Bale Out 2: biblical boogaloo
Ridley Scott (2014)
It took me years to finally see this movie, because I wasn’t interested when it came out, and it had a lot of bad press at the time. But I was pleasantly surprised.
Exodus presents a new take on the life of Moses, a valued member of Egypt’s royal family and respected army general, that changes forever upon learning of his true parentage.
The Bad: Clearly the runtime should have been longer, a lot seems to be missing, supporting characters are really under-developed, and even for main characters I felt there were missing scenes. Despite being a long movie, it really strikes me as incomplete. There are some CGI-heavy shots that probably won’t age well.
The Good: I’m gonna sound like a broken record, but once again Ridley Scott delivers a gorgeous piece on the visual standpoint, there are some truly beautiful scenes, like the quiet night in Memphis or the apocalyptic parting of the Red Sea. I liked the casting, Christian Bale is focused and charismatic as Moses, and Joel Edgerton as Ramses is odd, like he’s unrecognizable (but in a good way).
My opinion: I would have liked a longer director’s cut, but nonetheless what I got out of it was flawed but epic spectacle, which I’ll gladly revisit later on. It is certainly not among Ridley Scott’s best work, but it is far from the debacle people were painting it to be.
ame 