meet the Captains: Spring sports
Meet the Captains: Spring sports
Julia Delsol, Emily Block, and Mason GarboMarch 26, 2024

Dear [Name of Customer], by Julia Delsol

Biblical tale too predictable in film adaptation

When a Biblical tale is adapted as a film, there are bound to be varying interpretations and reactions. Noah is an example of this, by converting a well-known story to a dark action movie enjoyed by many and seen as religiously inappropriate by certain religious groups.

Noah, an adaptation of the Biblical tale of Noah’s ark, was released on March 28. It follows Noah, played by Russell Crowe, as he kicks, punches, and prays his way through the construction of an ark, and the emotional strain that the responsibility holds.

Although controversial, the movie’s inconsistencies in focus and style left me feeling indifferent. The movie’s shining moments in action and acting are canceled out by some unnecessary scenes, creating a film that are overall flat.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Director Darren Aronofsky collaborated with stars such as Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly, and Anthony Hopkins to recreate the story.  Due to the common nature of the plot, there are only so many surprises that can be integrated into the tale. The actors, director, and writers took creative liberties with the internal struggles of the characters and added a couple of plot twists.

These plot twists, including an unexpected pregnancy, helped raise the intrigue level but failed to completely combat the story’s predictability.

The movie is divided into two distinct parts. The first was one of battles, gore, and violence—the typical action movie—with little character development and plot progression.

The second part of the film takes place on the ark after the flood. This part is the heart of the film and holds many of the movie’s redeeming moments. It focuses on the everyday human struggles of desire, love, lust, greed, loss, and companionship.

With battles, the number of animals, and the fallen angels known as “watchers,” there are a lot of special effects. Some scenes are well-executed, for example the massive migration of birds and evangelical sprout of trees, but other aspects including the fallen angels known as  “watchers” lacked in quality, making the special effects mediocre overall.

Although some areas of the film fell short, others excelled. The ark seen in the movie was constructed exactly to the scale described in the Bible, and was fully furnished with the props and scaffolding.

The sheer size of the ark and the scenes of humans drowning and strewn around an old mining site were striking, impactful, and shockingly gruesome for a story about preserving life.

The movie exaggerated the idea of brutality and corruption. Men screamed out in anger as they sold women for food and ravenously ripped apart a live goat in order to eat it raw. Noah delved into man’s brutality, merciless anger, selfishness, and bloodlust.

While men were portrayed as horrid creatures, women were portrayed as resilient yet helpless, naive, and unable. They were often seen crying and curling up in fear while the men went off to fight.

Throughout the film, Noah struggled with a decision that would determine the future of humankind, but also attempted to cope with finding the limits of his faith and his love for his family.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

The power of the film was carried completely by Watson’s and Crowe’s dynamic presence. Watson plays Noah’s adopted daughter, Ila, who was found injured along the path of Noah’s journey. Noah’s wife, Naameh, played by Jennifer Connelly, represents the mother in human nature having unconditional love for her children. Their son Ham, played by Logan Lerman, represents desire — he desired love and manhood.

Noah recently received negative feedback from some religious communities. According to Time Magazine, Noah’s dedication and strength was halted by the movie’s censorship in Indonesia.  Noah was scheduled to open in Indonesia on March 24, but was banned due to its allegedly misleading religious messages.

Noah was a love story, action movie, Biblical adaptation, family drama, and visual spectacle.  In an effort to tackle all of these, the movie became disjointed and failed to be consistent in tone throughout the film, leaving the audience tired.

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About the Contributor
Logan Peters, Author