I'm used to this experience of life taking place from the minority perspective. It has its positives and negatives. One of the negatives is it appears I'm in the minority of Americans that enjoy modern 3D films and because of that I don't get to watch as many of them as I would like. When they're done right, there is nothing more amazing to me in a movie experience. They are nothing like the 3D movies of my childhood with the gratuitous objects being flung toward the camera that reminded me, the goofy looking viewer that was sitting in front of the screen in cardboard blue and red glasses, I was watching 3D. Today's 3D is much more than that. Anyway, I can't help but wonder why any time Europe likes something (universal healthcare, investing in science, high speed rail, 3D movies) and I like the same thing then I end up going without.
Some of the positives that come along with viewing reality from the minority perspective is my take on the film Noah. Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins weren't star power enough to get me interested in this movie. That's not to say I'm not a huge fan of both of those guys. I am. But, it was Darren Aronofsky that made we want to take in this movie.
Every good director has their own style. I like Scorsese movies for different reasons than I like Tarantino movies. And, I like Aronofsky films because of his unique style he brings to the art. Aronofsky is known for getting up close, really close, and personal with the main character(s) of his films. Whatever the subject matter - struggling to be a ballet dancer, trying to find the Fountain of Youth, or even trying to figure out the meaning of the universe through a math formula - Aronofsky is magnificent at making the viewer share the pain and torment of the character on the screen. Requiem for a Dream is an amazing example of how Aronofsky presents his dramas to the audience, but it isn't that far of a leap to take drugs and addiction and over indulgence and show how much pain and chaos they can create. This is why I found myself fascinated with the idea of Aronofsky taking on the story of Noah.
The story is a biblical one and has different meanings to different people. I could care less about all of that. I simply entered the theater with the hopes of seeing Aronofsky do what he does best: sharing the pain. When I first watched the movie Clash of the Titans when I was a lot younger, I didn't get caught up on whether or not the writer of the movie was giving an accurate and historical presentation of the mythology. The same is true now, at my older age, for the movie Noah. The plot line was one I was familiar with and this is nothing new when it comes to watching movies. I knew what happened to the Titanic but I was interested to see how James Cameron wanted me to view it.
We all know the tale of Noah and how he built an ark and collected all of the animals and was tasked with repopulating the planet. The part of the tale that Aronofsky wanted us to experience was the anguish and guilt and suffering that came along with the task presented to Noah. It's easy to joke about how hard it must have been to collect two of every animal on the planet and then fit them on a boat and have them not devour one another. Aronofsky doesn't seem concerned about any of that. In essence, he is basically asking us to simply accept the story at face value and then go from there. I was totally cool with that. Where he was taking us was the human experience. I was totally cool with that too.
One thing I that I found surprising was how conflicted I was when it came to figuring out which character I was pulling for in the story. All involved parties make pretty good arguments for whatever their agenda happens to be concerning their envisioned future. Towards the end I couldn't help but wonder if I was in some random sample that was getting to view an alternate ending. I wasn't sure how it was all going to wrap itself up and still be the Noah tale I was familiar with, where everything works out in the end. Russell Crowe was fantastic in his portrayal of a very tormented man that was guided by a tremendous sense of faith, hope, and, the greatest of all (I'm quoting God here), love.
In the end, love is what it all comes down to in this particular tale. All isn't well in the new world. All isn't perfect. But, love is the only possible way to partake in the journey. Noah learned that lesson thousands of years ago according to Aronofsky's latest work. This is why I find it strangely peculiar that so many "Christians" were up in arms about this film. It seems these are the people that miss the message the most because they get offended at some of the bells and whistles that are designed to get one's attention in order to deliver a message.
Are we so shallow that the story that is leading to the moral is actually more important than the moral? With less than ten minutes to go I watched a couple get up and walk out. There could certainly be various reasons that made them leave the movie at that moment. Perhaps, they had previously sneaked in to the movie right at the tail end and this time, when they reached the moment where they began watching it last time, they walked out. It's possible. Maybe there was an emergency (they walked out pretty calm though) of some type at home. My guess is, because of the very moving and troubling stuff that was taking place on the screen, they weren't happy with their investment in the entertainment.
We're all different and this is America, the land of the free. If you're not happy with your movie experience then you definitely have the right to get up and walk out. I'm different, I suppose. I've never walked out on a movie, no matter how much I wasn't enjoying it. The closest I've even been to leaving a movie early was Fight Club. I know that's going to piss some of you off but I didn't enjoy it. The idea was great and the actors were cool but when you start doing stuff like that (people being the same people and not real people) and messing with time travel (not that Fight Club did that, just speaking in general terms about other movies) then you better at least make it somewhat believable to me. Even though the movie pained me and I was anxiously waiting for it to be over, I stuck it out. I'm no quitter. Once, unintentionally, I fell asleep during a Wesley Snipes movie.
If that couple didn't like Aronofsky's style then they certainly would have figured it out with only ten minutes left in the film. What, most likely, they didn't like was the story. I'm not going to give anything away and this isn't even a movie critique (that was the hook - the bells and whistles) but I did already mention it does get a little complicated and troubling toward the end. That's just the story this guy decided to tell. If nothing else, it makes you examine the entire Noah tale from a different perspective. For that, I am thankful. But, the moral of the story - LOVE - is untouched from the original. Isn't that what matters the most in this message? How could this message be any better? In 3d, that's how.
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