11th Commandment: You shall make a good film: Exodus (Gods and Kings)
This film, “Ten Commandments” , featuring Yul Brynner and Charlton Heston , had already been shot 60 (Sixty in writing) years ago, and it had then brought the words “magnificence” and “glory” into the dictionaries. I couldn’t understand the reason why they shot this film once again, because, compared to the original (1956),it does not make either any cinematographic contribution nor does it bring a new camera perspective or interpretation in terms of acting. In my opinion, director’s performance in this film is both predictable and mediocre. I think this film would strive for the first position among “the films made in hurry”. Its effects are only as successful as the ones preformed in an animated movie.
To my surprise, Ridley Scott devoted this ordinary film, which has a repeating weary script, and high-fizzy almost explosive soundtrack, to his brother (Tony Scott). I still wonder if I have ever missed anything throughout the whole film that may have caused such devotion.
As we see in this film, Hollywood’s interest in pre-historic heroes, mythological and religious figures continue together with its effort to discredit these heroes and personalities by the way it handles them with limited knowledge of the Director. Message (Message, the Life of the Prophet) the Passion of the Christ, Gandhi, Noah and now we have Moses (Exodus: Gads and Kings)
The Turkish melody you hear in the beginning of the film may seem interesting to your ears, But, maybe this inappropriate and misplaced match is the thing that cut me off from the film.
Christian Bale, who is playing our hero, Moses is too much stern and lacks the profoundness of a Prophet. The spiritual development, maturity and transformation that is expected from someone who is in direct contact with God, that is, the shock effects” is altogether missing except in a 20 seconds-bed screen.
The “kiddy” playing the role of the humanized God appeared to me filled with too much greed and anger. I wonder with what kind of tales was our Director raised by his mother.
In fairy tales, mythological films you complete the message and the fiction with music, emotional melodies, which complete the emotional explosion, abreaction and tension. I send my regards to Maurice Jarre. It is worth asking how Hans Zimmer is missed.
I congratulate the artist who played the Pharaoh (Joel Edgerton, a.k.a Ramses). From the beginning to the end, he showed great acting and consistency. In fact, he did not play; he lived pharaoh and showed it masterfully. He is worth watching. Anyone who deserved to take 10 orders alone, in reality, could have played it so well.
One of the Hollywood clichés, the talk of a leader motivating his people to the war is also repeated in this film.
Rather than adopting an Prophet-like attitude, here Moses, addresses his people, like a spittle-flecked army-general, teaching every one of them to fight one by one. And even in one of the scenes, Moses ( R Scottˊs Prophet) says to Ramses “ Never turn your back to me while I am speaking to you”, snubbing at him. Let alone and army commander, even Kadir İnanır (a Turkish artist well known for his macho attitude) could not play a role like that.
In the script, God’s killing non-Jewish Egyptian babies in their bed overnight, is portrayed by the director as a clear miracle.
No symbolism is used in the film. When the subject of the film and its historical perspective are taken into account, the lack of symbolism makes the film considerably shallow and weaker.
In his role, Sir Ben Kingsley is a again very charismatic and very successful with his cool, resilient character and with his grateful face despite all the suffering. Sigourney Weaver is a bonus.
As a film shot in a rush by Ridley Scott, “Exodus” has a very much personalized script and construct. Soundtrack is certainly inadequate and disorganized (Alberto Iglesias Fernández-Berridi). The scenario is already familiar and old. Christian Bale still is still attached to the Machinist with his gaze and to Batman with his talk. Nevertheless, it is worth watching for the performance of Joel Edgerton as Ramses, and to appreciate once again Cecil B. de Milleˊs masterpiece, The Ten Commandments (IMDB: 7.9 / 10), which was shot 60 years ago.
Among the rumors coming from the movie set, there are accusations of racism against the director, who claimed to employ, just for financial reasons, the white stars for all the roles representing the black people of Egypt and Africa. The score that I give for this film is 5.5/10.
