Exodus: Gods and Kings

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence including battle sequences and intense images.
Run Time: 150 Minutes
My Rating: 3.5/5
So tonight my wife and I decided to go and see Chernin Entertainment's Exodus: Gods and Kings starring Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Trilogy), Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty), Ben Kingsley (Ender's Game), and Sigourney Weaver (Avatar).  The film was directed by Ridley Scott, the man behind Gladiator and Alien.  The film centers on the Biblical story of Moses as he becomes the prophet of the Israelites and frees them from the captivity of the Egyptians.  It details the deadly plagues and the faith that the Israelites have in their God.
Before I begin, let me start out by saying that Ridley Scott has added a lot of details to the film that are not found in the Book of Exodus.  If you go into the movie thinking that you will receive this great spiritual experience, it probably won't happen.  The film even before it was released was suffering with a lot of controversy with some of the new additions and interpretations of the text and to tell you the truth after seeing it, there is a good reason why these controversies exist.  Now that is not to say that I did not like the film or that the film is terrible, but I just wanted to warn you at the beginning that it may not be all that you expect it to be.
The film in and of itself is actually very well made and very entertaining.  The entire time I was watching the film I thought about Ridley Scott's past film Gladiator.  The action sequences in the film are excellent and the special effects are amazing.  Honestly it is incredible to see how far we have come in our technology.  The story of Moses is like nothing you have seen before and Ridley Scott uses this great new technology to his advantage.
So besides the controversy that surrounded the film, the one thing that I didn't like about the film was that it was a long movie and it seemed like a long movie.  There were so many scenes that could have been taken out that would have made the film move just a little bit quicker, but unfortunately they the scenes slow the film down.
Overall, the film as a whole was really enjoyable.  Like I said before if you think you can handle some of the controversy then I would recommend going and seeing it.  However I do recommend that you go in with the attitude that it is just a movie and not absolute doctrine.  If you are looking for that, read the text.  However if you want a great action movie with great special effects, this is definitely the film for you this holiday season.

Thanks again for reading!! If you have any questions, comments, or ideas just let me know!!!