Exodus: Gods and Kings: Moses is Human, Ridley is Divine

The story of the brothers has been made by a brother, Ridley Scott for his brother Tony Scott.

For those of you who are familiar with the opulent, colorful and grandiose Ten Commandments, you would be advised to remove any of those images from the farthest corner of your brain, should you decide to see the movie. Ridley has gone the extra mile to make sure that there is not an iota of resemblance of Ten Commandments. The imposing Nile and the magnificent pyramids that are symbolic of Egypt though betray him.

Bright Colors that were resplendent in Ten Commandment take a back seat, the conflict to ascension of the throne is a non-issue, Nefreteri’s love for Moses seem to be non-existent,  The standoff between Moses and Rameses is muted, all elements of conflict and drama in Ten Commandments seem to take a backseat. The Red Sea does not part but recedes!!! And there is right for the messiah to disagree with the Ten Commandments before it is rolled out!!!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Why then is Ridley’s work fascinating?

For his ability to conjure an edgy, restless, dark, and thought provoking work(without any resemblance to TC), the amount of thinking that has gone into the making, must have been mind boggling. It certainly does not make for easy viewing.

The setting is dark, Ridley ensures that there is a perpetual haze and liberal doses of dark fumes that keep adorning the skyline of Egypt. The choice of colors are dull. The Slave workers live in pathetic conditions. A sense of realism in creating the environment in which the Hebrews lived adds a definite authenticity to the narrative.

Moses is more human, a rationalist, and acts more as a call from within like Siddartha. Moses, bereft of his staff(unlike Ten Commandments) takes on the mighty Rameses and his empire like a Freedom Fighter, struggling to find a way to liberate this brethren. It is then left to God  to unleash the wrath and hurtle Egypt and Rameses into abyss before Rameses finally relents.

It would have been nice to see Moses identify himself with his Hebrew brothers and their problems. He seem to be more attached to his Egyptian brothers. This could have significantly added to the experience. And Rameses seems to be not such a bad guy at all!!! The conflict quotient between Moses and Rameses made up for absorbing drama in TC. Nefreteri had a fair share in the drama, especially driving Rameses to chase Egyptians before the Red Sea parted in Ten Commandments. Exodus could have done better with better characterization of the principal characters.

Back to Exodus, I particularly liked the way the Ten Commandments was introduced symbolically. And the discretion given to Moses to agree or disagree with the Ten Commandments!!!

This is movie is certainly for the discerning viewer.

A lovely way to dedicate a film for a brother.  Ridley, Tony would certainly have approved of your effort.