So, I've been hearing a lot of bad reviews (pretty much all from fellow Christians) on this movie. They've been saying that, because it's not correctly written, it's a bad film. Well, I beg to differ! Yes, I admit that they added/changed a few minor details to make it more dramatic and interesting, but when have they NOT changed a story to increase the chance of it being a hit? There have been tons upon tons of book-to-movie adaptations that were extremely distant from the original story! But, people still watch them. I enjoyed Noah. The cinematography was exceptionally good. There were a few transition montages that were edited in such a way to make it look like one long shot where nothing changed except for the main subject in the frame. I can't remember if I've ever seen that done before, at least not done in that way. It was probably one of my favorite parts of the film. Another thing I took note of was the use of repetition. There were a few moments where they'd show the same shots in the same order as the first time they had been introduced, or the same scene, but shot slightly different. I remember learning about the power of repetition in my film class this last year, but it's a very old technique and I don't think I've seen it done in my lifetime. I loved the cinematography of this film, and the directing wasn't half bad, either!
As for casting, Russell Crowe (Noah) is great in everything he's in, but Emma Watson (Ila) was astounding. There was a particular moment during her role that I especially liked; she had just given birth to twin girls and Noah had threatened to kill them. The amount of effort and heart she poured into her reaction to that was captivating. I have never seen a woman act in such a way, but there is no doubt in my mind that one would have that exact response in a similar situation. I recommend everyone sees this film at least once.
I give Noah 8 out of 10.
