Noah's ark is a story many know from the Old Testaments of the Bible; "Noah" is Hollywood's version of the famed story. While staying true to many of the elements of the timeless account, the story does receive the typical Hollywood treatment.
Set in a distant future after a large post-nuclear catastrophe, a young Noah -depicted by Dakota Goya of "Rise of the Guardians" -watches his father, Lamech, die at the hands a youthful Tubal-Cain (Finn Wittrock) as well as steal the serpent's skin (from the serpent in Eden).
As the years pass Noah, played by Russell Crowe ("A Beautiful Mind",) has a family of his own. His wife, Naameh (Jennifer Connelly), and his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth (Douglas Booth, Logan Lerman and Leo McHugh Carroll) accompany Noah to visit his grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) after Noah witnesses a miracle and has a vision.
These little miracles make Noah realize the creator is trying to send him a message. En route to visit Methuselah, the family finds a group of recently killed humans and the lone survivor, Ila (Emma Watson). The family adopts her as they escape Tubal-Cain's men after Watchers - fallen angels who look like stone golems - appear.
When Noah and his family meet Methuselah, Methuselah gives Noah a seed from the Garden of Eden. Noah plants the seed and watches yet another miracle happen: a forest grows within seconds. The Watchers are convinced the creator chose Noah as Noah announces he will begin to construct the ark with the wood provided by the forest.
If you have any knowledge of the Biblical story, Noah does complete the ark, but for Hollywood entertainment, can Noah provide everyone on board with a mate, protect them from Tubal-cain and have everyone live out the storm without incident?
Overall "Noah" was great; it was visually dynamic, the cast was stellar (maybe I'm biased because I do enjoy many of the movies the top-billed cast is in), and the story gave more life to the story my mom and dad told me. "Noah" incorporates the tricks and skills of Hollywood, but it still is a decent film.
Gloryeanne Lindenmuth can be reached at gloryeanne.lindenmuth@student.shu.edu.
