Excruciating Exodus Movie Exudes Errors
Exodus: Gods and Kings reeks with wretchedness
Note: This discussion of Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) contains spoilers.
Colossal expense equals colossal waste for the new Ridley Scott movie Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). The story has been changed so much from the Biblical narrative that it is barely recognizable.
My mother always taught me that if I don’t have anything nice to say, I should say nothing at all. If I were to follow her policy, this review of Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) would end now.
I should say I am not a purist. I understand that Biblical material needs to be added to in order to make a motion picture. After all, very rarely does the Bible give a physical description of a character. I also understand that changes might need to be made for technical reasons or to make the story flow—though Scott’s explanation for the racial make-up of his casting falls flat. Heck, I even like Dan Brown books. Sure, I notice the inaccuracies, but the man tells good stories. So why am I annoyed that Exodus: Gods and Kings bears almost no resemblance to the Biblical narrative? Because it pretends to be something that it is not.
It is beyond me to understand why one of the most action-packed, intense Biblical narratives needed such dramatic altering by writers Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine and Steven Zaillian. Their story was so different that if they didn’t use the Biblical names and released the same movie with a different title, I might not have even recognized it—especially with all the Arthurian mythology woven in—though the caricature and stereotypes that ran through the film shoved the viewer in that direction.
Not only have the exciting Biblical elements, such as a lonely baby floating down a raging Nile, a hero with a speech impediment sent to speak to the most powerful leader in the world, a brotherly side-kick, been edited out of the movie, God has been turned into a petulant child. This is the precise opposite of the narrative, which depicts a God who has control of every element of nature, including death and Pharaoh. But movie Moses’ exasperated cry, “Who are you punishing?” misses the textual point that the Hebrews were not subjected to the majority of the plagues. I should not be surprised as it seems no one involved with this movie has ever read the Biblical account. This comic visually demonstrates the plague of darkness that affected the Egyptians but not the Israelites (Exodus 10:22–23). Image: bit.ly/1C3fxnd courtesy Barer at Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.
The movie is manipulative in its anti-religious polemic. All the supernatural elements of the story (which are in the Bible to make theological points about the God of the Hebrews and thus are literarily important to the characterization of God, regardless of one’s faith position) are stripped away or given a “scientific” explanation within the dialogue. It’s amazing that the movie had time for that when it rushed through the plagues. To my count, only eight or possibly nine were depicted (though the alligator plague might be an improvement on the text). The Egyptian priestess (apparently there was only one in Memphis) and the prophet are slain for incompetence. Moses is a firm atheist until he suffers a traumatic brain injury which makes him hallucinate a boy-god. Which brings us to the petulant, malicious boy-god, who plagues the Hebrews alongside the Egyptians, ignores Moses’ pleas for mercy and binds the Hebrews to him without choice in the final plague. All of these alterations were designed to make religion look senile. This is misdirection at best considering the blatant attempt to attract religious viewers with the movie’s “Biblical” subject matter.
My intention was to create a list of all the changes made to the text, the historical inaccuracies and the archaeological brutalities, but there are just too many of them. To do this would result in a review that was twice the length of the script itself. Even where I might be able to offer praise at the movie’s use of paleo-Hebrew (a single rudimentary mem), it was written on a full sheet of papyrus by a slave. Seriously?! What slave can afford to buy papyrus? Not to mention can read or write? I know I am not supposed to ask these questions, but I am also supposed to find at least something nice to say about everything. I guess I am just not very good at doing what I am supposed to.
Leaving aside the mutilations to the text, the historical record and the archaeological remains, the melodramatic nature of the characters made them phony and dislikable. Thus, even if you can put everything else aside, I would still recommend you skip this incredible waste of time and money.
For more on Hollywood movies, read “The ‘Gods of Egypt’ Movie: A Mess of Anachronisms and Exoticization,” “Rock Giants in Noah” and “Blending into One: The ‘Left Behind’ Movie, the Book of Revelation and the Rapture.”
Ellen White, Ph.D. (Hebrew Bible, University of St. Michael’s College), is the senior editor at the Biblical Archaeology Society. She has taught at five universities across the U.S. and Canada and spent research leaves in Germany and Romania. She has also been actively involved in digs at various sites in Israel.
More on the Exodus in Bible History Daily:
Exodus in the Bible and the Egyptian Plagues
Who Was Moses? Was He More than an Exodus Hero?
Out of Egypt: Israel’s Exodus Between Text and Memory, History and Imagination
Searching for Biblical Mt. Sinai
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Thanks for all the critiques of this film. My friends, both Jewish and Christian, agree; and none of us plan to see it. The depiction is neither historically nor scientifically correct but, instead, distorts the whole biblical scenario. After Ralph’s listing of historical/archeological facts in his post above, I need say anything further. Thank you again, y’all!
There is no valid reason why an atheist could not have made a biblically accurate biblical movie [after all: the atheist, communist, homosexual Pier Paolo Pasolini managed it in the film ‘The Gospel According to St Matthew’] unless, of course, he didn’t want to.
In short, Ridley Scott’s film is propaganda. Nothing more, nothing less.
>>though Scott’s explanation for the racial
>>make-up of his casting falls flat.
I don’t think so. There were no black African Egyptians.
The Israelites we know, were not black – in fact they looked like – errr – modern Jews.
As to the Egyptians, Ramesses II was a redhead. When the mummy of Ramesses II was taken to France in 1985 for preservation, it was also forensically tested and the results determined that:
Quote:
“Hair astonishinghy preserved showed some complementary data – especially about pigmentation: Ramses II was a ginger haired cymnotriche leucoderma.”
Professor Pierre-Fernand CECCALDI, Forensic Scientist, Criminal Identification Laboratory of Paris. (Bulletin de l’Academie de médecine – Volume 171, Issue 1. p119)
So Ridley Scott was correct in his casting and depictions.
Ralph
Aw, come on. If Biblical passages were adhered to, no one would talk about their movie. I’ll probably watch it at some point in the future, but it doesn’t sound likely that my opinion of Biblical truths will be changed by it.
I enjoyed the review.
I agree with the writer what turned me of they got moses talking like heathens today saying things like I dont think so what an idiotic portrayal of moses its just stupid to have batman playing moses was this actor in american psycho…now that is sick…what about trained actors not these wanna be john come lately
I am disappointed that this review did not list more changes etc – after all that is a review’s main purpose of having an expert in the subject matter pointing out the errors, omissions, improvements etc.. Not knowing the context of the slave with papyrus writing etc does not allow a fair assessment of the comment that ‘slaves could not afford papyrus’. I differ, depending on whom the slave was plus recent work has shown it was not as expensive as previously thought. You also expect Hollywood to find the unusual angle!! after all they are making a movie NOT a documentary. Having said all that, as an Egyptologist I am always surprised to hear the utter shock that greets the class announcement ‘Egypt was an AFRICAN culture’ when teaching intro hieroglyphics etc. ‘African’ to Western eyes is only too often simply Negroid and ignores the other types in the continent..
I found it amusing that when the author finally finds one thing to list as “historical inaccuracies”, she asks, “Seriously?! What slave can afford to buy papyrus? Not to mention can read or write?”. I wonder where she gets the idea that the Jewish slaves were illiterate, especially from a biblical perspective. I recall the mitvah to write words upon doorposts and gates. This is given with a clear expectation of understanding what they were writing.
People, people please say it isn’t
so. If you believe that Jesus died and was raised from the dead than all your questions have been answered. To search for proof of whether the Bible is accurate or even truethful aren’t you already questioning your own belief?
As it states in the Bible ” I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts” so whether the evidence is there or not is irrelavent because you ALREADY KNOW THE TRUETH. To go digging in peoples graves is an abomination and to traveling through space searching for proof the Bible is false and that everything exists because a few comits collided with earth is just plain stupid.
You already know the trueth and you didn’t have to leave your sofa. Whether you choose to believe your conscience is up to you. Me personally I just like watching God have fun with all of these brilliant: scientists. How’s that solar powered plilae lander doing without sunlight
As far as the movie Gods and Kings
There is and has always been only one true God and to deny him his story told in trueth well,
(God help them all)
I will watch to see how they want to brain wash you.
I saw the movie. I thought it was GREAT! It makes you realize that your previous visualizations of the Bible narrative, are a “man-made” limitation that we have imposed upon ourselves, and since we can never know the mind of God, any original visualizations might open our own minds to the inspirational message of the Exodus that we have not considered before. Do yourself a favor, and go see this movie.