Hollywood’s latest franchise
April 23, 2014
I know that it’s senseless of me to get angry at Hollywood, considering that the industry is full of fools who never seem to realize how ridiculous they are. It was irrational of me to actually hope for a film that stays faithful to at least the essence of the narrative when I heard that the story of Noah in the Book of Genesis was to be portrayed in a big-budget epic.
Please know that I do not possess extensive knowledge on the Bible. But growing up in a conservative Christian family with my father being a pastor has certainly helped me to the point where I can realize what is and isn’t right on the dot.
“Noah” is a wholly unbiblical fantasy, a film filled with a sacrilegious portrayal of God. According to the movie, the God who created the Earth is malevolent (and not necessarily the head God), the serpent is a hero and the fallen angels are righteous beings. This, however, is the exact opposite of what is taught in the Bible and is actually more in line with ancient Gnostic heresies. In the movie, Noah, played by Russell Crowe, is depicted as a dark psychopath who perceives through a dream that the enigmatic Creator, who by the way, is never referred to as God, intends to destroy the world with a flood. However, in the Book of Genesis, much of Noah’s knowledge comes from direct communication between God and himself. In truth, Noah was a close companion of the Lord and trusted and believed Him. In the film, God destroys the world for damaging the environment, harming animals and being meat-eaters, all of which are rendered in as the worst possible sins.
I understand that movies based on existing stories generally deviate from the original storyline, sometimes quite a bit. After all, movies are made to entertain people, and consequently, to rack up the cash.
However, director Darren Aronofsky made a huge mistake in twisting up the storyline, to the extent where even traces of the real story from the Scripture cannot be detected. By doing so, he crossed the line and downright ridiculed Christians and other religious groups. It was also senseless of Aronofsky to include evolution in “Noah,” as evolution directly crosses swords with Creation, which is the basis of the Bible.
Over-dramatizing the story is not the only way to attract a bigger audience, though “Noah” grossed $100 million in three weeks. Biblical epics that stay faithful to the Scripture have proven to be successful as well. In 2004, when Mel Gibson pitched his idea of a movie that accurately illustrates the last 12 hours of the life of Christ, he was told that it would not be successful. Gibson himself produced and financed “The Passion of the Christ,” and his $45 million investment grossed $600 million worldwide. Many Christian leaders were enthused and praised the film, and it won quite a string of accolades.
Hollywood has seriously distorted a biblical story once again, much to the resentment and outrage of a number of religious groups, mainly Christians. The depraved industry will never be able to redeem itself in my eyes, but as a start, movies such as “Noah” should never be produced.
