"Noah", movie review

I finally got to see the movie “Noah” even after hearing many negative comments about the movie. Some of these comments are very critical and even qualify it as a mockery to the Bible.  Some of the comments I heard are justifiable but others are kind of exaggerated. 

But personally I have some issues with the movie, and I think, by removing this issues the movie will be awesome.

1. The Neflim. When I saw them my first time I was thinking, ‘why they had to bring the 'transformers’ into the movie?’, nothing to do with the story. Then movie explain that they were the sons of God that wanted to be in the earth. Genesis 6:2,4 But they portray them almost like falling angels and no as the giants, as the Bible talks about. Now this fallen angels help Noah to build the ark, and they are forgiven by God… mmm ok I have a problem with that.

2. The magic rocks. Used by Noah and his family to produce fire and even do a pregnancy test. Pretty much a mix of knowledge and science or even like magic, if I understand correctly those rocks came from the falling angels?

3. Noah’s confusion. During the first minutes of the movie, I enjoyed watching this version of Noah, confident and guided by God through his dreams, and the wisdom to warn his family about the destruction of humanity by water. But then, little by little he gets to the extreme of thinking that God wants to destroy all humanity because of evil, and began to think that its includes him and his family,and  the only purpose of the ark is to save the animals (the innocent as he call them). Later on he is so much into God’s judgment concept that he is willing to kill his own grant daughters to pass God’s judgment,  even though at the end of the movie is reveal that God wanted to save humanity through Noah’s family because of his righteousness. So now Noah is a killer, extremist and confused man, until he discovers that he is wrong about God’s will. So this Noah is opposite of the Noah we know in Genesis 6:9.

5. Methuselah.  From Genesis 5:25-27. He heals people, and has knowledge to create some kind of tea that produce drowsiness. By his blessing a girl gets heal and she is able to have a child when she was barren, now she can have kids. The cool thing about him is that at the end he raise his hands and glorifies God. The issue and my question is, why is he (Methuselah)  the one getting all the credit for the healing and the knowledge and not God?

Now, in a positive side, I have some good comments on the movie. I believe there are several elements that have good value as a movie.

1. The creator . The movie portrays that God is good and that he is life, that he provides and created everything beautiful originally, until sin and the evil  of man destroyed and ruined it all. Also it is awesome how God bring life and provision in even a little drop of water.

2. Humanity evil nature. I think the movie portrays very well the sinful nature and how the fall mankind brought death and destruction to the creation. “The earth was full of violence” Genesis 6:11-12.

3. Some cool cgi scenes. I love the view from the earth as the moment of the flood, plus the some of the animals coming to the ark. But also I would love to see more the style of “2012” cgi effects.

4. Costumes and design. What I like is that they didn’t choose old stone age kind of clothes, but rather modern looking and at the same time ancient. Also the fact of of the the people having some kind of technology like wilding masks. That brings me the the last point. 

5. Knowledge and technology.  I believe in those times people had more knowledge that we give them credit for today.  For example, there are certain plants that converted in tea can make some one sleepy and make someone go to sleep immediately. In the movie they have some kind of mix of plants that make the animals go to a state of hibernation, personally I have no problem with this.  They portray also some other kind of technologies like a primitive bazooka, and wilding masks. This shows that the technology and some knowledge was lost after the flood. I think this is awesome.

My conclusion. Professionally speaking, a very good book to movie adaptation is interesting and make some creative liberties to attract the audience but keeping the faithfulness to the original source material as much as possible. This movie is an inaccurate adaptation that deviates like 50% or 60% from the original source material, the Bible, specially in basic points like the fallen angels theme, and the confusion of Noah on hearing God.

Now, I love movies that are well done and realistically looking, but for me the message embedded is the most important thing. It seems that the message of the movie is that God provides and is good but also that God eliminates what ever brings corruption and destruction. So yes the movie portrays that God is good (only at the end, by the way, because of the Noah’s confusion thing), and the sinful nature of mankind. My concern is the issue of the Nefilim and/or falling angels, because now the bad guys (that originally made mankind to go evil) now they are good and get forgiveness, no way.