MOVIE REVIEWS - Noah

Director Darren Aronofsky and co-writer Ari Handel expand this lesson into a sprawling narrative about one man’s tireless quest to save innocent animals from the apocalypse.

This Noah is both a parable about self-sacrifice and a bombastic spectacle replete with computer-generated battle scenes that wouldn’t look out of place in Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth. Our Lord Of The Rings, if you will, although the script never directly references God.

The Nephilim, interpreted here as fallen angels, are re-imagined as gargantuan stone creatures not too far removed from the lovable Rock Biters in The Neverending Story, who aid Noah’s epic construction.

“In the beginning there was nothing,” booms an opening voiceover, condensing the fall of Adam And Eve and blood spilt between Cain and Abel into a mosaic of haunting images.

While the descendants of Cain spread greed and wickedness, the descendants of Seth - Cain’s surviving brother – work the land, taking only what they need.

The last of this righteous bloodline, Noah (Russell Crowe), lives with his wife Naameh (Jennifer Connelly) and sons Shem (Douglas Booth), Ham (Logan Lerman) and Japheth (Leo McHugh Carroll).

One night, Noah experiences a vision of a devastating flood... and you know the rest.

Noah is fascinating yet flawed.

Quieter, thoughtful sections of the film, when the titular character wrestles with his destiny, beg provocative questions about devotion to a higher power.

My rating 7/10

Check your local cinema for show times.