Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Transformers.

Noah has divided the Christian community, many applauding its focus on an important Biblical figure, others deriding the movie’s watered down message (pun intended).

I couldn’t get past the rock transformers.

I didn’t shell out $13 expecting to see a pristine interpretation of the grand diluvial, nor did I anticipate a history lesson on the man chosen by God to ride out the cleansing of the earth. Hollywood has to have its due, and that means artistic license. I’m not going to compare director Darren Aronofsky’s work to a line-by-line examination of Genesis. I don’t know exactly what happened way back then, and neither do the Biblical scholars who’ve studied it for generations. I’m looking at Noah as both a Christian, and a movie lover.

There were times when I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the end of this film.

First, the good. Noah is about the fall of man, and Aronofsky made it clear that man fell hard. You witness the slithering infiltration of evil that infects all of us. You also experience conflict between Noah and his family. There is survivors guilt. The most riveting scene shows Noah and his clan, secure and dry on board the ark, as they listen to the wailing of those perishing outside. Noah himself becomes so disillusioned that he recognizes the evil lurking inside of his own heart. He questions why any human should survive. I liked that Noah. I identified with him.

And then…

Aronofsky’s Noah is, at times, a Godly badass who takes on all comers. Seriously. Russell Crowe brings his Gladiator muscles to the role to battle the fallen. I had no idea Gold’s Gym had locations in ancient Israel. The fight scenes would impress Liam Neesen. I found this to be a jarring departure from the spirit of the story.

Now, the rock transformers.

The Bible states that, in those days, the Nephilim were on the earth. My Bible calls them “the heroes of old, men of renown.” I’ve since read accounts that claim the Nephilim were the offspring of fallen angels. Oh, and they were giants. Aronofsky went with disjointed gravel with cigarette lighters for eyes and a Marlboro Man voice. It was beyond distracting.

Noah is thought provoking. It encouraged me to re-read Genesis with more care. It is a grand story with the power of God behind it, but I just couldn’t help but feel that the movie leaned too hard on the power of Hollywood theatrics. What it really lacked, for me, was a connection between Noah and his Creator. Noah was faithfully following God’s direction, yet when he faced conflict, he leaned on his own emotion rather than dropping to his knees. Only once did I see Noah look to the sky. To me, that’s like your auto mechanic father telling you to build a car out of a pile of scrap metal, then never asking him for advice.

I want Hollywood to make more movies like this, to take their scripts from the Bible. What I don’t want to see is Moses arm wrestling with Spiderman.