A
visual
splendour
set
in
1300
BC,
"Exodus:
Gods
and
Kings" is
the
biblical
tale
of
Moses,
the
adopted
son
of
the
Pharaoh
who
was
raised
as
an
Egyptian
prince
and
later
turned
into
a
prophet,
religious
leader
and
a
lawgiver.
He
figures
prominently
in
the
Jewish,
Christian
and
Islamic
scriptures.
This
often
heard
story
had
earlier
hit
the
marquee
in
1956
as
Cecil
B.
DeMille's
"The
Ten
Commandments".
But
unlike
the
earlier
edition,
director
Ridley
Scott's
version
is
narrated
in
a
pragmatic
way,
where
Moses,
a
cool,
eloquent
man
of
reason
is
wrapped
in
conflict
and
complexities,
and
whose
relationship
with
god
is
complicated
to
say
the
least.
The
narration
here
does
not
start
from
Moses' birth,
but
plunges
directly
into
the
dramatic
setting
with
Moses
as
an
adult,
garnering
brownie
points
with
Pharaoh
Seti.
Soon
a
prophecy,
right
in
the
middle
of
the
action,
by
the
high
priestess
that,
"In
the
battle,
a
leader
will
be
saved
and
he
will
lead," comes
true.
After
the
Pharaoh's
untimely
death
Moses
finds
himself
alienated
from
his
adopted
step-brother,
the
heir
apparent
Prince
Ramses.
Then,
on
a
trip
to
Pithom,
he
is
unsettled
by
the
glimpses
of
the
genocide
in
progress.
Moses
eventually
learns
the
truth
of
his
Hebrew
lineage
from
Nun,
a
wise
Jewish
elder,
there.
The
calculating
Egyptian
viceroy
of
Pithom
soon
stumbles
upon
this
secret
and
expedites
Moses'
exit
from
the
royal
family
and
Egypt.
After
being
humbled
and
exiled,
Moses
makes
his
way
to
Midian,
where
he
becomes
a
shepherd
and
marries
the
beautiful
Zipporah,
though
he
has
a
difficult
time
truly
accepting
his
place
among
the
Hebrews
and
the
lord
they
worship.
It's
his
rebellious
nature
that
takes
him
on
top
of
Mount
Sinai.
There
in
a
landslide
he
is
totally
submerged
in
mud,
when
he
first
encounters
his
destiny's
call.
He
is
approached
by
god
to
lead
his
people
out
of
slavery.
Director
Scott's
narrative
hits
an
all
time
high
showing
god's
wrath
with
a
dramatic
montage
of
the
miseries
that
hit
Egypt.
This
tableau
gives
momentum
to
the
narration,
which
leads
to
the
climactic
chase
to
the
Red
Sea.
Apart
from
his
interpretation
of
god
as
small
boy,
Scott,
once
again
tackles
this
awaited
crossing
of
the
Red
Sea
scene
with
scientific
precision
that
gives
credibility
to
the
narration
and
at
the
same
time
makes
it
a
visually
thrilling
occurrence,
which
some
purists
may
differ
with.
Christian
Bale
and
Joel
Edgerton
as
Moses
and
Ramses
are
impressive.
Bale's
transition
from
the
well
built
selfless
prince
to
the
wornout
and
broodingly
intelligent
wise
man
is
remarkable.
Similarly
Edgerton's
portrayal
of
Ramses
from
the
apprehensive
and
self-doubting
prince,
to
the
insecure
and
foolishly
adamant
Pharaoh
is
noteworthy.
But
unfortunately
both
Bale
and
Edgerton
are
nowhere
close
to
the
strikingly
inspiring
Charlton
Heston
and
Yul
Brynner's
portrayal
of
the
same
characters
in
"The
Ten
Commandments".
Ben
Mendelsohn
as
the
treacherous
viceroy
of
Pithom
and
Ben
Kingsley
as
Nun
add
gravitas
to
the
film.
While,
Hiam
Abbass
as
Moses'
foster
mother
Bithia,
has
a
few
emotionally
charged
moments,
Signourney
Weaver
as
Tuya,
Ramses'
conniving
mother
and
Golshifteh
Farahani
as
Ramses'
wife
are
wasted.
Similarly
Andrew
Barclay
Tarbet
as
Aaron
and
Aaron
Paul
as
Joshua
get
short
changed
due
to
their
underwritten
character
graph.
Maria
Valverde
as
Moses
wife
Zipporah
is
glamorous
and
good,
but
she
seems
to
be
a
misfit
in
the
ensemble.
A
special
mention
must
be
made
of
production
designer
Arthur
Max,
visual
effects
supervisor
Peter
Chiang
and
cinematographer
Dariusz
Wolski
for
managing
to
recreate
ancient
Egypt
with
its
atmospheric
lighting
and
capturing
it
on
celluloid.
The
finely
tuned
background
score
by
Alberto
Iglesias
brings
the
film
alive
and
watching
it
on
IMAX
with
3D
effects
adds
to
the
viewing
experience.