Noah Review

I saw Noah on March 29, 2014!! I had been anticipating this movie for months, and in my opinion it lived up to my expectations. In my opinion, the story mixed with the ensemble cast made for something special. The story in general focuses on the biblical figure of Noah, but it's really an amazing look at humanity. The basic theme of this movie to me is the complexity of human beings-we are all capable of good & wickedness, and its the choices we make that determine who we are as a person. I thought that was presented well throughout the movie utilizing events from Genesis-Noah's Ark, Adam & Eve, etc. Each character arc was really interesting to follow. The other piece looks at ancient stories that the human race is descended from a singular family. Darren Aranofsky's incredible direction did a very good job of displaying that story as well.

Russell Crowe was very good as the haunted man chosen to save the world-he showed how difficult it can be to choose. The performance resulted in his best acting performance since his role as Maximus in Gladiator or John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. However, I felt the best performances were by Emma Watson as Ila, Jennifer Connolly as Naameh, and Logan Lerman as Ham. It was incredible seeing Emma Watson involved in such a huge project like this. I've been impressed with all of her roles, but with Noah she moved into another level showing great emotional range, particularly with how important her character arc is to the story. Her delivery of lines, mixed with emotional selling of the moment was blended so well that she brought me right into the scene. One scene in particular between her and Russell Crowe regarding choice was so powerful. So many people in the theater were getting into it as they should have. Watson was doing so well, and Crowe may have turned in his best performance as Noah since Maximus in Gladiator. Watson's arc was definitely the most powerful of everybody's and ultimately was the most important one in the story. I'm glad an actress that I have a ton of respect for was able to get this role. Watson's Ila is one of the better female roles I've seen in a while in a movie.

While Watson was excellent, Jennifer Connolly was also amazing. I've always been impressed with Connolly's work. Her characters are always really interesting female character studies, particularly in Requiem for a Dream. This movie showed that behind every man there is a woman helping him to make decisions. Naameh encourages Noah to take different courses of action instead of the ones that he is told to commit. Connolly's character is always watching the family interact and assessing the situation. Her eyes always sell a scene perfectly. The biggest decision of the movie revolves around Watson's Ila character, and it's Connolly's Naameh that delivers an incredible tour-de-force with incredible emotion. The passion she gives in this speech is so well done-you really feel her anger. I think a big reason is because Crowe & Connolly have starred in multiple movies together, so they were able to capture that emotion even better.

While Ila was definitely my favorite character (some of the hardships her character initially has to deal with is so painful), my second favorite character was Lerman's Ham. He was kind of the outcast of the family in some ways, but Lerman made it work so well. He was another character dealing with several difficult decisions. Logan Lerman is a very talented actor who has been in movies since The Patriot, but turned out great performances in movies like the Percy Jackson series and of course Perks of Being A Wallflower with Emma Watson. That was great seeing them together again here. Lerman's character seems to have to work harder to gain his father's affection. Some of Ham's scenes are shocking to watch, and I really found myself getting caught up in his arc. Lerman's emotions are torn throughout the movie, but everything he does is interesting whether its helping a lost girl or what he will do when a knife is placed in his hand. Great acting by Lerman. Him and Watson stole the show for me.

I've mentioned how I loved the ensemble cast, the character arcs, and the story in general, but I also want to point out how incredible the music and visuals were. The music fit so well with the emotion of the scenes as well as capturing the epic feel of the movie. Each element of the this movie gives it a definite 5/5. It's my favorite movie of 2014 thus far, and I am looking forward to getting it on DVD.