Exodus: Gods and Kings

Directed by Ridley Scott, set to the dramatic music of Alberto Iglesias, filmed in Pinewood Studios and the Canary Islands, this epic film was visually stunning right down to the minutest details. Christian Bale played Moses, Joel Edgerton played Ramses with Aaron Paul as Joshua. With superb effects portraying thousands of Hebrew slaves, buildings and large statues of Ancient Egypt, the story it'self has no narration and not much of a script to go by just sheer cinematography at it's best. 

Janty Yates created all of the splendid costumes based on rich Egyptian art laiden with colour and jewels.  Arthur Max is largely responsible for the layout and scenery involved.

 Before going to see this film, it may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the story. Exodus Kings and Gods is a recreation from the Bible much like the "Ten Commandments"  from 1956 about the life of Moses a spiritual leader. This version entails a very in depth depiction of the Hebrew deliverer more as a warrior, who leads his people out of Egypt after more than four hundred years of slavery.

Moses is born a Hebrew but raised as an Egyptian by the daughter of a Pharaoh. His nemesis in the Film is Ramses (the current Pharaoh's natural son). Although there is  kinship between them, we can gather Ramses is a little threatened by Moses's favor from his father.  When the Pharaoh dies Ramses becomes the ruler and that's when it all changes for Moses when they both discover his true heritage.

Moses leaves Egypt and finds refuge in some mountains where he settles for a while, marries and bares a son.

Maria Valverdie plays Zipporah (Moses's wife)

 He then encounters  the famous  burning bush and God appears to him in the form of his inner child seeking revenge. Moses is urged to go back to Egypt to free his people. His wife and son are not too happy about this.

Moses returns and begins to train the slaves with military skills whilst Egyptians hunt him down. This doesn't win immediate approval from his own people and he still has much to prove whilst the Egyptians continue to administer more cruelty to the slaves. 

The mark of the beginning of ten plagues begins with the curse of the Nile turning to blood. The plagues appear to be natural occurrences rather than the wrath of Moses's God. Ramses's adviser comes up with a valid scientific explanation for each hideous tragedy. 

The final curse came which caused death all over Egypt and finally Ramses lets the people go. So in their thousands, the refugees set out in search of their promised land but find themselves faced with the Red Sea.

I was expecting a huge miraculous parting of the sea with ocean walls either side of the travelers. It didn't happen that way in fact there was no actual magic in this film even though the effects were fantastic, all of it was explainable. The Easterly wind blew the currents side ways making the water shallow enough to cross. Many Egyptian chariots were destroyed before they even got to the sea although some got swept up in what appeared as a huge tidal wave.

I thoroughly enjoyed the visuals of the  film but I am not sure if I'd have been able to follow it with out prior knowledge of Moses story.

watch the trailer below