Exodus: Gods and Kings does a fine line in biblical epic with Ridley Scott at the helm and Christian Bale in front of the camera

MOVIE REVIEW: Christian Bale does a fine job in Exodus: Gods and Kings. And watch out for a pair of Aussies in fake tan and guyliner.

Thou shalt not fall asleep

> EXUDOS: GODS AND KINGS [M] - Film of the week

Rating: 3/5

Director:Ridley Scott (Robin Hood)

Starring:Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Ben Mendelsohn, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Aaron Paul

“Doesn’t put its Moses out of joint”

Moses (Christian Bale) nocks his arrow. Picture: Fox films

With Exodus: Gods and Kings, Hollywood continues its recent forward-march through the Old Testament.

Earlier this year, we had Russell Crowe as Noah, a buff and bearded dude battling a planet-wide flood while at the controls of a mammoth maritime zoo.

Now we come to Christian Bale as Moses, a buff and bearded dude making that tricky transition from Ancient Egyptian military strongman to Hebrew hell-raiser and rambunctious rebel prophet.

As was the case with Noah, Exodus: Gods and Kings brings on the biblical spectacle with no expense spared. Or no special-effect un-rendered.

It is certainly not hard to see why veteran director Ridley Scott was so keen on this project. Simply by sticking to the source text when it counts, the need for largesse in every department just never lets up.

There are pyramids to be built. Hundreds of thousands of slaves to be whipped. Bushes to be burned. Commandments to write. Plagues, viruses and pestilence to be unleashed from on high.

And last, but by no means least, there is one huge sea to be parted, and a multitude of oppressed people to be freed.

Whew. It’s exhausting just contemplating all the sandy, blood-stained ground to be covered by Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Moses (Christian Bale) rides into battle. Picture: Supplied

Make no mistake: at a running time of 150 minutes, there is every chance fatigue is going to kick in at some point.

Luckily, Bale keeps his performance shouty enough to wake up any sneaky slumberers in the audience. Same goes for a thunderous sound design, which could loosen the fillings of those sitting too close to cinema speakers.

The year is 1300 BC, give or take a century. When we first meet Moses, he is a decorated army general who has the advisory ear of the Pharaoh Seti (John Turturro).

However, upon Seti’s sudden passing, the top job in Egypt goes to his shifty and suggestible son, Rhamses (Joel Edgerton).

On the say-so of an even shiftier nobleman from the provinces (Ben Mendelsohn), Moses is outed as a Hebrew - the very people Egypt has held captive and exploited for centuries - and banished into exile.

Joel Edgerton dons the make-up and fake tan to play Rhamses. Picture: Supplied

Though it takes a while for Moses to get over being pink-slipped by his former best friend Rhamses, he gradually embraces his secret heritage. Later, Moses spearheads a famous revolt that will finally (and famously) let his people go.

Scott’s focus here is primarily occupied by the unusual combo of pomp, grandeur and grit that define the film’s impressive visuals. Therefore it seems as if a majority of featured actors are not on the same page about what their director wants performance-wise.

While Bale makes for a fine Moses - applying the right mix of doubt and determination - his support cast can sometimes go too far over-the-top. Or worse still, leave no lasting impression at all.

From a purely Australian perspective, Edgerton and Mendelsohn get their own jobs done quite effectively, despite being slathered with enough guyliner and body-bronzer to make a drag queen blush.

Originally published as Exodus: Gods and Kings does a fine line in biblical epic with Ridley Scott at the helm and Christian Bale in front of the camera