There is at least one thing that we will be able to say about Darren Aronofsky’s take on the Noah story: it’s going to be epic. Did we expect anything less though? While we’ve had several glimpses of Aronofsky’s biblical tale, until today we had no idea what Noah was truly going to look like. Now we do, and the vision, while spectacular, is also a little bit mixed.
The film follows the well-known tale of the man with the ark, this time played by Russell Crowe with total Gladiator sincerity. Warned by God, Noah starts building his ark to prepare for the coming destruction of the world by its creator. It won’t be easy though as he faces opposition from some marauding unbelievers – or something like that – led by an angry Ray Winstone.
But Noah is not alone in his attempts to gather two of every animal and finish his structure before everything gets waterlogged. He’s guided by his father Methuselah (who else but Anthony Hopkins) and accompanied by the rest of his family, including Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly and Logan Lerman.
This first trailer for Noah introduces us to the family, but mostly focuses on the epic scale of Aronofsky’s undertaking. The director is a master of the visual, and this film has some pretty spectacular sights. There are big fireballs, epic battles, roaring savages, religious visions and, of course, that big old Flood. All very impressive, and all more or less keeping with the biblical narrative.
But is it going to be enough? Crowe looks sincere and gloomy, which is pretty much his default setting, and Hopkins dispenses wisdom with the portentous grandeur we expect from Thor’s…I mean, Noah’s father. While I usually give Aronofsky the benefit of the doubt, I did not step back from this trailer with any sense that this is an important or necessary story. It looks like Gladiator with God.
There’s also an added bonus with the first international trailer for the film, which gives us a bit more footage of God’s wrath.
I might be in the minority in my cynicism about this one but you can decide for yourself by watching the first trailers for Noah below.
Spoiler alert, though! The Flood does come.
Noah hits theatres on March 28, 2014.