EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS

(2014) 150 Minutes, Rated PG-13

A.C.’s Review:  Moses reborn as a 1980’s action hero…and it works! Okay calling him a full blown action hero might be a bit of an exaggeration but this Moses played by Christian Bale isn’t the old man most picture when thinking of the biblical Moses. This is a Moses who as a general in the Pharaoh’s army is in the prime of his life and more than adept on the battlefield swinging a golden hilted sword and making moves like upsetting a chariot with the throw of a spear. In other words forget Charlton Heston…this is a Moses for the modern movie audience.

The movie follows the skeleton of the Moses story from the bible. Moses, a Hebrew placed with the Egyptian Royal family as a baby becomes a prince of Egypt raised along the Pharaoh’s son Rameses as brothers until the day his true heritage is discover and Moses is exiled. Eventually returning to Egypt to free the future Israelites from slavery and lead them to the promised land.

Directed by Ridley (ALIEN) Scott his movie is gorgeously shot. Sweeping vistas of ancient Egypt, with Pyramids and statues being built, the Nile and the Red Sea…all amazingly recreated. None of the CGI looks remotely fake. The best part of all this is that there is an interesting story with compelling characters. What I liked best was that Scott presents Rameses as a somewhat sympathetic character for someone holding a group of people enslaved. It would have been easy to make him a  one note, cartoon villain but that is not the case here.  In fact there is kind of a reverse of the Thor/Loki relationship from the MARVEL movies. Here the Pharaoh clearly seems to love and admire Moses more than his own natural son and it is not lost on Rameses.

Thanks to Rameses being a  more rounded character its hard not to feel something for him as God unleashes horrible plagues of doom  on Egypt in an attempt to get Rameses to free the slaves. Again the special effects of swarms of locusts, flies and their like were so well done you could feel the misery of the people.

Not being an overly religious person I couldn’t help but to wonder if the New Testament came about as an answer to the God presented here from the Old Testament. The almighty we see here doesn’t exactly inspire anyone to fall to their knees and worship. Being a visitor to movie message boards a lot of viewers are basically equating the death and destruction unleased here on the innocent Egyptians who had nothing to do with enslaving people as what you would get if you gave divine powers to Al Quida. God killing all the first born males was the climax of the plaques and Rameses who has lost his beloved baby even calls Moses out on how he can follow a god who did what he did. It’s pretty  heavy stuff.

The movie for all practical purposes concludes at the Red Sea and it’s an exciting climax.

The movie only stumbles in a couple places. Aaron Paul of BREAKING BAD and Sigourney Weaver of ALIEN I was surprised to find out afterwards were in the movie but hidden under their makeup I failed to recognize them and it’s pretty clear that their story arcs must have ended up on the cutting room floor as they are barely in the movie. Also I didn’t care for the period of the movie where Moses in in exile and falls in love and has a family. The courtship is so rushed and little represented that it’s laughable but I guess most movies feel obligated to tack on a love story.

In conclusion this was a biblical epic done right as opposed to NOAH which I would put in contention as one of the top 5 worst films of 2014.

Best Scene: Incredible scene of the Pharaoh’s army losing half its forces as they race across the mountains to catch Moses and the fleeing slaves and fall victim to an avalanche. Amazing effects!

A.C.’s Rating: Full Price Ticket

THE PYRAMID

(2014) 89 Minutes, Rated R

A.C.’s Review:  It’s a big month at the movie for Egypt. In the shadow of EXODUS: GODS & KINGS a low budget horror movie was also released perhaps as a counterpoint to all the comedies, animation and feel good movies of the season.

The Pyramid tells the tale of a father/daughter archeologist team, their assistant and two documentary film makers as they make an unauthorized entry into a newly discovered pyramid before being forced to leave the dig due to the recent political unrest in Egypt.

Naturally things do not go well for the band of adventurers’ because they quickly become sealed in and must find the way out. Complicating matters is the pyramid is full of booby traps and if that wasn’t bad enough they are not alone in the pyramid. It seems the ancient Egyptians built the pyramid to keep something IN…and there lies the horror of the movie.

This short hour and half movie delivered to me more enjoyment than the ponderous INTERSTELLAR did recently. There are no big names and  with these kind of movies you know what to expect. It’s the same reason people return to McDonalds. This movie was made to entertain and mission accomplished.

If the movie had any failings it would be that it’s partially “found footage” a genre that has overstayed its welcome and I hope will soon be played out.

Best Scene: The group triggers a trap that threatens to drown them in sand.

A.C.’s Rating:  Full Price Ticket

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1

(2014) 123 Minutes, Rated PG-13

A.C.’s Review: One of the biggest Hollywood franchises around right now is the Hunger Games series starring Jennifer Lawrence as teen girl hero Katniss Everdeen. Based on a book series the movies follow her adventures as she fights to rebel against an evil totalitarian society that North America has become in some unknown time in the future. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is the oppressive leader of the country now known as Panam which is divided into 13 Districts instead of States.

In the latest installment there are no more actual Hunger Games. Instead the story shifts to the leader of the rebellion played by  Julianne Moore asking Katniss to step up in her role as the symbol of the rebellion…The Mocking Jay. Katniss is reluctant at first as she is grief stricken by the capture of one third of a love triangle she is involved in…a fellow games contestant known as Peeta. He was captured at the end of Catching Fire and is now being tortured/brainwashed into being The Capitol’s spokesperson/symbol. Everdeen agrees to be the symbol and appear in videos and leading missions that will help encourage others to revolt as long as the rebellion promises to rescue Peeta at the first opportunity.

In my last review I was impressed how much the second movie recovered from the terrible first movie. This movie is a step back…not a disaster by any means but a step back none the less. The problem is twofold. The first is that the studio Lionsgate in a blatant cash grab has imitated the Harry Potter series by splitting the movie up into two parts-the final installment due out next year. This leads to a whole lot of…not much happening. Action is at a bare minimum and surprisingly there is no huge action set piece/cliffhanger you would expect at the end of the movie other than Peeta being rescued (mostly off screen) and being revealed to be brainwashed to try and kill Katniss, once the love of his life.

The second problem is with Peeta barely in the movie more screen time is given to the third wheel in the love triangle. A character named Gale who is Katniss lifelong friend who is in love with her. His role has to be the most thankless role I have ever seen in a movie. Gale pretty much knows he will never have Katniss and spends the entire movie moping about. I almost feel sorry for Liam Hemsworth (brother of Chris “Thor” Hemsworth) who is stuck playing him. The one surprise was he didn’t die in the rescue attempt of Peeta. I fully expected that to be the fate of this hopeless character. Anyway his melancholy brings down every scene that he is in and brings the movie to a screeching halt. I would have rather seen more of the Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks characters who were a big part of the first movies but here are reduced to little more than extended cameos.

I’m sure all will be redeemed when the final movie comes out and Snow and The Capitol get their comeuppance at the hands of Katniss Everdeen and hopefully that will erase the letdown many other must feel about this installment.

Best Scene: A group of rebel suicide bombers take out the dam that supplies power to the Capitol. One of the few exciting moments in the whole film.

A.C.’s Rating:  Matinee