6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
An account of Moses' hand in leading the Israelite slaves out of Egypt, defying Ramesses II.
Starring: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, Ben MendelsohnAdventure | 100% |
History | 17% |
Epic | 16% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
UV digital copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Otto Preminger’s 1960 opus Exodus offered a still controversial portrayal of the rise of the nation of Israel in the wake of the horrifying linked events of the Holocaust and World War II. The film is probably best remembered today for its iconic Academy Award winning score by Ernest Gold, a score whose towering theme became an unexpected number 2 charting hit for the piano duo of Ferrante and Teicher. In a bit of unintentional irony, perhaps the most goyische singer of that era, Pat Boone, later wrote a lyric for Gold’s theme, a lyric which included the opening lines:
This land is mineNow Boone’s lyric of course referred to the Jewish People in general and therefore perhaps Moses by inference, but it still may have seemed weirdly anachronistic for such a “white bread” crooner to be espousing territorial rights in a region that had been beset by internecine (remember Abraham and his children, please) tribal warfare for untold millennia. The “real” (or at least original) exodus is of course one of the central stories of Judaism and by default Christianity, a tale that has been imprinted in countless minds not just due to the Bible but perhaps (as sad as this may strike some folks) more so due to annual broadcasts of Cecil B. DeMille’s legendary 1956 version of The Ten Commandments. That iteration of the timeless narrative is almost unapologetically hokey at times (I still can’t make it through a viewing without busting a gut when Anne Baxter gazes at Charlton Heston and emits the unforgettable line, “Oh, Moses, you stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!”), but it still manages to work up a rather remarkably potent emotional aspect as it details the Jews’ flight from slavery in Egypt into an ostensibly more hopeful future. Now Ridley Scott, certainly one of the more audacious and visually perspicacious directors working in contemporary film, has offered his interpretation of the Moses chronicle, in a revision which may not rise to the almost magical realist levels of Darren Aronofsky’s “reboot” of the Noah legend, but which certainly doesn’t feel itself beholden to either the original Biblical account or in fact to the accretion of popular tropes which have become part of the narrative due to offerings like the DeMille film. The result is often spectacular from a visual perspective, as might be expected, but Exodus: Gods and Kings never really delivers on an emotional level, beset by inadequacies in the screenplay and some odd casting and performance choices that tend to lift the viewer squarely out of the supposed historical milieu and (somewhat like the Aronofsky film) directly into a more contemporary ambience which is sometimes at odds with what’s being portrayed.
God gave this land to me.
Exodus: Gods and Kings is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with both an AVC (2D) and MVC
(3D) encoded 1080p transfer
in 2.40:1 on separate discs. Digitally shot with a variety of Red Epic cameras, Exodus: Gods and Kings is an often breathtaking visual
experience in high
definition. Scott's always assured and stunning visual sense is perfectly realized by his frequent collaborator, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski.
The film offers a nicely interwoven selection of CGI effects, and Scott wisely frequently uses these for huge panoramic shots that instantly
deliver
depth and scale, but are far enough away so that pernsickety sorts won't be wondering whether every individual has defined facial
characteristics. The image is wonderfully clear and sharp throughout this presentation, despite a huge array of lighting conditions and
elements like color grading. Color grading is in fact (once again) very much in evidence, with (once again) blue and yellow the preferred
shades. Detail and fine
detail are both exceptional despite the somewhat rather aggressive accretion of various hues (look at screenshot 4 for one of the more
extreme
examples, one which also offers a good look at shadow detail). In brightly lit environments under relatively normal lighting conditions, fine
detail
is superb, offering clear delineation of elements like the crags around Turturro's eyes or the tufted fabrics of some of the royal outfits. While
the
bitrates aren't overly impressive, there are no problematic issues with artifacts or image instability.
Exodus: Gods and Kings' 3D presentation is often very impressive, but it's also curiously restrained, especially for a director of
Scott's visual acuity. There's almost always significant depth of field, achieved both through placement of foreground objects but also by
establishing clear planes within the frame, but there are very few if any typical "in your face" elements, despite the opportunity for same in
some of the battle sequences or scenes like the parting of the Red Sea. Even in sequences bathed in deep blue hues, there's clear
dimensionality and depth. My display had one very brief instance of crosstalk early in the film when Moses and Ramesses are gallivanting
around the palace, but otherwise this was a problem free presentation.
Note: We are only able to screencapture 2D images for our Blu-ray reviews. Therefore, screencap 20 is actually of the menu of the 2D
disc. The 3D disc does not offer any Extras.
Exodus: Gods and Kings offers a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio presentation which is in its own way as impressive as the visual
element. Surround activity is near constant and is not entirely reliant on the film's big set pieces, though elements like the early battle where
Moses saves Ramesses to, later, the huge sequences involving the Red Sea, offer the audiophile a really immersive, all encompassing aural
experience. Even quieter scenes, like a little heart to heart between Seti and Moses on a kind of outside veranda of the Pharoah's palace, offer
great placement of ambient environmental effects which immediately help to establish a sense of space and ambience. Dialogue is presented
very cleanly, and the film's enjoyable score (by Alberto Iglesias) is also well positioned throughout the surrounds. Fidelity is top notch, dynamic
range is extremely wide, and there are no problems to report.
Note: The 3D and 2D discs have different audio and subtitle specs. The specs above are for the 3D disc. See our Exodus: Gods and Kings Blu-ray review for specs
on the 2D disc.
This three disc set includes the 3D version of Exodus: Gods and Kings on its own disc which contains no supplements. This set
also includes
the 2D disc which is also available as a standalone
release (with the supplements included on that disc), as well as a third bonus disc of additional supplemental material.
Exodus: Gods and Kings 2D Disc:
- Pre-Production:
- Ridleygrams (1080p; 11:10) is a series of storyboards with Scott's notes. This is available either in auto advance or manual advance mode (the timing is for the auto advance option).
- The Art of Exodus: Gods and Kings (1080p; 32:42) is a set of galleries covering items like Costume Design. This is again available with either auto or manual advance options (the timing indicates the auto advance option).
- Production:
- Ridleyvision (1080p; 13:28) features Scott's "adventures" with Google Glass while filming.
- Unit Photography (1080p; 34:12) offers some great behind the scenes peeks, and is again available in either auto or manual advance mode.
- Post-Production and Release:
- Promotional Featurettes (1080p; 20:03) offers both domestic and foreign skewed pieces.
- HBO First Look (1080p; 12:14) is a glorified EPK.
- Marketing Gallery:
- Trailers (1080p; 10:07)
- TV Spots (1080p; 6:25)
- Social Media (1080p; 13:10) is a photo gallery, available in either auto or manual advance mode.
Exodus: Gods and Kings is a problematic treatment of iconic source material, one that trades a bit too much in a post-modern approach toward its subject, while also resolutely eschewing even the hint of any "real" supernaturally Divine interference. That makes it a rather odd "Biblical" epic to begin with, something that is probably only exacerbated by some annoying performances. All of that said, the film is often quite riveting and is certainly never less than stunning from a purely visual standpoint, and (as in the case of Noah, love it or loathe it), it's a much more traditional film than perhaps even Ridley Scott meant for it to be. Technical merits are very strong and the 3D combo pack offers great supplements. With caveats noted about the film itself, Exodus: Gods and Kings comes Recommended.
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