All of Darren Aronofsky’s films present an extremely surface level story. One can simply watch the film and accept and appreciate, or not, the story being told on screen. Assisted with his unique visual flair and his penchant for exploring humanity’s dark side, his films are definitely not for everyone; they never have been. However, buried deep inside of each and every single one of his films is an embarrassing wealth of detail begging to be analyzed. Assisted with his unique visual flair and his penchant for exploring humanity’s dark side, there is boundless fortune within his films that can enrich one’s viewing experience is one ever chooses to dive beneath that surface level. Noah is absolutely no exception to these rules.
For much of the same reasons many love his films, or dislike his films, Noah appeals to different levels of consciousness, wholly dependent upon the viewer’s reception and their willingness to see beyond the surface. His previous films always felt much more open to analysis; obviously not everything was as they appear to be on screen. However, because the story of Noah is such a world renowned tale, a tale that is explicitly simple in its main source material, it becomes so much easier to assume the film is nothing more than a surface level, big budget, Hollywood production. This is its marketing hook, this is how its gloss and sheen when we watch the trailers presents itself, and it’s exactly how the film views to people with a base set of expectations upon choosing to watch a movie called Noah.
I have an extremely deep affection for all of Aronofsky’s films; I love them. I had prepared myself for incredible disappointment with Noah; I too, was fooled by the surface level presentation of the tales of production woes, the blockbuster design and appeal, the marketing, the trailers, and the wide range of responses the film was receiving. What I did not expect was a film that’s so thoughtful and complex, sincere and profound, so optimistic and human, so beautiful and affecting, so powerful and evocative, so perfect. I definitely was not expecting to see a film that would inspire me to dive so deep into its interpretations, inspirations, and logic that I would end up writing a review consisting of around 8,500 words. Noah is 100% an Aronofsky film, his trademarks and personality absolutely littered throughout every scene and shot. Just like his previous work, Noah has thoroughly enthralled me to no ends with emotional and intellectual possibilities and satisfaction.
Over the course of writing this review, I have now seen the film twice in theaters. The film was just as pleasurable the second time as it was the first; if not more so. The intellectual juices that ran through my mind during and after the first viewing had begun to take form as I wrote this review. As I re-read the story in The Bible and researched the Jewish lore of Noah’s story, I began to generate evidence to all the feelings I had while watching the film. The pieces began to fit tangibly instead of just viscerally. I went out the next day and purchased the graphic novel that Aronofsky created back in 2011 based on his original script – the graphic novel had never been available in the U.S. before, and was originally published in France before the script was optioned to become a film – and saw his original vision that he had begun crafting in 2005 during the making of The Fountain. The graphic novel is incredibly fascinating in that, about 90% of the original script ended up on screen. One might be inclined to automatically assume that studio interference cause him to modify the script. I cannot confirm nor deny that studio interference was the cause of the changes, but what I can say is that all the modifications made to the script for the film were extremely wise choices. For one reason or another, the elements in the graphic novel that were removed enhance the film thematically and likely would have been an extreme detriment to the film if left in. I could talk forever on the graphic novel and the comparison between it and the film, but I’ve written far too much about the film already, so I will spare you. However, if you wish me to detail some of the differences, I’d be more than happy to continue the conversation in the comments.
With these additional resources added to my knowledge base, my second viewing of the film served only to solidify my position. I expected holes to appear, but instead some of the shortcomings I perceived upon my first viewing practically disappeared entirely. Noah is one of Aronofsky’s strongest works in my opinion and has entered my top three for his works; the exact position still undecided, it’s either number 2 or 3 – Black Swan forever!!!! It is not without its flaws, but whatever flaws it may have are extremely slight and proved be of no detriment to my viewing experience. It is an extremely divisive work that will create a greater rift among viewers than any other film likely to see release this year. But I feel that it is an extremely important work regardless if you like the film or not and is entirely worth the experience. Perhaps you too may be inclined to dive deeper into its themes as I was. Hopefully all of these words I have written can provide a different perspective on the film; whether you liked the film or not. I wrote this piece for myself. I had so much I wanted to research and discuss about the film that I wanted nothing more than to flesh out my thoughts on paper. If others can gain something from this as well, it is merely icing on the cake.
Grade: A+
Chris Kirby
I’ve been writing for Chris for about 3 years now, since the Mania days. I just ramble and rant about things as the urge hits. No vision or focus, just stuff. I hope you enjoy it!!!