As much as I wanted to try and rate this film independently of my own beliefs (as an atheist), I found it impossible to separate said beliefs from my appraisal of the film. The film succeeds to some extent purely from the standpoint of a dramatic retelling of the stories in the book of Genesis. The stories are retold faithfully, albeit with an air of solemnity and drama that even exceeds that found in the Bible. However, as someone who doesn't believe in the historical accuracy of the episodes depicted here, the film didn't do anything for me other than turn me off even more from religion. For not only are these stories made up, I find them profoundly immoral. Those who believe in the Bible and think that there is some profound moral lesson in the stories of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, of Lot's wife turning into salt, or of Adam and Eve being cast out of paradise for their "disobedience," well, they will probably love the film. As someone who finds the lessons expressed in those stories repugnant, this film contributes nothing to human progress. Perhaps the most reprehensible scene in the history of film is the depiction of the half-naked homosexuals of Sodom and Gomorrah, whom the loving God of the Old Testament annihilates in a fireball that looks suspiciously like a nuclear bomb. Thank God (pun intended) we've come far enough since this film was made that such depictions of gays are rightfully deemed not only politically incorrect but downright despicable.
Review of The Bible in the Beginning...
