Biblical Movie Review: 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'

Last night with the wife out of town and my son asleep at his Grammy's house I was able to sneak out and see Exodus: Gods and Kings with a friend of mine. When it comes to biblical movies I'm not usually one to rush and see them. I actually have never seen Noah. After I read reviews I just decided not to see it.  I didn't go and see Son of God because again I heard mixed reviews. So, this time I decided I would go and see it before I could even read any reviews! I figure this would give me an opportunity to come to my own conclusion about the movie.

I think it is a given at this point that Hollywood is going to take artistic liberties with the narrative of the Bible. in Exodus this continues. The movie basically follows the outline of the biblical story while taking artistic liberties and also filling in gaps, adding and taking away certain characters and events. However, the movie basically sticks to the outline of the story pretty well.

Therefore, I want to take this review to examine the way that God is depicted in the movie, as this is what I think is of most importance, and what most Christians will be questioning the most after leaving the movie.

In the movie God is depicted as a young boy. In the old movie 10 Commandments God was depicted as a distant voice. What is interesting about the biblical exodus account is that it is the angel of the Lord that meets Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2). The figure is not clearly identified but many scholars throughout church history, including nearly all of the early church fathers, have identified the angel of the Lord with the preincarnate Christ, Son of God. Others just considered the angel of the Lord as a theophany, an appearance of God in human form. Therefore, it seems warranted to actually depict God in human form. However, the choice of a young boy is questionable, and Exodus 33:23 says that Moses saw his back, but not his face.

What is more concerning is the temper of this young boy. There are far too many misunderstanding about the God in the Old Testament, and my hope is that this movie doesn't continue that misunderstanding. It is true that God is one of justice and wrath, but not one with a temper! Theologians have traditionally affirmed the impassibility of God, which means that he is "not subject to passions/emotions." This does not mean that God has no emotions, but that God is not subject to them. They don't control him, make him impulsive, or cause him to act irrationally. In other words, God doesn't throw temper tantrums. This is important since the depiction of God in Exodus does seem to have a bit of a temper and seems to be acting out of these passions.

Also, the way that the Old Testament depicts God is one of compassion. The traditional notion that the God of the Old Testament is one of anger and the God of the New Testament is one of love is just plain wrong. In fact, one of the clearest explanations of God in Exodus 34:6 says that the Lord is "a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." 

This doesn't seem to be the depiction in the movie. Instead, God is spiteful towards the pharaohs and gives this reason for the plagues: "These pharaohs, who imagine they are living gods, are nothing more than flesh and blood! I want to see them on their knees begging for it to stop!" This is not the reason the Bible gives for the plagues. In Exodus 9:16 the purpose is given: "for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth". 

The reason for the plagues in the Bible is not about the pharaohs, and its not about God seeking revenge on them. Instead, it's about God displaying his glory and greatness. In fact, many of the plagues resemble powers of the Egyptian pantheon, ultimately showing that God is more powerful than the gods of Egypt.

There are some other issues in the movie that could be addressed. For example, Moses is depicted as fairly defiant towards God, and he is essentially depicted as a humanist Atheist before encountering God. This is possible, but might take some off guard.

Also, the movie gives some naturalistic explanations for some of the miracles, and a possible naturalist explanation for Moses' communication with God. The most obvious of these is the parting of the Red Sea, which has more to do with an approaching storm that creates a Tsunami, pulling the water back and creating a wave that destroys the Egyptians, rather than Moses performing a miracle. In fact, the movie doesn't depict Moses as doing anything supernatural, like the Bible does. The first time Moses sees God it is after he bangs his head on a rock, and later when Moses is talking to God a witness sees Moses talking to no one. This could cause some to think that the movie has naturalistic presuppositions.

Ultimately, Exodus: Gods and Kings is cinematically creative (the plagues are pretty interesting in 3D!), yet at times it is concerning in the way God is depicted and the narrative unfolds. My hope is that this movie will encourage people to investigate God's Word for themselves, and ultimately then people will hear about the loving, covenant-making and covenant-keeping God of the Old Testament that ultimately fulfills all of his promises in Christ.