Review of Darren Aronofsky's Noah

Last Friday, we took a group of high schoolers to see the new blockbuster movie, "Noah." I wanted to post my thoughts on the movie, in case you were considering seeing it or taking your family.

First of all, Noah is rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief suggestive content. There are a few fight scenes, with injuries and blood shown. It is very on par for a PG-13 movie. Noah has visions from God about the impending flood, and we see bodies floating in the water. At one point, a character falls into a mass grave. There is nothing too graphic about it, but it is clear that there are bodies laying everywhere. There is one implied sex scene, where we see characters kiss and we see, from the neck up only, them remove their shirts. The scene ends there, but it is clear what happens next.

"Noah" admittedly strays from the Biblical text. As with any Hollywood adaptation, there are subplots added for drama, and details made up along the way. The director, Darren Aronofsky, is openly atheistic, but raised Jewish. He is one of the most critically acclaimed directors of the 2000s, so his take on this story is intriguing. He uses the non-Biblical book of Enoch to add to the story. We meet these creatures called The Watchers, which are fallen angels. They are a fictional third class of angels - not God's angels, not Satan's demons, but somewhere in the middle. They are central to the movie's story, but they are not in the Biblical text.

There is one other plot line added in the movie which is not found in the Bible. I can't say much about it without giving away the climax of the movie, but I will say this. In the movie, Noah believes that he and his family are to die out after the flood and be the last humans. This is very contradictory to the Bible. In Genesis, God makes it clear to Noah that he and his family are to survive and start over.

If you are going to see the movie, I highly recommend reading Genesis 6-9 before you go and after you come home. Compare what you saw with what the Bible says.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. There are creative decisions that I disagree with, and theological points which are completely missed. Regardless, it is a very entertaining movie. Take it for what it is - a Hollywood adaptation by an atheistic director. Don't go expecting a Sunday school story - it is gritty, dirty, and real. The movie itself (as just a movie) is really well done and captivating. It really helps to see Noah as a human with emotional struggles about the task at hand. It does a great job at making the story come alive, even if it adds non-Biblical elements.


If you'd like to read more detail, here are two articles I would recommend:
SDG Reviews 'Noah'
The Gospel Coalition