December 12, 2024, marks the tenth anniversary of Ridley Scott‘s panned historic epic Exodus: Gods and Kings. New to Tubi on December 1, it is price reflecting on why the movie did not resonate amongst critics and audiences. In spite of everything, the story is ripped proper out of the Christian Bible, the highest-selling e book of all time, based on the Guinness Ebook of World Data. But, not even Scott’s directorial abilities, costly price range, and star-studded forged may lead the movie to salvation.
As an alternative, Exodus: Gods and Kings stays certainly one of Scott’s least profitable historic dramas by way of vital attraction. Fortuitously, Scott has rebounded with the current launch of Gladiator II, a profitable sequel to the Finest Image-winning Gladiator in 2000. But when the previous is a prologue, Scott could wish to heed the prevailing knowledge that left followers fleeing from Exodus slightly than embracing it. Then once more, as a maverick filmmaker in his mid-80s, Ridley Scott has confirmed that he doesn’t care about what others say about his cinematic output.
What Is ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ About?
Exodus: Gods and Kings
- Launch Date
- December 12, 2014
- Runtime
- 150minutes
Directed and produced by Ridley Scott, Exodus: Gods and Kings is a biblical epic launched on December 12, 2014. Loosely based mostly on the e book of Exodus, the story considerations the prophet Moses (Christian Bale) main the Hebrews on a large pilgrimage out of Egypt, the place they have been tortured and enslaved.
As Moses rebels towards Egypt and leads the Jewish inhabitants towards the Purple Sea, he channels God’s wrath to fend off enemies. Additionally vowing to guard his brother Ramses II (Joel Edgerton) and honor his father Seti’s (John Turturro) legacy, Moses turns into the heroic chief after turning on his individuals. A number of different biblical figures characteristic prominently, together with Nun (Sir Ben Kingsley), Tuya (Sigourney Weaver), Malak (Isaac Andrews), Joshua (Aaron Paul), Viceroy Hegep (Ben Mendelsohn), Nefertari (Golshifteh Farahani), and lots of extra.
Regardless of the long-held attraction of the traditional bible story, Exodus: Gods and Kings did not ring a bell among the many tens of millions who noticed it within the theater throughout Christmas 2014. The film was not a field workplace success, grossing $268.2 million worldwide on a $140-200 million price range (by way of The Numbers). But, a deeper have a look at the film’s tepid vital and common moviegoing response factors to the whole lot from a whitewashing controversy to poor pacing, flagrant historic inaccuracies, and extra.
The Vital Response to ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’
Along with being a monetary disappointment, Exodus: Gods and Kings took a vital drubbing. The movie at present holds a 30% Rotten Tomatoes rating and a 52 Metascore, indicating poor to combined responses. RT’s vital consensus reads:
“Whereas sporadically stirring, and suitably epic in its ambitions,
Exodus: Gods and Kings
cannot fairly stay as much as its basic supply materials.”
The commonest gripes in regards to the movie amongst critics included an absence of character improvement, wood dialog, gradual tempo, and screenplay deficiencies. Extra problematic, Scott was accused of ignoring the biblical supply materials and veering removed from the Ebook of Exodus. As IndieWire’s overview famous:
“Exodus: Gods and Kings illustrates a typical contradiction of business leisure: By taking part in it secure, the film fails to counterpoint the fabric, and by no means captures the power that has made its narrative so fascinating for millennia.”
Associated
All 9 of Ridley Scott’s Historic Movies, Ranked (Together with ‘Gladiator II’)
Ridley Scott’s fondness for historic motion pictures has seen him make a number of of them, notably Gladiator. So, which is the very best?
Equally, The Playlist’s overview added:
“Exodus: Gods and Kings is a creaky, generally painfully boring Previous Testomony slog, and finds the visionary director unable to efficiently wrangle a human story out of a story of gods and kings.”
Much less affected person with Scott’s brazen disregard of historic accuracy, Slant Journal‘s overview states:
“It would not take lengthy to appreciate that Ridley Scott’s adaptation is just aiming for sure types of credibility, and callously eschewing others.”
Past the biblical inaccuracies, critics could not overlook the casting of Caucasian actors for Center Jap characters. The whitewashing controversy additional strained the film’s credibility, leaving far fewer critics to defend its restricted deserves. The critics who did benefit from the movie hailed the performances and technical craft, however they had been grossly outnumbered. The Wrap’s overview addressed the casting with:
“This stodgy adaptation creaks with solemnity — to not point out reactionary casting decisions — and other than some nifty frog and locust infestations, even the particular results pale subsequent to a wind-blown Charlton Heston parting the Purple Sea.”
Though the lots helped the film not be a whole catastrophe on the field workplace, they too had been unimpressed with Exodus: Gods and Kings‘ outcomes.
Viewers Response to ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’
Exodus: Gods and Kings at present has a 35% Popcorn Meter viewers rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many informal filmgoers agreeing with the critics. A typical criticism is that, in making an attempt to appease each worldwide viewers member, the film loses the power of its Biblical inspiration. As Ana E notes:
“Exodus: Gods and Kings is not going to be loved by the devoted OR anybody else. The filmmakers forgot that they wanted to inform a narrative. Nothing occurs for an excellent motive. We do not get any historic background. We do not get secondary characters to care about. We do not get journey. You may spend most of this film hoping it is going to finish quickly.”
Agreeing with the sentiment is Korra N, who provides:
“One in every of Ridley Scott’s largest misfires, Exodus: Gods and Kings is filled with beautiful imagery and epic manufacturing values, however white-washing and uninspired writing make this biblical epic forgettable. If you happen to simply need spectacle, you are able to do worse, however outdoors of the visuals, cinematography and musical rating, Exodus is a bland mess.”
Maybe Rick M says it finest, including:
“A pathetic, worldly trendy interpretation that has Moses as an uninspired, war-mongering, worldly man. The historic accuracy of just about each element is completely uninspiring. Undecided what they had been making an attempt to do with this movie, nevertheless it fails miserably. And what the hell was that rattling child that stored displaying up?! The writers’ thought of the god of the Hebrews? A horrible depiction, from begin to end.”
Though Exodus stays amongst Ridley Scott’s highest-grossing motion pictures (although its price range was far too excessive given the returns), it failed to attach with almost everybody who noticed it a decade in the past. Exodus: Gods and Kings is streaming on Tubi.