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Grade • B
DVD • Director Darren Aronofsky approaches his unconventional biblical epic "Noah" as someone who has questions, rather than having all the answers.
Russell Crowe plays Noah with Old Testament fire, depicting the ark builder as a true believer who has been informed by The Creator (as God/Yahweh/Allah is referred to here) that the wicked Earth will be consumed by water. Noah builds his ark, while battling his upstart son Ham (Logan Lerman) and casting a watchful eye on his adopted daughter Ila (Emma Watson) — as a scornful king (Ray Winstone) prepares his army to overtake the ark.
Aronofsky borrows from numerous texts, not just the traditional biblical canon, and weaves together several versions of the story with arresting imagery. It's not the Sunday School version of the story, but it's fascinating and fresh. —
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