Exodus: Gods and Kings

Exodus is classic Ridley Scott, and after the disaster that was The Counselor, I needed this. It’s got the epic storyline, brutal battle scenes, and some absolutely stunning visuals—like the Ten Plagues—that are going to haunt me for a while. The score is solid, the performances are great, and honestly, the only thing that bothers me is knowing there’s a four-hour version out there. If Ridley had released that cut in theaters, everything might have made more sense. I went to the bathroom for like a minute during the movie, and when I came back, it felt like I missed a huge chunk of the story. You can tell they had to cut a lot to fit it into two and a half hours. Still, despite the pacing issues, I can't find much else to criticize. I don’t get the hate from some critics who call this one of Scott’s worst films. Sure, it’s not perfect, but nobody else could’ve made it this well. I think everyone should just watch it and decide for themselves. I know I’m satisfied. (04/01/2015)

A Biblical epic about Moses, in which there is no need to analyze the characters and their relationships, because we all know them well. We should be satisfied with the beautiful epic concept with breathtaking exteriors and nice costumes, and the spectacular depiction of legendary disasters and crossing the ocean should be enough to turn the film into a blockbuster hit. Except that we’re not satisfied and it’s not enough. I am an atheist and biblical events alone are not enough for me. These were supposed to work as the bases for a thorough depiction of the motivation of the characters and the difficulties of the fundamental historical stage of humanity and its political and ethnic problems. Exodus either lacks all of that or gets it over with as quickly as possible. It is a super serious work that is less entertaining than the silly Dracula Untold. (28/12/2014)

The retelling of a biblical story zillion times... this time reinterpreted by Ridley Scott. Well, if I didn’t know that Joel Edgerton is such an extremely flexible actor (those different masks, work with his body, accent), I'd say it all hinges on Bale. But Edgerton is the real hero of Exodus: Gods and Kings. Overall I'm not thrilled, but I guess it's good not to forget about some of the Hollywood classics. However, I consider The Prince of Egypt cartoon to be the best of all the treatments. (24/08/2019)

A two-and-a-half-hour biblical recitation that will surely appeal to the religiously initiated, but fans of complex filmmaking and especially of Ridley Scott will not find a single moment that they would later recite with relish to their atheist friends. Visually, it’s on a high level, which is par for the course with Scott, but with zero narrative drive or a more detailed elaboration of the motivations of the main characters that would have given their relationship and development a much stronger (or rather at least some) emotional insight. In terms of craftsmanship, everything is sort of OK and it's still much better to look at than most of the wannabe cool CGI fantasy crap, but considering the ambition and depth of the story, Exodus is a film surprisingly devoid of soul and creative personality... 60% (10/09/2015)

It will sound empty or conceited, but I would really love for Exodus: Gods and Kings to have four or even five hours. For the brotherly bond, high intrigues, secondary characters played by famous faces, or the paranoia of the main hero to have enough space for the key scenes to hit with full force and shake me. As it is, most of the dialogues feel like filler where Christian Bale can shine, but will never have a chance to turn a spectacular show into a true epic. The views into the distant landscape, the ten plagues, or the final parting of the waves are therefore just episodes awaited as attractions. I can't help but mention that The Prince of Egypt was an animated film half the length and still said everything with greater complexity and comprehensibility all in one go. (07/08/2023)