Noah

So, I’ve been hearing a lot of differing opinions lately about the new movie Noah that just hit theaters this passed weekend. I haven’t actually seen it yet, but I plan to.

I’m a Christian, and most of the backlash or negative reviews of this movie are from Christians. The reasons vary, some people say it wanders too far away from scripture, others say it was just a bad movie (but I feel like that was their excuse for not liking the fact that it was made by a non-Christian). But I think everyone needs to view it for themselves to really know where they stand.

As for me, I think it’s ok that the movie may vary slightly from scripture, as long as all the important facts are there. But if you think about the story, which is from Genesis, there isn’t a whole lot of detail. It starts in Genesis 6, where God says that man is evil and needs to destroy them basically, but he finds righteousness in Noah and decides to save him and his family so they can repopulate the Earth. What’s interesting is as I read the story again is that Noah doesn’t actually talk at all, no one else does except for God as a matter of fact. So there’s one thing that Darren Aronofsky would have had to make up for the movie, dialogue, otherwise it’d be pretty boring I would think. I’ve seen in some of the previews that there are some stand off scenes between Noah and crowds that approach him, also something not in the Bible but probably happened anyway. I also heard that this film is darker than passed Noah films and videos. I guess Aronofsky didn’t want to make another happy Sunday school cartoon, good for him.

One thing that I heard from an interview with Aronofsky that I really respected was that he said he had always wanted to make a movie about the story of Noah, ever since he was a young kid. I really respect that and I’m glad that he got the chance to make his childhood dream come true, don’t take that away from him. That’s definitely something that I can relate to, being a young filmmaker who hasn’t made it in the big leagues yet, but still has dreams for big movies.

Looking over Aronofsky’s filmography, I could see why some Christians might have become alarmed upon hearing that he would write and direct it. He directed Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream and Pi, none of which could be considered remotely Christian, obviously, haha. But anyone can have a fresh start right? No one is too far away from God right? Only God knows what went through Aronofsky’s heart and mind during the production of this movie, could have been some awesome revelations for him, or maybe there weren’t, we don’t know, but that’s not really our business is it? All we can do is pray and hope that he does come to know God and that other filmmakers who are wanting to make biblical movies become Christian before they do so.

So I challenge you, Christians, before making assumptions or trashing this movie, go see it. But don’t stop there, think about the man, and men, or people, who worked together to make this film, how much effort it took to make a biblical movie that hopefully speaks to people around the world. God can use anything, it doesn’t always have to be us. And instead of complaining or even protesting, why not pray for the movie or the filmmakers or the audiences instead? Let’s be positive for a minute here and imagine what God can do with it, not try to tear it down and hope nothing happens, because when people watch this movie, they get a glimpse of God, let’s not forget that. Let’s try to have more conversations about the truths of this movie and the effects that it could have on the general public, sound good? Good.

Hopefully I’ll see this movie soon and I can write an actual review…