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Egypt bans movie 'Exodus'


docyabut2

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I agree with the hat guy. I have no desire to see bible stories transformed into a green screen/CGI tech's wet dream. I really think Bale is a first rate movie actor and enjoy most of his films, but I have a feeling that this movie is not made out of a desire to be true to the spirit of the religious scripture it is based on. For some reason I find that in poor taste.

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I don't mind the ideas behind such Biblical epics, but for the love of the God they're trying to portray can they stop casting white dudes!?!

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I agree with the hat guy. I have no desire to see bible stories transformed into a green screen/CGI tech's wet dream. I really think Bale is a first rate movie actor and enjoy most of his films, but I have a feeling that this movie is not made out of a desire to be true to the spirit of the religious scripture it is based on. For some reason I find that in poor taste.

That's just how I felt after watching Noah. I'm not a huge Russell Crowe fan but he's a good actor and thankfully he was there to save the movie, I found it really weird, with the strange coloured digital screen shots, so muddled and lacking any kind of storyline relative to the actual Bible story. Other than Crowe the actors were all bland and I wondered for ages later why they went to so much effort to make a movie like that.

Exodus better be better.

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My problem with a lot of modern films is the fact they think they can achieve anything with CGI.

Back in the day (hell, back 15 years ago) they knew their limitations as filmmakers and instead of spectacle they went for story. Lets take the Heston "Ten Commandments", we all remember the Parting of the Red Sea because it was so spectacular, but there was a story going on around that spectacle. It's like someone watched "Ten Commandments" and then made a film only of the bits they remembered.

Or take Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark - there are perhaps five action sequences in the entire film (the boulder at the start, the bar fight, the fight at the airstrip, the car chase and the climax), and perhaps three "marquee" spectacle scenes (the boulder again, the discovery of the Ark and the climax) the rest of it is STORY, even the famous "sword versus gun" fight is played more as a gag then anything else. I still hold to my position that one of the most enthralling scenes is the one with the government officials and Indy and Brodie discussing the Ark, and that's basically Indy and Marcus Brodie talking about the Ark and getting excited - it only works because we've already gotten an expectation in our heads of what sort of people they are (Indy the "stuff the rules" adventurer and Brodie his peevish boss) and that scene beautifully subverts it, they're not a boss and a rogue explorer, they're mates who are both experts in their fields. Indy's not just a two fisted adventurer, but an academic. It's a thrilling scene dramatically because of that subversion of expectations and the way it plays out (it also, spells out the entire plot of the film and hints to the conclusion). The film isn't peppered with pointless spectacle, but rather with lovely moments of either human interaction (the entire sequence after Indy think's Marion's dead, Beloq's speech about the watch and him being rescued by Sallah's children for example) or dramatic moments ("bad dates").

Now-a-days it'd be all action, not spirit.

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That's just how I felt after watching Noah. I'm not a huge Russell Crowe fan but he's a good actor and thankfully he was there to save the movie, I found it really weird, with the strange coloured digital screen shots, so muddled and lacking any kind of storyline relative to the actual Bible story. Other than Crowe the actors were all bland and I wondered for ages later why they went to so much effort to make a movie like that.

Exodus better be better.

I also saw Noah and basically share your assessment of it. What a strange film. I too enjoy Crowe and had it not been for him, the movie would never have had a prayer. There are supernatural elements to the story line but parts of the movie left me confused. I mean, what in the hell were the giant walking stone "people" supposed to be about? That part seemed more Harry Potter than Old Testament.

Personally I really enjoyed the new Exodus movie. These stories from the Bible are incredibly ancient and I see no problem with movie producers adapting them for modern films. Ultra-religious people might be put off, but they seem to look for any and all reasons to proclaim offense anyway. I think certain parts of the movie were incredibly well done, and the acting overall was considerably superior to DeMille's original version. I watch that movie almost every time it's on TV and my favorite actor in it is Yul Brynner, who I think made for a better Ramesses than the actor in the current film. However, this might just be me, but I think Christian Bale was a much better Moses than the wooden and Botox-faced Charlton Heston. And needless to say, the special effects are something that would've made DeMille drool.

I'm not all that surprised Egypt is banning the movie. I'm betting it's been done in other Muslim countries and just hasn't made the news. I'm usually very pro Egypt and love its people, but I frown on any government that thinks it needs to tell its citizens what to see and not to see. To be honest Egypt is progressive by Muslim standards but, as with other Muslim countries, still struggles with a medieval mindset.

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Now now ... not sayin' you guys ain't wearing the socks and shoes on the other foot but that's basically what we movie buffs on this side of the world been saying about Hollywood blockbusters all these years ~

:)

~

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I'm not all that surprised Egypt is banning the movie. I'm betting it's been done in other Muslim countries and just hasn't made the news. I'm usually very pro Egypt and love its people, but I frown on any government that thinks it needs to tell its citizens what to see and not to see. To be honest Egypt is progressive by Muslim standards but, as with other Muslim countries, still struggles with a medieval mindset.

That's correct, I believe. Morocco, for one, and other Islamic nations have banned it because it depicts God (as a child). Egypt has also objected to it's dubious accuracy of historical events - it has the Hebrews building the pyramids, by all accounts.

Maybe every nation should ban it on account of it's historical innaccuracy - ie, the entire plot. :whistle:

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That's correct, I believe. Morocco, for one, and other Islamic nations have banned it because it depicts God (as a child). Egypt has also objected to it's dubious accuracy of historical events - it has the Hebrews building the pyramids, by all accounts.

Maybe every nation should ban it on account of it's historical innaccuracy - ie, the entire plot. :whistle:

LOL All true but even I don't nitpick movies that much. It's not reasonable to expect movie producers to nail every detail because they're not historians, even though almost all modern producers will hire historical consultants for such films. There are inaccuracies such as the Egyptians using mounted archers, which they did not have, and the battle with the Hittites is placed at the end of the reign of Seti when Ramesses was still a prince, even though the actual battle took place around year five of Ramesses' reign. Et cetera. To which I say, so what? It's a movie, not a documentary. It didn't bother me. I went there to be entertained, and I was. I don't go to many movies anymore.

There are definitely pyramids seen in the movie, which Seti and Ramesses would've seen in their own time, but I don't recall if the Hebrews are shown working on them. I could be wrong, but what I remember are construction projects taking place in Pithom such as colossal statues and buildings.

You might be on track with the God-as-a-kid thing. Maybe that's what's putting off the Muslim countries, Frankly I think it was a brilliant idea on Ridley Scott's part.

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That's correct, I believe. Morocco, for one, and other Islamic nations have banned it because it depicts God (as a child). Egypt has also objected to it's dubious accuracy of historical events - it has the Hebrews building the pyramids, by all accounts.

Maybe every nation should ban it on account of it's historical innaccuracy - ie, the entire plot. :whistle:

Should we ban all sci-fi? Because that is what this is. Basically it is entertainment on the same level as the Hobbit movies, and follows the book about as well.

I saw Exodus and Noah, and I'd say as a Christian that Noah followed the Bible much, much less then Exodus. Exodus was at somewhere between 50% and 75% true to the Bible, while Noah just went off the road entirely except for the actual ark and 2 of each kind of animal thing.

Exodus was ridiculous in the obviousness of the setting. Pyramids dotted the cities, which is complete bunk. As to building the pyramids, I think one is shown being built, but the storyline is that ALL the Hebrews are in the quarry towns.

As to the kid Moses speaks to often:

I thought the kid was actually an angel. Because there was a burning bush which called Moses, and then the kid came out to finalize the discussions and Moses calls him a messenger several times. Speaks to him angrily and tells him to get lost a couple times. Surely God wouldn't put up with that, even from Moses. Also the kid never says "I am doing this...", he says "God is doing this..."

Stupid Muslim nation censors should read the script. Though if I remember right, any spiritual being, or prophet, being depicted is wrong in Islam. So just Moses being depicted is probably wrong in Islam.

Edited by DieChecker
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Should we ban all sci-fi? Because that is what this is. Basically it is entertainment on the same level as the Hobbit movies, and follows the book about as well.

I saw Exodus and Noah, and I'd say as a Christian that Noah followed the Bible much, much less then Exodus. Exodus was at somewhere between 50% and 75% true to the Bible, while Noah just went off the road entirely except for the actual ark and 2 of each kind of animal thing.

Exodus was ridiculous in the obviousness of the setting. Pyramids dotted the cities, which is complete bunk. As to building the pyramids, I think one is shown being built, but the storyline is that ALL the Hebrews are in the quarry towns.

As to the kid Moses speaks to often:

I thought the kid was actually an angel. Because there was a burning bush which called Moses, and then the kid came out to finalize the discussions and Moses calls him a messenger several times. Speaks to him angrily and tells him to get lost a couple times. Surely God wouldn't put up with that, even from Moses. Also the kid never says "I am doing this...", he says "God is doing this..."

Stupid Muslim nation censors should read the script. Though if I remember right, any spiritual being, or prophet, being depicted is wrong in Islam. So just Moses being depicted is probably wrong in Islam.

I wasn't being serious.

Bible stories make for some of the best (and worst) movies.

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Well Adam and Eve was good ... every movie about them was great ~

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You might be on track with the God-as-a-kid thing. Maybe that's what's putting off the Muslim countries, Frankly I think it was a brilliant idea on Ridley Scott's part.

I wonder if he got the idea from the 1989 Terry Jones movie "Erik the Viking", in which the Norse gods are portrayed as petulant children.

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Please please stop saying that Russel Crowe saved Noah.. it was a terrible terrible movie and not even galactus could save it. The auzzies have claimed many many things that were actually done or made in NZ. Russell Crowe is one thing that we are all glad they claimed... plz keep him we don't want him back. I hope he continues to get drunk and fight around the world with his boat tugger however.

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Please please stop saying that Russel Crowe saved Noah.. it was a terrible terrible movie and not even galactus could save it.

I don't think Sam Jackson, or Morgan Freeman could have saved that movie. It was OK, but not spectacular.

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Please please stop saying that Russel Crowe saved Noah..

Goku couldn't save "Noah".

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I don't think Sam Jackson, or Morgan Freeman could have saved that movie. It was OK, but not spectacular.

It was OK, yes.

~~~~~

Stop picking on Russell, he did save the Rabbits. :tu:

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HA!!! 'historical inaccuracies'.....Its a Hollywood film. It never claimed to be a historical document. I am assuming "Oh, God" is also banned, seeing George Burns as God might not be accurate.

HA!!!!

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Whatever happened to Ridley Scott? Once he made Great movies like 'Alien', 'Gladiator' and of course the magnificent 'Blade Runner'. Now he does the usual bloated, all actions, no story, Hollywood trash.

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Whatever happened to Ridley Scott? Once he made Great movies like 'Alien', 'Gladiator' and of course the magnificent 'Blade Runner'. Now he does the usual bloated, all actions, no story, Hollywood trash.

It's simple really, Ridley had to (circa "Alien") rely on script, tight casting and strategic use of action because he had a budget of whatever was in the production crew's pockets any one day with "stuck down behind the sofa" as an emergency reserve. He's like a child of the depression finally earning real money - time to splurge and buy all the things he couldn't have once without consideration of what they're going to be used for.

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I wonder what the USA would think if say........... Iraq had a high tech movie studio (that created movies that 100 million people would see) and created a movie where the revolutionary war was totally falsified.

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I wonder what the USA would think if say........... Iraq had a high tech movie studio (that created movies that 100 million people would see) and created a movie where the revolutionary war was totally falsified.

I suspect they would classify it as news

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I wonder what the USA would think if say........... Iraq had a high tech movie studio (that created movies that 100 million people would see) and created a movie where the revolutionary war was totally falsified.

If it was entertaining I would get the dvd...

Edited by Jarocal
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