Darren Aronofsky's: Noah

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Why does this always have to turn into a religious debate? :(

Because people don't know how to exercise enough basic restraint to discuss a topic like this without making attacks against "the other side". Cheap shots are easy, actual discussion takes a bit more effort.
 
Exactly, there is a totally different historical context.

For centuries "passion plays" depicting the crucifixion of jesus were used to incite riots against jews, where thousands of jews throughout history were killed.

So what the passion of the christ touched upon had more to do than with it being called out for being "inaccurate", like they are doing for Noah now.

The point is there was no (and shouldn't have been) real reason for concern that the movie would somehow incite thousands of otherwise normal Christians to lynch Jews.We're not in the dark ages any more.
 
So what are the chances that the next time that a movie is made featuring Arabs/Muslims as the villains that the studio will force the filmmakers to add an "explanatory note?" My guess is ZERO!! Christians acting like their some kind of persecuted minority, don't make me laugh.


:rolleyes: no, some Muslims just murder people for "insulting" their religion.

Point is, there are crazy extremists (religious AND secular) who ***** and moan - or worse - about the slightest perceived infraction against them. It's unwise and incorrect to assume that any vocal minority speaks for the whole. Same goes for assuming any one group of people has a monopoly on extreme views/hypersensitivity.
 
I thought the reason for an "explanatory note" was so that Christian viewers (aka people who know the Biblical account and actually expect the film to reflect that.) wouldn't be "shocked" and "outraged" when they see the film and realize the Noah in this film is apparently Bat**** crazy.
 
Religious types are worse than comic fans with their film adaptations it would seem lol.
 
They are... ironically so since the adaptations that so infuriate most religious groups are more accurate to the scripture than most comic movies are.
 
:rolleyes: no, some Muslims just murder people for "insulting" their religion.

I wouldn't go there. More blood has been shed by the forceful spread of Christianity than any other religion in the history of mankind. The violence used by Islamic fundamentalists is absolutely wrong, but they are neither the first nor the most extreme religious zealots in the history books.
 
I wouldn't go there. More blood has been shed by the forceful spread of Christianity than any other religion in the history of mankind. The violence used by Islamic fundamentalists is absolutely wrong, but they are neither the first nor the most extreme religious zealots in the history books.

Ok go to a country that is run by Muslim extremist and see how long u last as opposed to going to a country that is mostly christian believers
 
I thought the reason for an "explanatory note" was so that Christian viewers (aka people who know the Biblical account and actually expect the film to reflect that.) wouldn't be "shocked" and "outraged" when they see the film and realize the Noah in this film is apparently Bat**** crazy.

Noah in the bible was pretty off his rocker at moments and so were dozens of other biblical figures. The actions and behaviors of tons of biblical figures would be considered extremely socially unacceptable today.

I think it has less to do with them knowing their biblical account but more so knowing the sanitized movie and tv versions that have been released in the past.
 
Some words from the religious consultant that worked on the film.

10 reasons I believe we as a church can find very valuable reflections on Noah, God and theology in the film.


1 - Noah Has a Relationship with God

In the film Noah, Noah hears from God at times, wants to hear more from God at other times, is directed by God, and acts singularly different than his contemporaries in following God's directives. Scripture is overtly quoted by many characters in Noah. God's words from the Bible are unmistakably a part of this film. The film is pro-God.

The Biblical text lists out what God said to Noah but never tells whether that was verbal or written communication, though most would assume it verbal. In our film, God gives visions to Noah just like God gave to several prophets and many key Biblical figures (Joseph, Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel and John to name a few). I pray one day my sons will dream dreams and receive visions directly from God, just like God promised us through His prophet Joel.

2 - Noah Acts Faithfully Yet Isn't Perfect

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That includes Noah. It's healthy that Noah struggles to understand precisely what God is saying, but, regardless, Noah trusts and acts faithfully. The struggle is not always easy to watch, particularly in the later parts of the film, but the values that come out of this narrative are special.

A woman in her early 20s whom I spoke with about the film (she grew up "churched" but is since disengaged) really appreciated that the film's Noah heard from God but not in a simplistic way. It felt to her ironically accessible; since she's never personally "heard" God's voice, she felt a connection to Noah as he began to trust God's vision.

3 - Noah Sees and Acknowledges His Own Sin

Noah sees his own sin as no better or worse than those who will die in the flood. This evokes the great scriptural dilemma: God's plan to fill the Earth with humanity reflecting His glory has been promised, but our sin has stained the reflection of His glory in all of us. Four-thousand-ish years after Noah, Jesus did the work of restoration for us. Noah the movie agrees that we hadn't earned our salvation back then either. Our long-white- beard, long-white-robe depiction of a docetic (proto-Evangelical?) Noah has not helped our kids learn that we're all coming up short were it not for God's grace. That ark Noah built is a gift, not our own proud creation, so that His purposes can be fulfilled through us.

4 - It Keeps Closer to More of the Text Than You Might Have Imagined

The film sticks to many key details from the Text. The ark set was built twice to full-cubit
scale, though not out of gopherwood. It depicts a global flood. No extra people survive the flood who shouldn't. God speaks to Noah. Noah gets drunk. Tubal-Cain forges iron and bronze. Ham and Noah have a rough father-son relationship. Creation from nothing. Sin. Murder. Methusaleh. There's a dove and a rainbow, two of each animal (admittedly seven of each clean animal was a detail that didn't get communicated in the film), an olive branch and lots of water coming up from the ground.

5 - Noah Speaks, and the Women Have Names

In the Bible, Noah does not utter a single word before the flood waters recede. That Noah speaks in this movie, as well as that his wife and daughter-in-law also speak and have names, are extra-Biblical points. But for any storyteller, opening mouths, as well as putting faces and names together, makes sense. Not only that, but their characters are used to help explore important Biblical theology. In our world today, females want to empathize with Biblical stories, so this opens up a huge opportunity for Emma Watson (as Noah's daughter-in-law) to dive knee-deep into an incredible performance around Biblical themes of barrenness, miraculous healing and a healthy feminine spirit that engages both men and women.

6 - Noah Focuses on His Family

Amid impending disaster Noah fights to keep his family focused on the goal: to build an ark in preparation for God to accomplish His purposes. Sure, Noah's family is a bit younger than the Biblical text (our casting call for 100- to 300-year-olds didn't cast a wide enough net), but it proved key in this film to create a well-resonating set of characters. He is a father trying to keep his adolescent family focused on God's mission to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Young adults will freely connect to Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth and Emma Watson's characters' toil as much as I did with their onscreen dad's toil.

Bonus: Noah Seeks Wisdom From His Elder

In a postmodern world that says never to trust someone over 30, this story has Noah seeking out his loving, wise (and scriptural) grandfather Methuselah to help interpret the vision he is getting from God and how to act upon it. Methuselah also gives the key scriptural explanation for why God is bringing the flood. Listen for it.

7 - The Story Depicts (and Personifies) Evil Humanity in Genesis 6

Some have laughed off Hollywood's inclusion of a villain by commenting that Noah in the Bible didn't face an archrival other than "rain." Probably true in one sense. But Genesis is explicit in saying that every man's heart was focused on evil all the time and filled with violence. Storytellers put names to concepts. Writers Darren Aronofsky (who also directed) and Ari Handel have done a similarly important thing by creating Ray Winstone's character as the personification of mankind's evil: he is spectacularly vile in leading the people against Noah and the ark.

8 - The Film Embraces Some Really Good, Important Theology

Many of the rumors swirling about the film are flat out false (hint: no overpopulation, no global warming). More importantly, missing from the rumors are some really positive values in the film. Throughout, the film explores Noah's understanding of God's justice and mercy, held in appropriate tension with one another. It really wrestles with the question "Does Humanity Deserve to be Saved?" It may not use those words, but the important question Noah wrestles with deep in his soul is whether God wouldn't be better off just cutting bait – letting Noah and his family die off, too -- and saving the animals. Of course, Noah isn't God, and God knows exactly what He's doing – both in the text and in the film.

Supernatural Physical Healing Is Important in the Story

An active God with a plan will often move in power to make miracles happen. Our God makes known the end from the beginning; His purposes will stand and He will do all that He pleases, including healing the physically broken to bring about His plan.

The Imago Dei Is Front-and-Center

The most foundational, core piece of theology that personally moves me forward when I'm struggling is that we are created for a purpose in the image of God. Noah carries it with him and speaks it. Tubal-Cain speaks a variant on it, too.

Noah Stands Strong for Justice

An overly gushy Hollywood Noah might be tempted to let a flock of "nice" or "good" humans on the boat, or three or four extra cute giraffes that he felt bad for. But this Noah stands strong. His mission is clear: Nobody but his family survives.

9 – Bible Stories are Back – in a Big Way

A story of this magnitude and renown required an equally A-List pedigree of filmmakers and actors: Academy-Award nominated Darren Aronofsky, Academy-Award winner Russell Crowe ("Noah"), Academy-Award winner Sir Anthony Hopkins ("Methuselah"), Academy-Award winner Jennifer Connelly ("Naameh"), Emma Watson ("Ila"), Ray Winstone ("Tubal-Cain"), Logan Lerman ("Ham") and Douglas Booth ("Shem"). At a time when pop culture conversations tend to focus on entertainment spotlighting superheroes, vampires and zombies, the whole country is abuzz about a story that embraces the themes of Scripture.

10 - Twenty-Somethings Are Disengaged From Faith, and This Can Engage

America has an emerging (and emerged) generation that many polling organizations have found to be increasingly disengaged from faith (as in, disinterested). They're not arguing about the apologetics we once held dear; they're just … generally detached. This film is created by secular and Jewish storytellers for a wide audience. It will engage a young, secular audience who will be thinking about the great flood with or without us. If you're concerned a nonbeliever is going to learn the details of the story wrong, I'd encourage you to reread the list above and start to have beautiful conversations about faith over some popcorn and soda in nonthreatening ways with people you may have never otherwise had the chance. The Gospel alone is good news enough with or without a movie, but when theological questions begin to emerge from inside any person, I would far rather have you and I listening instead of criticizing. Remember, it is the church's responsibility to spread the Gospel – not Hollywood's. That Noah tees up a deeper conversation about God and his plan of salvation for us is a considerable blessing.

http://m.christianpost.com/news/why-people-of-faith-can-embrace-the-noah-movie--115276/
 
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The point is there was no (and shouldn't have been) real reason for concern that the movie would somehow incite thousands of otherwise normal Christians to lynch Jews.We're not in the dark ages any more.

1940 remains within living memory.

Not to mention religious based hate crimes happen all of the time in this country and around the world, particularly in the beginning of the last decade. Where talking about the same population of "otherwise normal Christians" who have killed dozens of Sikhs, mistaking them for Muslims over the last 13 years.
 
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Ok go to a country that is run by Muslim extremist and see how long u last as opposed to going to a country that is mostly christian believers

Only because in the West, the political power of Christianity has been lessened over the last 200 years. The relative freedoms in Western countries has corresponded with the secularization of governments, not with Christian kingdoms.

Different thread though.
 
Boy, this film sure looks promising. Aronofsky rarely disappoints...oh, damn. Nevermind guys.

:o
 
1940 remains within living memory.

The Holocaust was a product from Hitler's Darwinian beliefs.(Yeah,dirty little secret there) Not from Christians watching reenactments of Christ's Passion.
 
The Holocaust was a product from Hitler's Darwinian beliefs.(Yeah,dirty little secret there) Not from Christians watching reenactments of Christ's Passion.

The misapropriation of Darwnian ideas involved in a lot of racism is hardly I a secret, I agree.

But the events in Europe existed in the context of centuries of Antisemitism.

I'm just saying don't act like people targeting specific groups for irrational reasons is something of the far off past that we have moved on from.
 
Hitler was also a Catholic...

Darwin himself actually studied to join the clergy of the Church of England for a time.



Regardless of all that one group, that in recent periods has been the victim of extermination being skittish about another possible threat to their safety is very different from the dominant group demanding that nothing upset them.
 
I thought this thread was for Darren Aronofsky's film Noah? Take the all the extraneous religious talk to the appropriate thread. Come on people.
 
It would've been cool of this, Son of God, and Exodus were made by the same studio so they could have their own Biblical Avengers.
 
I saw an advanced screening with a friend. I am a Christian, raised in church and currently teaches Sunday School. My friend that I invited is an atheist. We both are big Aronofsky fans. We both loved it. I think everyone should chill.

I signed some of that paperwork crap and probably shouldn't saying anything about the film, but all this bickering is annoying. The film is actually a pretty good interpretation of the tone of the Biblical account, yet it's not Sunday Schoolish at all. Both extremes can like this film. Not saying they will, but they can. Just as with any film, some like it, others don't. However, if you go in with an open mind, your thoughts on the Biblical story of Noah(Yay Or Nay) won't affect your thoughts on this film.
 
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They are... ironically so since the adaptations that so infuriate most religious groups are more accurate to the scripture than most comic movies are.

Not the same thing.

Approximately 50% of Americans believe that the story of Noah is a true story, which nobody believes of Krypton, so given that it follows that they'd want it fairly portrayed. They would be as annoyed by inaccuracies as I was by The King's Speech.
 
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