Last Friday, I went to see Noah with some Arab girlfriends of mine. It was a very interesting experience. At the end, the girls were questioning whether they were allowed to see the movie. I questioned the sanity of Darren Aronofsky. Why did he think he needed to change one of the most shocking biblical narratives? Was it only a matter of selling tickets?

Overall, the movie was bad. It had magic and extra biblical plot lines. A huge portion of the movie was dedicated to the first 3 verses about the times of Noah. Who knew that the Nephilim looked like giant rock people. Never Ending Story anyone? Who knew that Noah was the first vegetarian environmentalist? Did PEETA make this movie? Where in the Bible did it say that Noah’s sons didn’t have wives? Who wrote this script?

There were some awesome things about this movie however. The way the fall of man was portrayed was beautiful. The animation throughout this sequence was gorgeous. It stated that God gave humans the entire garden and they chose to make the earth into a landfill through their sin. That was truth.  

The other beautiful thing was the emotional upheaval that Noah felt was beautifully and empathetically created. I can only imagine what it was like knowing all of the living creatures and people on earth were drowning around you. There is a scene in the movie which depicts Noah with his head in his hands listening to all of the screams of those drowning. It was an incredible way to think about the burden that Noah must have felt. 

While the movie was bad, Im glad it is going to give me an opportunity to dive into reading what the Bible and the Quran says about Noah with my friends. What a neat opportunity I have.