Four Lutheran pastors from the Puget Sound area, along with two of their wives, went to see the film on its opening day. Afterwards we sat down around a meal and shared our impressions. Some of us were more impressed with the movie, some were less. All of us had plenty to talk about. Here is a compilation of those thoughts…

Christians looking for a faithful adaptation of the biblical account of Noah and the Flood will be disappointed with this movie. Then again, an adaptation like this was neither the goal nor the promise of writer, director, and producer, Darren Aronofsky – an avowed atheist. He saw in the biblical account of Noah a compelling story through which to examine human nature and the consequences of wickedness.

This review will make the attempt to look at the story of Noah through Aranofsky’s lens and note both the positive and negative portrayals he has created.

Positive

Aronofsky did a masterful job of depicting human depravity. The movie highlights Adam and Eve’s eating of the fruit (pulsing like a heart as if to offer life) from the forbidden tree.

On this point, Aronofsky accurately showed that Noah and his family were not part of a holy line of people, somehow immune to sin. They were no better than the people “The Creator” intended to destroy, The Creator’s choice of him and his family to preserve in the flood was by His mercy not by their merit. Often times Christians make the mistake that the great men and women of faith portrayed in the Bible were so stalwart in the faith that they did not struggle with doubts and respond out of fear. To some extent, this film depicted an understanding of every Christian’s struggle in this life under the cross – “Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief.” Noah’s self-righteousness was challenged when he came to the realization that he and his family members were as wicked in their hearts as all of sinful mankind. This, of course, is not a depiction of an episode in the story of Noah recorded in Genesis, but it does inadvertently capture the struggle which Christians will always experience in this corrupt and fallen world.

The movie attempted to answer some of the questions that are begging to be answered in the Genesis account, e.g., why did Noah become drunk after they left the ark, how were the animals managed throughout the stay in the ark. While it’s impossible to know how accurate Aronofsky’s imagination actually is (nor ours!), these scenes aid us in seeing that these were real people and that real problems needed to be solved. Not everything’s like a movie!

The miraculous was portrayed as an accepted way in which things happened throughout the movie, e.g., the animals were brought to the ark by The Creator, a barren woman was made able to bear children through the intervention of a man who served The Creator, The Creator provided almost instantaneously the lush mature forest from which the materials would be gathered to construct the ark (in a similar way the retelling of the Genesis creation account had a miraculous element to it as it was described, though not necessarily depicted as happening within six days).

Some artistic license items were well done: Man’s wickedness was at one point portrayed with silhouetted soldiers in uniform from many wars down through the centuries. The construction of the ark and its seaworthiness was depicted well. The retelling of creation, the perfect state of Adam and Eve, the fall into sin, the murder of Able were well done.

As we in Washington State have witnessed a devastating landslide not one week ago and have spent the week watching families mourn lost loved ones, one of our reviewers commented on the screams of those outside the Ark and Noah’s heaviness of heart.

The film seemed strongly pro-life. Without giving too much away, the lives of infants are portrayed as valuable and legitimate as any other life.

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Negative

Most, if not all of the negatives, have to do with Scripture. If you want to know about the flood, read Genesis 4-9. Remember: Aronofsky did not intend accurately to portray these chapters. Rather, he used the material in these chapters as a starting point to spin his tale. Keeping that in mind, here are some warnings about the departure from Scripture which reviewers wanted to point out…

The chief concern with regards to these side trips is that those who are not well-versed in Genesis 4-9 will see these events as being an accurate portrayal of what took place in those days.

A major issue in the movie is that because of their sin, Noah believes he and his family are supposed to die too – if not in the flood, then afterward. This clear departure from the biblical account is logical. If mankind was to be destroyed because of his wickedness, then naturally Noah and his family should too. The character of Noah struggles with this idea throughout the movie, and it drives him to consider terrible actions to end the human race. Without “The Creator’s” clear message that he and his family should live, he assumes they should die.

While logical, these ideas are not accurate. In reality, Noah believed the promises of God, particularly the promise of salvation through the woman’s Seed (Genesis 3:15), and therefore knew that he and his family would survive and re-populate the earth. God said to Noah: “For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you” (Genesis 6:17-18). Noah and his family were not better than all the people who died in the flood. But they believed God’s promises and were therefore counted righteous in His sight (Genesis 6:9, Hebrews 11:7).

Another negative comment was made about the fallen angels. Scripture tells us these are now demons who hate mankind. The movie depicts them as the oft misidentified “Nephilim” and as creatures who are friendly to mankind, of which they were neither. Interestingly, in some ways they are shown to be more friendly, sympathetic, and helpful than “The Creator”.

Summary

Should you go to see this film? As with any other event in Scripture, if you want to know what happened you should read the text. From Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, on down to Darron Aronofsky’s Noah—all are adaptations. As artistic interpretations of certain events from the Bible, even those that are word-for-word adaptations, they each contain artistic elements that are added to emphasize the perspective of the filmmakers. If that is going to bother you, you probably shouldn’t see any film with Biblical material.

Only Scripture can tell us what did or did not happen in these events. When it is silent we are left to personal opinions, and remember: Everyone has one of those.

Aronofsky’s Noah is not an accurate retelling of Genesis 6-9, but it isn’t a cheap shot at those who believe what the Bible says either. It is instead a thoughtful treatment of human nature from a director who appears to understand the sinful condition. Such understanding should not surprise Christians since the law of God is written on every human heart and convicts all people.

Watch the film as a fascinating interpretation of how a professed atheist sees these ancient accounts. Ask yourself why he finds the changes he’s made more credible than what Scripture says. Examine his take on matters where Scripture is silent. Watch with both eyes—and your Bible—open. See this world through the eyes of one who does not believe. Where is he wrong? Where might he be right? Where could you help to shed light on the heart and soul of Genesis 4-9: Man’s determination to drive himself to damnation and God’s determination to save all who believe in his promised Savior.