L'Exode : Dieux et rois

It will sound empty or conceited, but I would really love for Exodus: Gods and Kings to have four or even five hours. For the brotherly bond, high intrigues, secondary characters played by famous faces, or the paranoia of the main hero to have enough space for the key scenes to hit with full force and shake me. As it is, most of the dialogues feel like filler where Christian Bale can shine, but will never have a chance to turn a spectacular show into a true epic. The views into the distant landscape, the ten plagues, or the final parting of the waves are therefore just episodes awaited as attractions. I can't help but mention that The Prince of Egypt was an animated film half the length and still said everything with greater complexity and comprehensibility all in one go. (2023-08-07)

Definitely better than Darren Aronofsky's Noah, but still, Ridley Scott could have gotten more out of it. Exodus is an epic and visually arresting sensation that is rather empty, cold, emotionless and with an excessive running time, that's what slightly hindered my full experience here. For an hour and a half nothing interesting actually happens apart from Moses' wanderings around the world, this could definitely have been cut down and instead more time spent on the Egyptian plagues, which are over rather quickly, but there can be no fault with them they are perfectly shot, gripping and breathtaking. The final tsunami will literally make your mouth drop, I've never seen anything better. It's amazing how technology is moving forward, it's a pity the pace didn't get more of a push on the throttle, it might have made me melt. Must see on big screen!!! 75% (2014-12-31)

Exodus is classic Ridley Scott, and after the disaster that was The Counselor, I needed this. It’s got the epic storyline, brutal battle scenes, and some absolutely stunning visuals—like the Ten Plagues—that are going to haunt me for a while. The score is solid, the performances are great, and honestly, the only thing that bothers me is knowing there’s a four-hour version out there. If Ridley had released that cut in theaters, everything might have made more sense. I went to the bathroom for like a minute during the movie, and when I came back, it felt like I missed a huge chunk of the story. You can tell they had to cut a lot to fit it into two and a half hours. Still, despite the pacing issues, I can't find much else to criticize. I don’t get the hate from some critics who call this one of Scott’s worst films. Sure, it’s not perfect, but nobody else could’ve made it this well. I think everyone should just watch it and decide for themselves. I know I’m satisfied. (2015-01-04)

A Biblical epic about Moses, in which there is no need to analyze the characters and their relationships, because we all know them well. We should be satisfied with the beautiful epic concept with breathtaking exteriors and nice costumes, and the spectacular depiction of legendary disasters and crossing the ocean should be enough to turn the film into a blockbuster hit. Except that we’re not satisfied and it’s not enough. I am an atheist and biblical events alone are not enough for me. These were supposed to work as the bases for a thorough depiction of the motivation of the characters and the difficulties of the fundamental historical stage of humanity and its political and ethnic problems. Exodus either lacks all of that or gets it over with as quickly as possible. It is a super serious work that is less entertaining than the silly Dracula Untold. (2014-12-28)

Ridley Scott did well in Gladiator, he caught a good period when people were hungry for swords and sandals and essentially started the resurrection of these films. It was a thematically simple and audience-friendly film. In Kingdom of Heaven, he turned it around and approached it from the end, which resulted in a box office flop, but now it is gaining glory and prestige with the passage of years. In other words, Balian's journey to self-realization and what he wants has matured like wine, just like Titanic, its timelessness is even more striking, and the film is of even higher quality. Exodus is a hybrid the two aforementioned pieces, but unfortunately, it is not very viewer-friendly because the classic story of self-realization is mixed with fantasy elements and religious themes. As long as it's a classic story with traditional values, everything is fine, except for the woeful PG13 rating. Scott knows how to handle panoramas and camera shots, and he always has. Unfortunately, as soon as the Bible comes into play, it becomes bad and starts to clatter. Go see it in the cinema because visually, it is good, and even without Hans Zimmer, it's okay. But as a whole, it is closest to Robin Hood – or less awkward at least. We'll see what the director’s cut will bring, and I hope it will be R-rated and at least 30 minutes longer. Maybe there will be the same boost in quality as in the case of Kingdom of Heaven. Even without the extended version, it is a film that will mature along with the viewer's life and film experiences. (2015-01-03)