Noah (2014)

Noah is chosen by God to undertake a momentous mission before an apocalyptic flood cleanses the world.

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel

Stars:

Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Russell Crowe	...	Noah
Jennifer Connelly	...	Naameh
Ray Winstone	...	Tubal-cain
Anthony Hopkins	...	Methuselah
Emma Watson	...	Ila
Logan Lerman	...	Ham
Douglas Booth	...	Shem
Nick Nolte	...	Samyaza (voice)
Mark Margolis	...	Magog (voice)
Kevin Durand	...	Rameel
Leo McHugh Carroll	...	Japheth
Marton Csokas	...	Lamech
Finn Wittrock	...	Young Tubal-cain
Madison Davenport	...	Na'el
Gavin Casalegno	...	Young Shem

Storyline

"In the beginning, there was nothing." So starts this version of the story centered on Noah (Russell Crowe), the man entrusted by God to save the innocent animals of Earth as the rising floodwaters cleansed the planet of mankind's evil. As the telling continues, we learn how Adam and Eve's sins have passed down through generations through their sons Cain and Abel, and how the descendants of their righteous sibling Seth were entrusted with defending creation. One day, while foraging in the country, a descendant of Seth, Noah, sees his father slain by a descendant of Cain. In the process, Noah's birthright is stolen from him. Decades later, as a father of three, Noah experiences a vision foretelling the great flood that will wash over the Earth, destroying every living thing that stands on the soil. That vision leads Noah to seek out his grandfather, Methuselah (Sir Anthony Hopkins), in order to understand his mission. When a second vision reveals that Noah is to construct a massive ark...

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Plot Keywords:

ark | old testament | supernatural power | water | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

The end of the world... is just the beginning.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief suggestive content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Prior to this movie being released in any country, it was banned in Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates, as the local government said it would contradict the teachings of Islam. This movie has also been banned in Egypt for similar reasons, as it violates Islamic law, and could "provoke the feelings of believers."

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Goofs

When they were sedating the animals, the humans didn't use any masks for protecting themselves, but they still didn't get sedated.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lamech: From Adam to Seth, Seth to Enosh, Enosh to Kenan, Kenan to Mahalalel to my father, Methuselah, then to me. Today, that birthright passes to you, Noah. My son.

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Crazy Credits

Besides the title of the movie, there are no opening credits

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Connections

Referenced in The Comfort Zone: Richard Dawkins Outrages Atheists (2014)

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Soundtracks

Father Song (Lullaby)
Written by Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye & Russell Crowe
Performed by Russell Crowe

User Reviews

Get your feet wet

Get your feet wet Upon a terrifying nightmare that is clearly an omen, Noah(a roaring and fanatically determined Crowe), along with his family, begin building an ark. They get some unexpected help, but will it be enough? Especially when the king of the land(Winstone at his most vile, representing the wickedness of our species) shows up with his army, threatening that if that boat is the only safe place, they will board it one way or another.

Causing controversy from before anyone had watched it, this is a non-literal update-for-our-times take on the Bible story, that nevertheless seeks to engage with the same, genuinely universal, values – honestly, everything added here is not only critical to even make it a feature length drama(such as adding a present, physical form to the evil that is being drowned out, as it were), it serves to flesh out what was already there. This is aggressively environmental, thus rendering it highly relevant; the Earth(which could be 1000 years in the past, or the future) is here a barren, post-apocalyptic wasteland, and while it could have been made clearer, the idea is that excessive and relentless mining of resources is the cause. Not only are we beyond rescuing, the storm that will come will deliver water sorely needed to reinvigorate nature.

This has everything we've come to expect from Aronofsky: solid production values in every aspect, with a solid, and nicely limited(so that there is room for them all to represent some element endemic to us Homo Sapiens, and this is very much a character study of our titular protagonist, and an examination of humanity) cast, a compelling Clint Mansell score, and, of course, amazing(and all with a distinct purpose, artistically) visuals(the desperation of a dying breed is one of the images that will stick with you, something that is in everything Darren has helmed), employing techniques not often seen in the mainstream, including silhouette(such as a brief and stunning extrapolation of Cain) and time-lapse photography(the construction process itself). If you at all intend to watch this, and your first viewing is not a 3D showing, you will be committing a cardinal sin.

There is a lot of brutal, gory, violent and disturbing content and some sexuality in this, none of it gratuitous. I recommend this to anyone not put off by it being based on a Genesis account or the fact that it takes liberties with it. 7/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook [Australia]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Noah

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Box Office

Budget:

$125,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,720,472, 30 March 2014

Gross USA:

$101,200,044

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$359,200,044

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, New Regency Productions, Protozoa Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1