Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Based on what is said to be the worlds best selling book, and one that has been translated into more languages than any other, Ridley Scots Epic movie Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) tells how Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt to the Land of Canaan. But before he was allowed to do that we witnessed how God forced the Egyptians by cruel and foul means to let these people go.  He inflicts various plagues that include turning the water to blood, death of livestock, frogs, lice, boils, locusts and flies but what really persuades Ramesses to let the Hebrews go is the Passover, the meanest of the ten plagues which killed all the Egyptian first born. The Hebrew’s were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a slaughtered spring lamb so God knew which houses to ‘Passover’.  Scot does very well to highlight the hypocrisy of Christian teachings whose main presentation tells us to love our neighbours and forgive others their sins, but only if it pleases the good Lord?

 

Beware of the high tides!

As well as Pinewood Studios the film was shot in Almeria in Spain and on the Island of Fuerteventura. It features various well known faces including John Turturro, Aaron Paul from Breaking Wind, Ben Mendelsohn, Ben Kingsley and Sigourney Weaver. But only Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Ramesses are given roles of any depth, the rest are almost relegated to walk on parts. How does it compare with Cecil DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956), which at the time was reputed to be the most expensive film ever made, I would very much doubt if the images from Ridley Scot’s film will stay in your mind as long as DeMille’s film has. It is a spectacular film but does not really live up to the book.

Christian Bale as Mosses