Noah: A Film Review.

There has been a lot of controversy around the recent Hollywood film 'Noah' concerning the inaccuracies of the film regarding the ancient bible story. For many who consider the interpretation of biblical texts literally, the movie depicts a story that is not only inaccurate but that as a consequence one that threatens the understanding and passing down of a holy story.


The film directed by Darren Aronofsky starting Russell Crowe as a stubborn Noah has a double spin of Hollywood's over the top fantasy with fallen angels made of huge beings made of rock and a philosophical and theological approach where Noah struggles with the will of God contrary to his conscience. In addition, the film tries to make of an ancient story a contemporary and relevant narrative.
For some, keeping the story accurate to the text is the one single most important fact. The argument of course, that the bible is the literal word of God and any description that shows otherwise is altering the truth of the biblical text. This argument, dismisses the possibility of holding down to truths that are metaphorical. The story can contain a message which holds to be true despite of whether every fact within the story actually happened.
Having said that, it is extremely difficult to understand the theological truths of God in the story of Noah. A world that has gone awry and as a consequence God decides to punish all alike by starting a flood that would wipe all of humanity except for one family. What can we preserve from this?
The film adds a twist to the original version. Spoiler alert, it is in Noah's hands to choose whether or not to continue humanity where one of his children marries and conceive two daughters. Noah still in the ark, having set in his mind that God has decided to sweep humanity out of the world because of their wickedness has to choose of whether or not to let the newborns live.
Noah, personifying the will of God in the story--chooses life. He chooses life over death, he chooses a new beginning over the end of all, he chooses restoration over destruction, he chooses opportunity over resignation, he chooses love over accountability, he chooses mercy over judgement and perhaps, this is the message to be kept form the story of Noah: A God who acts the way Noah did.