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Exodus: Gods and Kings
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Moody Biblical battle epic about Moses is gory and dull.
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Exodus: Gods and Kings
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Based on 14 parent reviews
Just typical violence
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This is the best movie in that decade
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What's the Story?
As kids, Moses and Rhamses grew up together in the palace of Rhamses' father (John Turturro). As adults, Rhamses (Joel Edgerton) rules Egypt, with Moses (Christian Bale) as his trusted counsel. While inspecting a division of Jewish slaves, a wise man (Ben Kingsley) informs Moses that he, too, is Jewish. When Rhamses finds out, Moses is banished. He meets and marries Sefora (Maria Valverde) and starts life anew ... until God contacts him (in the form of a boy) and tells him that he must free the 600,000 people enslaved under the pharaoh. God assists by sending seven deadly plagues, but then Moses must lead the people across the Red Sea and into the promised land.
Is It Any Good?
EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS has a somber, dreary quality, punctuated by a thrumming, droning music score. Director Ridley Scott has made some great films, but he seems drawn to huge battle epics, like Kingdom of Heaven and Robin Hood, which he doesn't seem particularly suited to. The mood of this film doesn't invite anything in the way of an emotional or spiritual connection.
Nor does it allow many of the actors much of anything to do. Bale is both serious and battle-ready, and several other recognizable actors appear as window dressing. Only Edgerton as Rhamses brings a little heart to his under-confident villain. Some choices, such as God appearing as a creepy kid, are simply strange. Only the plagues sequence offers a kind of distraction, but even that quickly turns disturbingly dark. Earlier Moses films (The Ten Commandments, The Prince of Egypt, etc.) were at least campy or funny, but this one isn't even entertaining.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Exodus: Gods and Kings' violence, especially during the "seven plagues" sequence. Does the movie go too far, or is this violence necessary to convey the movie's story and themes?
Is Moses a hero in this story? What does he achieve? What does he learn? Is he a role model?
What's the appeal of Biblical epics like this one? What is the Moses story about, ultimately?
Why do you think the filmmakers choose to show God as a child? Is God fair? Wise? Cruel? What is his motivation in freeing the slaves?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 12, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: March 17, 2015
- Cast: Christian Bale , Joel Edgerton , Ben Kingsley
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Inclusion Information: Indian/South Asian actors
- Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: History
- Run time: 150 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: violence including battle sequences and intense images
- Last updated: April 4, 2023
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