As this movie began, it occurred to me that some of the kerfuffle from the fundamentalists might have been avoided if writer/director Darren Aronofsky had used something other than the Judeo-Christian version for inspiration. Then I realized he used the familiar names as a sort of shorthand to avoid the need for lengthy explanation. No matter what his rationale, by the time I left the theater, I felt I had been led through the book of Genesis (including all those "begats") with generous doses of artistic license: the animals are computer generated images with only a slight tip of the hat toward realism. Do NOT trouble yourself with this film if you believe in a literal interpretation of the Judeo-Christian Bible.
- Russell Crowe ("Winter's Tale") as Noah, the paterfamilias who gets one upsetting message after another from The Creator. He's doing his best to obey; it is clear that he is the world's first conservationist.
- Jennifer Connelly ("The Dilemma") as his wife Naameh, who seems part loving wife and mother, and part shaman (she paces through the ark swinging a sort of incense burner with which she anesthetizes the creatures).
- Anthony Hopkins ("RED 2") is Methuselah (see, I told you "familiar names"), sitting on his mountain, who wants to enjoy the taste of berries one more time.
- Logan Lerman ("Percy Jackson" franchise) does some of the heavy lifting as Ham, who asks the obvious question, "Where will I find a wife if all of mankind is wiped out?"
- Emma Watson ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower") is Ila, their adopted daughter, gravely wounded when she was a child.
- Douglas Booth ("Romeo and Juliet") is Shem, the lucky son who gets the girl.
- Ray Winstone ("Hugo") is Tubal-Cain a descendant of Cain, perpetrator of the world's first fratricide. He says "I am a Man" and knows he has dominion over the animals.
I saw this in a theater with closed captions. I suspect I would have missed some of the dialogue if I hadn't worn the glasses. There were some very quiet, murmured moments.
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Please note all the CGI!
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1429579801/
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Please note all the CGI!
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1429579801/
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