Big Picture Big Sound

Noah Blu-ray Review

By Rachel Cericola

The Film

If you open up your Bible (you have one of those, right?), you'll notice that Noah doesn't actually get too many pages. Apparently though, it was just enough to spark something in director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan).

According to Wikipedia, Aronofsky has been interested in Noah since the seventh grade. Then somewhere in between The Fountain and The Wrestler, he announced plans to bring his longtime passion to the big screen. By the time Noah hit theaters in March 2014, Aronofsky had been working on a script for at least 14 years.

That's probably because the writer/director didn't have a lot to go on. After all, Noah's story gets a mere four chapters in the Bible. The film, on the other hand, is a whopping 137 minutes.

Noah opens on the title character as a young boy (played by Dakota Goyo). His youth is brief though, and not just because he watches on as Tubal-cain (Ray Winstone) kills his father.

Noah-Crowe.jpg
Russell Crowe is trying to salvage a piece of mankind in "Noah." Photo: © 2014 Paramount Pictures.

The action quickly shifts to years later, and Noah (Russell Crowe) is a badass bent on justice. However, he's haunted by visions of a great flood -- the kind that you know is coming. In search of answers, Noah gathers up his family and goes looking for his grandfather, Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins). During the journey, he also manages to pick up orphan Ila (Emma Watson) and encounter The Watchers, a group of fallen angels who look like something Aronofsky lifted from the Transformers prop closet.

Methuselah confirms that Noah's visions are true. The Creator (that's God to you) is going to punish mankind for sin and cleanse the earth via a flood. So Noah starts building a great ark to save the innocent -- or least, the innocent animals.

You should know the rest of the story. Well, most of it. The ark and the flood are really only half of Noah. The rest focuses on life at sea, a mutiny, and Noah's impending grandchild.

Aronofsky has taken a lot of liberties with Noah. Most of it works. The Transformer-like Watchers and the weird likenesses of the animals may leave you scratching your head. That said, Crowe is powerful, Winstone is creepy, the special effects are stellar, and the story is gripping -- even to this Sunday school dropout.

The Picture

Noah is a gorgeous epic from beginning to end. The 1.85:1 image's colors aren't always bright and perky, but it's hard to have that sort of palette in the middle of an earth-crushing flood. However, the scenery is often quite beautiful, with tons of detail in the rocks, the burnt grass, the dirty faces, and even Russell Crowe's beard. There's also a lot of texture in the tattered, worn clothing displayed throughout the film. Also worth noting are the film's black levels, which are perfect and noticeable right from the very beginning.

The Sound

Dialogue is very important in Noah and can often be on the low side. However, every word is always clear in this DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. Yes, Noah gets 7.1 and every channel is used here. Trees sprout up, birds flock, and massive rainfall erupts with tons of power. Of course, The Watchers are a whole different audio experience; whenever they move and speak, expect that to come with a whole lot of rumble. The angry mobs are frightening and enveloping and the ark trip is filled with creaks, splashes and booms. It's an excellent, enveloping audio experience.

The Extras

Noah_1.jpg
Considering how this was Darren Aronofsky's passion project for so long, it's surprising that the director didn't include a commentary track or featurettes talking up the process and the inspiration. Instead, the disc has a trio of featurettes that are short, but very well done. There's a 20-minute piece on the triumphs and tribulations of shooting in Iceland, which sounds fairly typical on paper. However, it does include interviews and a lot of behind-the-scene footage. The remaining two shorts focus on the ark, inside and out. Again, these both clock in around the 20-minute mark, packing in behind-the-scenes tidbits and interviews.

Final Thoughts

You don't have to be religious or even know the biblical story to enjoy the film Noah. Of course, it certainly doesn't hurt. Many may argue that the film takes a lot of liberties. Well, you try stretching a four-chapter story into a two-hour movie and get back to me. Darren Aronofsky's interpretation is an interesting one, filled with some outlandishness, but also awesome special effects, immersive audio, and great performances -- most notably, Russell Crowe as the title character. Noah may not be the type of movie that you want to get in your regular rotation, but it's one that you'll want to pick up for the demo-worthy AV alone.

Product Details

  • Actors: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins, Logan Lerman
  • Director: Darren Aronofsky
  • Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French, Portuguese, Spanish), DVS 2.0 (English)
  • Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Rating: PG-13
  • Studio: Paramount Pictures
  • Blu-ray Disc Release Date: July 29, 2014
  • Run Time: 137 minutes
  • List Price: $39.99
  • Extras:
    • Iceland: Extreme Beauty
    • The Ark Exterior: A Battle for 300 Cubits
    • The Ark Interior: Animals Two By Two
    • Digital Copy
    • UltraViolet Digital Copy

What did you think?

Overall
Video
Audio
Movie
Extras
View all articles by Rachel Cericola
More in Blu-Ray and DVD
Big News
Newsletter Sign-up
 
Connect with Us