Justin Chang on Exodus
Filed under:
On Movies & Media •
Exodus: Gods and Kings •
Justin Chang •
Ridley Scott •
The Bible on the Big Screen
Film critic Justin Chang, a consummate professional over at Variety, is among the first out of the gate with a detailed review of Ridley Scott's major Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings.
I'm seeing the film in a few days, and this review has surprised me by making me much more eager to see the film....
...Some may well desire a purer, fuller version of the story, one more faithful to the text and less clearly shaped by the demands of the Hollywood blockbuster. But on its own grand, imperfect terms, “Exodus: Gods and Kings” is undeniably transporting, marked by a free-flowing visual splendor that plays to its creator’s unique strengths: Given how many faith-based movies are content to tell their audiences what to think or feel, it’s satisfying to see one whose images alone are enough to compel awestruck belief.
I have enough faith in Chang that I'm much more excited about the film now than I was yesterday. But other critics are not nearly as positive in their assessments. I'd round up their opinions for you, but Peter Chattaway's already doing that.