Review - Exodus: Gods and Kings (3D)

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), PG-13, 150 minutes - Generally I really enjoy sword and sandal 'epics'. And generally I enjoy films directed by Ridley Scott, especially when they boast a strong cast. Unfortunately, an extremely poor 3D screening severely limited any enjoyment that could have been had with this film. I tend to avoid 3D when at all possible, but on this occasion it was the only showing that fit my schedule. At first I thought that my eyes just had to adjust. I hadn't sat through a 3D film since earlier this summer when I saw How to Train Your Dragon 2 (which happens to be an example of 3D done right). After a few minutes, nothing had changed. A person or object would be clear, but the rest of the picture still looked fuzzy as if I weren't wearing the 3D glasses at all. It didn't seem to be bothering anyone else in the theater so I figured it was just my eyes. I put up with it, disappointed but determined to try and enjoy whatever I could of the film. About three quarters of the way through, I heard someone behind me ask their companion if they thought the picture was fuzzy. So at least it wasn't just me.  Unfortunately, at that point there really was no turning back.

Anyway, long story short, I'm probably can't provide a proper review of Exodus: Gods and Kings because I was fighting the distraction that was a completely out of focus film. Part of me wants to sit down and watch it again in the future (maybe at home, where I don't have to deal with 3D). But another part feels as though I'm not interested enough to kill another two and a half hours on something that I've already (sort of) seen.

I did feel as though Christian Bale (Moses) and Joel Edgerton (Ramses) were good in their roles. John Turturro was a bit of a surprise to me as Seti, but I enjoyed his involvement in the film as well. Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley also have small supporting roles and there are a couple other recognizable faces including Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, and Ewen Bremner. I'm not knowledgeable enough to speak on how accurate/inaccurate the film was, but I did feel like a couple of scenarios were handled awkwardly or could have been looked into more deeply.

All in all, I was a little disappointed with Exodus: Gods and Kings. I realize that the circumstances in which I saw the film were not optimal, but at the same time, it didn't draw me in enough to warrant another viewing.  I'm not sure if my poor 3D experience is indicative of all screenings (I surely hope not) or luck of the draw, but if you have any interest in this film, I would highly recommend avoiding a 3D showing just to be safe.

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