Whenever words like that splash before anything I always cringe with a tad bit of worry because it usually means "we've changed it and kept the title but still like it". Prince of Egypt way back in 1998 had the same disclaimer. While neither are 100% accurate descriptions of the Bible story that I grew up with, I genuinely believe that they kept the spirit of the Biblical story. However, I know that a generic review to get you to watch this or avoid it might not be the best thing so here goes
1. who Am I? I am an evangelical Christian, I believe that the Bible is God's word on earth and I believe that the whole thing is as relevant as today as it was back then. while it may not be a word for word account of things that happened day by day, I do believe that it holds its own as a historical document as well. If I had a choice in creating a TV docudrama of the Bible- I would make it 24 hours and give it a chance to breathe (but more on that later) I'm telling you who I am because my faith plays a part in my review and I want to, in full disclosure, let you know the bias behind my review.
2. The Pros. -The narrative structure is compelling. By having the pre credit sequence be Noah telling the creation story to his family on the boat, I thought it was a stroke of genius. -The acting. Noah was a Scottish actor which really fit, in my opinion. The actor portraying him had conviction, toughness and a hint of crazy that was all par with who the world saw Noah as.Then came the following big names like Abraham, Moses and Joshua. Both men (young and old) acted their butts off. The challenging thing about playing a Bible character is to portray the strength of faith and the weakness that we tend to feel when faced with such extraordinary characters. -There is a really subtle but awesome bit of foreshadowing with the scene between Abraham and the three visitors. If I think its going where its going, I give props to the creators for sticking true to that aspect of the passage. - The angels in Sodom and Gomorrah. While this part was very Hollywood, I honestly didn't care because I really think the phrase "spirit of the Bible" was true. - The narration- Keith David was an awesome choice. I can't explain it but something about his voice really fits with this version - They're adding bits of the Bible story that isn't often represented in film. (not that I've seen anyway). Its an interesting creative choice and I look forward to the next four weeks and what else they include.
3. THE CONS - While I applaud the film makers for some of the stuff they added, they are leaving out some really key stories. there are barely any mentions of Jacob or even Joseph. I get that not everything can fit, but I would have at least thought that they would have merited at least a montage. Plus, Moses' story is largely truncated and the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness , well that shaped the nation, more of it should have been added- if I speak from a purely Hollywood standpoint? To have more scenes with the actor portraying Moses. He was pretty awesome. But from a narrative standpoint? stuff that happened later on largely stemmed from their time in the desert.
So all in all, I think its a really well done production, because at the end of the day, if it gets people to pick up the book( or download the app) even if it is to argue with it, then it's fulfilling its great Commission.
Take the time to watch it- Unless you're a stickler for the details and can't get your head around the Samson is going to be black or that Jesus is going to be portrayed as the Roman "pretty version" or because you're favorite story isn't in it... well then that's on you. I for one enjoyed it and will continue to watch and see how God's story unfolds.
1. who Am I? I am an evangelical Christian, I believe that the Bible is God's word on earth and I believe that the whole thing is as relevant as today as it was back then. while it may not be a word for word account of things that happened day by day, I do believe that it holds its own as a historical document as well. If I had a choice in creating a TV docudrama of the Bible- I would make it 24 hours and give it a chance to breathe (but more on that later) I'm telling you who I am because my faith plays a part in my review and I want to, in full disclosure, let you know the bias behind my review.
2. The Pros. -The narrative structure is compelling. By having the pre credit sequence be Noah telling the creation story to his family on the boat, I thought it was a stroke of genius. -The acting. Noah was a Scottish actor which really fit, in my opinion. The actor portraying him had conviction, toughness and a hint of crazy that was all par with who the world saw Noah as.Then came the following big names like Abraham, Moses and Joshua. Both men (young and old) acted their butts off. The challenging thing about playing a Bible character is to portray the strength of faith and the weakness that we tend to feel when faced with such extraordinary characters. -There is a really subtle but awesome bit of foreshadowing with the scene between Abraham and the three visitors. If I think its going where its going, I give props to the creators for sticking true to that aspect of the passage. - The angels in Sodom and Gomorrah. While this part was very Hollywood, I honestly didn't care because I really think the phrase "spirit of the Bible" was true. - The narration- Keith David was an awesome choice. I can't explain it but something about his voice really fits with this version - They're adding bits of the Bible story that isn't often represented in film. (not that I've seen anyway). Its an interesting creative choice and I look forward to the next four weeks and what else they include.
3. THE CONS - While I applaud the film makers for some of the stuff they added, they are leaving out some really key stories. there are barely any mentions of Jacob or even Joseph. I get that not everything can fit, but I would have at least thought that they would have merited at least a montage. Plus, Moses' story is largely truncated and the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness , well that shaped the nation, more of it should have been added- if I speak from a purely Hollywood standpoint? To have more scenes with the actor portraying Moses. He was pretty awesome. But from a narrative standpoint? stuff that happened later on largely stemmed from their time in the desert.
So all in all, I think its a really well done production, because at the end of the day, if it gets people to pick up the book( or download the app) even if it is to argue with it, then it's fulfilling its great Commission.
Take the time to watch it- Unless you're a stickler for the details and can't get your head around the Samson is going to be black or that Jesus is going to be portrayed as the Roman "pretty version" or because you're favorite story isn't in it... well then that's on you. I for one enjoyed it and will continue to watch and see how God's story unfolds.