There are a whole lot of opinions floating around out there about the movie, Noah, and while I usually try to stay out of the fray, this time I really can’t. I have read too many misinformed, angry, and judgmental reviews of this movie, and I am so disappointed. Church, it’s almost Easter – the time of year when people are statistically more likely to be open to spiritual conversations. Could we please try to not be so obviously misinformed, angry, and judgmental, and maybe make an effort towards being a little more Christ-like?
I’d really like to make a request: if you start to read a review (including all that random commentary on Facebook), and it’s written by someone who hasn’t seen the movie or worse, by someone who got up and walked out and therefore has no idea what they’re talking about – please don’t take it as fact, and for heaven’s sake, refrain from sharing it. Instead, do a little more research and read intelligent reviews like this one by John Snowden, who served as the biblical advisor for the film, or this interview with the director. Then go see it. And talk about it with your friends, whether they know Jesus or not.
Talk about how incredibly charming tho slightly crazy you found Methuselah. Talk about the amazing strength portrayed by the women in the film. Talk about how awesome that one scene was, where the forest just showed up. Talk about how sad you were for Ham when his girlfriend of 10 minutes died, and how angry you were at Noah for letting it happen. Talk about how the rock monsters were maybe a little much, but how you got used to them after awhile (they did come in handy, helping Noah defend the ark like that), and how you were really happy that they all got to go Home, even if you found the theology a little fuzzy.
And as you’re talking about the movie, try to keep a few things in mind:
It would be one thing to criticize the “unbiblical” nature of the film if this were a movie made with the intention of telling an accurate story to people of faith. It wasn’t. It’s a Hollywood blockbuster directed by a brilliant man with an environmental agenda, who readily admitted that it was “the least biblical biblical film ever made.” And he did a good job portraying environmental issues that are actually relevant to the story, if not the main point of the original story. (Also, as a sidebar question to anyone who wants to be offended that God isn’t mentioned once in the movie – um… who do you think they were referring to every time they talked about “the Creator”?)
I personally have a really high suspension of disbelief – which means I can get completely caught up in stories. This was a bit unfortunate the first time I saw Jurassic Park (I have been terrified of velociraptors ever since, and yes, I do have an escape plan). But it’s helpful with movies like Noah, because it makes it easier for me to take the story on its own and not compare it exhaustively to the biblical account. Yes, they changed dozens of details, and added some characters. In the biblical account, Noah was a righteous man to whom God communicated directly, and his sons all had wives. They were also all a lot older. But what if you could set the facts aside, and look for the heart of the story, the themes that emerge?
You might find that the questions raised by the movie – about judgment and mercy, justice and grace – are the questions raised by the text as well.
One of the things I most appreciated about the Noah movie was how unabashedly real Noah’s struggles were. We are not very comfortable with questions like:
anymore than we are comfortable admitting things like:
photo courtesy of ©Depositphotos.com / MonaMakela
And yet if we really read the Scriptures, we find evidence that these are universal questions and statements. We would prefer that every question came with a neat and tidy answer, and when we do on occasion allow ourselves to shake our fists at heaven and shout at God about the really hard things, what we want is an explanation, and not the kind of response Job got: “Where were you when I created the heavens?”
But sometimes that is all we are going to get. In the movie, Noah is doing his best to understand, and he gets it really wrong – but it wasn’t for want of trying to hear God. And as Ila later reminds him, God chose him not because he was perfect but because deep down, Noah’s heart was true, and in the end, he would do the right thing. Love won, in his heart, and in the hearts of his family. It’s sad about Ham – but maybe Noah’s wrong about how broken their relationship was. Maybe Ham just needs some time in the wilderness. It seems to do wonders for biblical characters. 😉
And maybe we need some time in the wilderness, too. Maybe we need to dance with those 40 days of rain a little longer. To learn to be more comfortable with the juxtapositions of justice and mercy, judgment and grace, this side of heaven.
I don’t actually care if you like this movie or not. You’re welcome to dislike it. You’re even welcome to tell me why in the comments. I’d love to have a conversation with you, as long as we can respectfully disagree. But let’s remember that every review of this film (including mine) is subjective.
We all have reasons we do or do not like movies or books or paintings or songs. But at the end of the day, it’s just not possible to come to any kind of art without bringing yourself, and you’re going to bring your whole self – opinions, thoughts, feelings, experiences, presuppositions – to the experience. To truly engage with any form of art we need to be aware of that, to take notice of where that’s happening. But we also need to detach a bit and ask “what is the artist trying to do?” It’s not completely possible to step into that, short of a direct conversation with the artist(s). But we can try.
I love what Russell Crowe said about Noah: “Any piece of art that gets people willingly going into a conversation about our stewardship of the planet and spirituality and what it means to them is a fantastic thing.” Yes, yes it is. And Noah is a fantastic work of art. I’ve been thinking about it for over 24 hours and will likely keep on, mulling over the things it taught me, the scenes that broke my heart, the lines that resonated with me, the ideas that challenged me, the questions it raised, the gratitude I feel for mercy and grace, for second chances, for a God who believes I am worth redeeming.
Please don’t judge this movie by its biblical departures. Give it a chance to speak to you on its own terms.
You might just find you’ve met with God.
