BEFORE you go to see the Noah movie read this!

UPDATED!!! Scroll down for update!

First of all you need to read the biblical account of Noah even before simply listening to or reading other people’s reviews of this movie. And absolutely you need to read the biblical account before you actually go to see it.

The account of Noah starts at the end of Genesis chapter 5 and continues (including after the flood up to his death) into chapter 9. Read it online at blueletterbible.org or biblehub.com or studylight.org.

Now listen to the filmmaker and starring actor tell a little about the film:

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To hear Ken Ham and some of his staff at Answers in Genesis reviewing the film click on the video just below here. This is a must-listen-to.

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Written review from a Christian movie review site: Review from Christian Film Database

For evangelist’s Ray Comfort’s written take on this movie, go here.

To see Ray Comfort’s alternative Noah movie:

For a written review of the Noah movie from the staff at biblegateway.com go here.

UPDATE!!!Finally, someone fully explains WHERE all the “extra” stuff in the Noah movie came from!!! Go here: http://drbrianmattson.com/journal/2014/3/31/sympathy-for-the-devil

If you end up taking someone to see the film, like a youth group, please, please, please, include a discussion time afterwards that includes comparing it to the biblical account. The best discussion would be about what parts of the film were different from the biblical account and why the filmmakers (or the “spirit” influencing the filmmakers) might have wanted to make those specific changes.

If you’ve gone to see the movie please share what you liked and disliked about the movie in the comment section below or which review from this post was the most helpful to help you make your decision to go or not to go.
Join the conversation. Share your ideas or questions in the comment form below.

Comments

BEFORE you go to see the Noah movie read this! — 17 Comments

Sandra on March 29, 2014 at 10:13 am said:

Hi Cheryl, Thanks for this info on Noah the movie. I saw it yesterday and I was disturbed at the huge amount of inaccuracies and the absolute ridiculousness of the stone “Watchers” in the film. I wrote a review of the movie on my blog http://www.sandra-ramblingrose.blogspot.com. I just haven’t been able to get it off my mind — the way it made the beautiful story of Noah and God’s mercy into almost a farce. I was hoping for a movie that would uplift – not tear down. Thanks, Sandra

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- Cheryl Cope on March 29, 2014 at 10:17 am said:
  
  Sandra, it sounds like you agree with the reviewers I featured here. I found some other reviewers (after I posted it) on facebook that LIKED the movie. I wondered if they saw the same movie!! For the record, I have NOT seen the movie yet. I felt people should be informed before making the decision to even go or not and especially to read their Bibles.
  
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  - Sandra on March 29, 2014 at 8:45 pm said:
    
    Thanks Cheryl. I very much did not like the movie. I suppose even after reading the bad reviews, people will still go – if only out of curiosity to see what could really be so bad. Thanks so much for including the video by Ray Comfort. I watched it and found it to be excellent. I’m going to get the DVD and show it to my young adult Sunday School class. It’s really powerful.
    
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    - Cheryl Cope on March 30, 2014 at 12:28 pm said:
      
      You’re very welcome. I really enjoyed Ray’s video too.
      
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Kathy Bornarth on March 29, 2014 at 9:38 pm said:

Thanks for this information Cheryl. A group from church are going to see it tomorrow.

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- Cheryl Cope on March 30, 2014 at 12:29 pm said:
  
  And I hope they will take my advice and compare it against scripture!
  
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Kathleen on March 31, 2014 at 1:54 pm said:

I am not a scientific expert, but I found the following 1976 depiction of Noah’s Ark both more believable and biblical. Takes 1.5 hours to watch, but we thought it was time well spent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4fRCUI5WfE

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- Cheryl Cope on March 31, 2014 at 2:17 pm said:
  
  Thanks for sharing. I will check it out!
  
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Cheryl Cope on April 1, 2014 at 7:54 am said:

NOT TO BE MISSED!!! This post explains WHERE all the “extra” stuff in the Noah movie came from: http://drbrianmattson.com/journal/2014/3/31/sympathy-for-the-devil

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Elle on April 2, 2014 at 10:01 pm said:

I saw the movie. I saw the preview where the head bad guy is attempting to intimidate Noah. He says there are many of them and Noah and his family are Alone. Noah says firmly and calmly “we are not Alone”…I was hooked! Every born again Christian knows he is referring to Our God. We all know God spoke to Noah. It was a thrilling moment and I was totally thrilled and couldn’t wait for the movie.
I was not disappointed. Of course there were some fantastical moments…but the claims of Noah being portrayed as a drunk is simply untrue. Why would this be stated as fact? In the movie just like in the Bible, Noah gets drunk ONCE. In fact I loved they showed that the two sons did not look at their naked father when they covered him up because that is completely Biblical. Overpopulation or environmentalism was never in any scene. NEVER. Why would this be presented as a fact about the movie? Noah repeatedly told his family what God had said to him. That God was bringing the rain because the people were evil and He wanted to wipe them out. That IS why He flooded the world, right? We do agree on this. And it was said several times. There was NO WAY to misinterpret it. (Unless you have an agenda. Possibly confusion? Who is the father of confusion?) “Because the people were evil, because of their SIN”. Just like that, those words in the movie several times.
God has said there are more things for us to know, BUT NOT YET. Because we couldn’t bear it. I’m thinking Noah did not know everything because when does God EVER tell us everything? We walk by Faith and as usual God gives us the opportunity to grow faith. Noah repeatedly told his family that God would provide for them because He always had. Do we need to be reminded of Noahs’ great faith? It is one of the MAIN points of the Bible story. The enormity of Noahs’ faithfulness is humbling to watch. You see him yearning to please God more than anything…worrying that he did not do everything God asked. HE LOVED GOD CLEARLY. I don’t read anyone commenting on what a great witness and reminder to us, the Christian theatre goer, is Noahs’ faithfulness. Or what a great dad and husband he tried to be. It is depicted accurately here. Haven’t you ever wondered where all that lumber came from? And the labor? In the movie a beautiful possibility that had everyone in the theatre weeping from awe was presented. If it is not true (and we will only know when we get to Heaven and ask Our Father) did it really stumble anyone? Noah said God would do miracles and who are we to say these where not the miracles? His thoughts are above ours. He made a donkey talk, remember? Maybe he had huge strong “things” help Noah.
We are told to stay humble lest we fall. I am embarrassed by all the negativity and bashing of this movie. Especially before it ever came out. Mel Gibsons Passion had some pretty fantastical things in it. Were you blessed when you saw it? Even though it was fantastical? Man, I sure was.
What are we? Inclusive? White washed tombs? Arrogant? If this movie is the apostasy it is being labeled as, what about what the devil means for evil, God will use for good? God has allowed this.
The point of NOAH IS HIS FAITH. It is beautifully captured. Wait til you see some of the breath taking scenes.
What’s the worst thing that can happen if a Christian sees this? How can Christians pass judgment? Why are Christians afraid? We don’t know what God will do. But we do know He is God and He is good. Look up only…not to the left and the right.
And really I do not like to be told what is Godly and what is not. I serve The Almighty God. He speaks to me too. He did not say this movie sucks. But He does hate confusion and lies.

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- Cheryl Cope on April 3, 2014 at 6:41 am said:
  
  I still have not seen the movie for myself yet. I think people should know what they are getting into, that is, be informed, and then make up their own minds. Thanks for chiming in.
  
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- Andrew on April 19, 2014 at 12:54 pm said:
  
  This is in response to some of the issues raised by Elle above. I would like to take make mention that I mean no disrespect and/or ill will towards you.
  
  As I read through your comments I couldn’t help but think to myself, “this is exactly why this movie can be dangerous if not treated with careful thought, prayer and pontification.” I am one who believes firmly in believer’s freedom as prescribed by 1 Corinthians 10:23-33. I call to attention verses 23 and 24 which read:
  
  ““I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”
  
  It is with this spirit of love that I would like to believe that Cheryl Cope is striving to emulate. Be that may, I think there is still need to address your comments, Elle, with love and detail.
  
  To begin with, you correctly deduce that there are aspects of the movie that every Christian should recognise and praise such as the scene where Noah correctly stated that his family were indeed ‘not alone’. This and many other scenes tend to stay true to the core ideas of the story of Noah as depicted in the Bible. Where I take issue with your reasoning is that mere nods to the source material do not equate to a true and sincere reimagining; let me explain. Today we have three different world religions that are all emergent from the same iconic historical figures: Judaism, Christianity & Islam. All three have similar sources and even, to varying degrees, similar concepts and ideas of God. However, it is not far fetched to see how different our theologies are and one must ask why is that? Well, quite simply put, it is because the subtle nuances can grow to be huge differences and can lead one to completely different conclusions from the others. This is the problem with this movie. It’s not just that the ideas are fantastical yet inconsequential, but rather there are HUGE consequences to be faced given the liberties that the movie makes. If you change the character of Noah, or God for that matter, you affect their motives and fall in danger of mutilating or worse completely missing their point in the story. Allow me to show you such a consequence. You say that environmentalism wasn’t a theme within the movie but I beg to differ. The movie quite explicitly states during a piece of exposition narrated by none other than Noah himself, that God wanted a world in which no humans existed because everything else was as it was in the garden. You might ask, “well, what’s wrong with that?”. The issue is it reads God’s motives only based on Genesis 6:6-7, where God regrets having created man and therein decides to destroy man. It however fails to show us the “BUT” that comes in verse 8 which reads “BUT Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Moreover, it fails to offer a deeper look at the God who says to Noah,
  
  “…“I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.”
  
  but then immediately provides a way of escape for Noah and his entire family as well as every species of animal on the earth at the time. The issue most have with the film is that it paints a picture wherein man’s salvation is left up to the man: Noah, and not THE MAN: JESUS CHRIST. Perhaps you should re-read chapter 6. I want you to focus on verse 18 especially:
  
  “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.”
  
  The story of Noah is intended to express God’s mercy on the human race. A mercy that is then realised in the person of Jesus Christ whose lineage is traced back to the generational acts of faith of people that found favor with God such as Noah. Don’t believe me, go re-read Hebrews 11. The story of Noah is intended to show God’s persevering love which moves Him to save His beloved creation even when all the laws of justice demand our annihilation. Where the movie fails, and horribly at that, is it doesn’t much relate to the God who would send HIS ONLY SON aka HIMSELF, THE SECOND PERSON OF THE TRINITY, JESUS, to save mankind. I could go on further into other themes which are destroyed by the movie, such as death by water as a metaphor for baptism, the exclusivity of the salvific covenant and why it doesn’t and cannot extend to the angels (which the movie suggests is possible) and on and on… The reason why many Christians have taken issue with this movie is because it fails to capture the richness of the source material and many of the themes it displays are, once examined, shallow and not at all unique to the Christian faith. It is ultimately a view of Noah from a very human and thus flawed perspective.
  
  I could go further into why the rest of your comment misses a lot of points but I’ll focus on one more issue and leave it at that. You compare Aronofsky’s Noah to Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. The reason why many people are happier with that movie than they are with Noah is because if you remove the ‘fantastical things’ you still have a movie that remains true to the story of Jesus’ death, resurrection, motives and character. If you do the same for Noah you get a different character, one who doesn’t have to deal with killing unborn children for example. Noah the movie borrows HEAVILY from extra biblical stories while The Passion of the Christ doesn’t. If you research a bit you will come to see that Noah the movie is actually more of a Gnostic view on the story of Noah than a Christian, Jewish or Islamic view. The reason that is dangerous is because it was marketed to you and me as if it was a retelling of the same story from the Bible. So if the people marketing the movie are disingenuous in their marketing approach, shouldn’t we question their motives and the message of their film? To anyone who might stumble upon my comment, I would suggest reading the following post:
  
  http://drbrianmattson.com/journal/2014/3/31/sympathy-for-the-devil
  
  I’m not one to usually scream conspiracy but the central argument of this writer is right on point. I regrettably lament at the fact that I once naively believed that Christians could quickly spot danger or at least identify red flags when they appeared. After reading and hearing so many opinions that mostly fail to identify the very non-Christian premise of the movie I aptly adjusted my perspective on the general level of understanding held within our global church. I will continue to pray for us in light of this.
  
  May God bless you and I wish you Grace, Mercy and Peace as you remain and grow in Faith, Hope and Love for our Father in Heaven.
  
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  - Cheryl Cope on April 19, 2014 at 1:54 pm said:
    
    Thank you Andrew for your thoughtful comments. I finally did go to see the movie and there were many elements (although I shouldn’t have been surprised) that I thought were truly horrid. I hope that Elle sees your comment.
    
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    - Andrew on April 19, 2014 at 9:04 pm said:
      
      Thanks Cheryl, I hope so too. God Bless you and your ministry.
      
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      - Cheryl Cope on April 20, 2014 at 6:58 am said:
        
        Blessings back to you!
Sandra on April 22, 2014 at 7:28 pm said:

I totally agree with Andrew’s assessment of the movie. He captured much of the error and explained it well. As I wrote in my first comment on this subject — I really wanted the movie to be good and help me envision Noah more fully. My great disappointment should not be surprising since the director is an agnostic at best. I was, however, shocked at the extent of the errors compared to Biblical truth. One should not make a movie about Noah and the flood and twist truth to that extent (not to mention, adding outlandish rock creatures — I mean, really?!?!). I too read Dr. Matson’s post on the subject and found it very enlightening. Thanks for continuing this interesting subject.

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- Cheryl Cope on April 22, 2014 at 8:02 pm said:
  
  Yes, the rock creatures were too much…
  
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