*SOME INCREDIBLY MILD SPOILERS*
As a huge fan of Blade Runner, Alien, Gladiator and even Prometheus, I have always been a great admirer of Ridley Scott, and it goes without saying he's one of the most respected directors Hollywood has to offer, with a CV few can match.
Which is why I trusted him implicitly with an epic as big as this, and with a cast including the mighty Christian Bale.
Unfortunately, while not atrocious, Exodus is a criminally underwhelming tale which leaves very little impression on the viewer at all.
As other reviews have stated, it is the tale of Moses and the Ten Commandments, essentially, and how he was deceived as a child about his heritage and origin, and how discovery of this led the Emperor Ramses to exile him from Egypt, as thousands of Hebrew slaves continued to be controlled by the ruler.
And their escape.
It isn't much of a spoiler to reveal that, given that is the Biblical tale in a nutshell already.
The problem here is the woeful miscasting, surprisingly passionless direction and bland cinematography.
Bale doesn't do a BAD job as Moses but he, without sounding 'anti-semetic' here (I'm Jewish myself) can't really pass himself off as Jewish without tanned skin and a beard, apparently. Until then, it is hard to buy him as a Hebrew.
Joe Edgerton's Ramses is unconvincing - initially overwhelmed by everything, he turns into a monster for no real reason, and turns on Moses, who only wants his people to be safe.
Sigourney Weaver is the most wasted casting I have ever seen, she barely qualifies as a cameo. Did she just take the money and run here? Ben Kingsley's Nun is actually OK, not brilliant, but OK - you will never get average from such a stellar performer, but strangely the best cast character is John Torturro's Seti, who does carry an air of authority about him.
And Dar Salim is ludicrously likable, for Ramses' second in command Khyam, and seems to be on the wrong side. A very confusing portrayal but it's not Salim's fault, it's the script and direction.
And we come to Scott. This just lacks bite, passion, and fails miserably to be compelling. While it doesn't quite plod along, it certainly doesn't flow especially well, and the editing is especially disjointed. Certain events happen too suddenly without smooth transition and it can be quite jarring. And Scott's plain dislike for courtship is evident here as Moses goes from looking at a girl he's just met while she weaves twine, to literally in the next scene marrying her. There's no time for the relationship to become believable, and I am as against drawn-out relationship building as anyone else. But it has to be plausible and fleshed out.
Lastly for an epic the cinematography is absolutely feeble. Few cascading landscapes and well-shot scenes, and mostly fast-faced frenetic action with slow and ponderous interludes.
This is just a messy film and way below Ridley's expected standard.
You'll find better ways to spend 150 minutes of your life.
As a huge fan of Blade Runner, Alien, Gladiator and even Prometheus, I have always been a great admirer of Ridley Scott, and it goes without saying he's one of the most respected directors Hollywood has to offer, with a CV few can match.
Which is why I trusted him implicitly with an epic as big as this, and with a cast including the mighty Christian Bale.
Unfortunately, while not atrocious, Exodus is a criminally underwhelming tale which leaves very little impression on the viewer at all.
As other reviews have stated, it is the tale of Moses and the Ten Commandments, essentially, and how he was deceived as a child about his heritage and origin, and how discovery of this led the Emperor Ramses to exile him from Egypt, as thousands of Hebrew slaves continued to be controlled by the ruler.
And their escape.
It isn't much of a spoiler to reveal that, given that is the Biblical tale in a nutshell already.
The problem here is the woeful miscasting, surprisingly passionless direction and bland cinematography.
Bale doesn't do a BAD job as Moses but he, without sounding 'anti-semetic' here (I'm Jewish myself) can't really pass himself off as Jewish without tanned skin and a beard, apparently. Until then, it is hard to buy him as a Hebrew.
Joe Edgerton's Ramses is unconvincing - initially overwhelmed by everything, he turns into a monster for no real reason, and turns on Moses, who only wants his people to be safe.
Sigourney Weaver is the most wasted casting I have ever seen, she barely qualifies as a cameo. Did she just take the money and run here? Ben Kingsley's Nun is actually OK, not brilliant, but OK - you will never get average from such a stellar performer, but strangely the best cast character is John Torturro's Seti, who does carry an air of authority about him.
And Dar Salim is ludicrously likable, for Ramses' second in command Khyam, and seems to be on the wrong side. A very confusing portrayal but it's not Salim's fault, it's the script and direction.
And we come to Scott. This just lacks bite, passion, and fails miserably to be compelling. While it doesn't quite plod along, it certainly doesn't flow especially well, and the editing is especially disjointed. Certain events happen too suddenly without smooth transition and it can be quite jarring. And Scott's plain dislike for courtship is evident here as Moses goes from looking at a girl he's just met while she weaves twine, to literally in the next scene marrying her. There's no time for the relationship to become believable, and I am as against drawn-out relationship building as anyone else. But it has to be plausible and fleshed out.
Lastly for an epic the cinematography is absolutely feeble. Few cascading landscapes and well-shot scenes, and mostly fast-faced frenetic action with slow and ponderous interludes.
This is just a messy film and way below Ridley's expected standard.
You'll find better ways to spend 150 minutes of your life.