Noah - A fruit for the soul

'Noah'- as the name suggests would reckon the image of an old man from the Bible whom God had chosen and bestowed with the task of saving every single living creature on earth. Darren Aronofsky's 'Noah', starring Russell Crowe takes this plot from the Bible and shapes itself into a fantastic fiction around it.

A slow paced film which hold onto your patience till the very end. Undoubtedly because of the screenplay, the characterization and the cinematography. The director whose previous works have been profoundly received hits hard on the aspect of God (greatly termed as "The Creator" in the movie), his existence and his influence on the human race. We see the movie in the eyes of a man who trusts God and who has felt his presence in his life.There are various scenes in the movie where the descendant of Cain says, "Man has the power to decide for himself" and places where Noah’s communication with God is through his visions, which eventually tell him about the destruction of the world.  These moments make you sit back and think of the times when you have denied the existence of a heavenly power.

The movie begins with the story of Creation where God created the sun, the moon, night, day, and every living creature and ended it by creating Man and Woman whom we call Adam and Eve. A fiction is weaved around the base story of the biblical Noah, to whom God speaks through visions that a normal man can least interpret. Just as the story goes, Noah is summoned to hold a responsibility which he considers as his duty to save every living being on earth. The world which has fallen into the hands of the wrong people like Cain’s descendants has gone against the will of God and brought upon the wrath of God. Noah decides to seek advice from his grandfather Methusulah and takes his wife and three children along with him. On the way, Sham, Noah’s eldest son finds Illa (Emma Watson) who later turns out to his love interest.

 Illa(who is barely 10 years old) who is left homeless as her family and kindred are killed by Cain’s descendants, is rescued by Noah’s family and fostered under his care. Noah with the help of Methusulah, who gives him a seed from the Garden of Eden, makes the Watchers(ash-clad creatures who are supposed to be fallen angels) believe that he has been chosen by the creator for a mission. The watchers later help him to build the ark and fight the descendants of Cain to close the Ark in time as the storm arises.

One shouldn’t be mislead that the movie would take around what happened inside the Ark, this film revolves around the man “Noah", his faith, his belief and his family. The characters of his two sons Shem and Ham played by Douglas Booth and Logan Lerman is worth a watch. Shem is obedient and takes care of his family. He stands up against his father when the time comes to protect his children. Ham on the other side needs a soulmate like his brother and when he is denied of it, he turns rebellious. The two sons who are immensely different from each other play vital roles in bringing the movie into life. The women, Nameah, Noah’s wife and Illa, Shem’s wife play the perfect role of mothers each with the intention of protecting their children and being loyal to their husbands beliefs.

Choosing between right and wrong is the theme that I took away from the movie. I tried to connect this theme to three people in the movie, Shem, Ham and Noah. All of these men have different qualities but are faced with this situation. Shem is faced with it when he has to choose between his father and his children, Ham , between his father and Noah’s enemy and finally Noah is faced with it at the climax which you must watch the movie to find out.

It is the way Illa defines Noah’s act and brings him back to the family and to God is what impressed me. She speaks about the choice and the will, God has bestowed upon every man and it is upto us to choose between the good and the bad.

Russell Crowe does justice to his role and serenely portrays his character with emotions that will draw your focus on him throughout the film. The scenes to watch out for are the different images of the story of Creation, the way the ark battles with the flood and the scene where the seed brings water and new life to the barren land. Every actor plays his part well and keeps you hooked.

The costumes worn in the movie could have been realistic. We find Noah’s wife wearing jeans in an era which was supposed to be thousand of years before it was actually invented.

A lot of emphasis could have been placed on revealing the moral of the story in a profound manner. At places locations and graphics have been given an upper hand.

I would rate the movie a 4 and a half star out of 5 and a must-watch for people who can wait patiently to see the end of a story because this movie has a beautiful message you would want to carry home.