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Exodus: Gods and Kings

Soulless and more than a little dull

First, this biblical action flick is visually stunning, as one would expect from Ridley Scott. But the pacing is lurching, the acting’s uneven (a lot of scowling), there are gaping gaps in the story, it feels rushed (even at 2.5 hrs), there’s little emotional impact and God’s a bratty kid. Entertaining in spots, but usually unintentionally.

I inevitably kept flashing back to Mel Brooks’ The History of the World, Part One. This didn’t help. Christian Bale can do almost anything, and his indifferent Moses is where the “almost” comes in. For a Bible epic, this is soulless and more than a little dull. Japanese title: Exodus: Kami to Ō. (150 min)