Exodus: Gods and Kings: C

Rated PG-13, 150 minutes

Wes’s Grade: C

Visually stunning but sluggish epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings” divides more than the Red Sea

I will give this disclaimer up front, mainly for my many Christian and evangelical friends who may see the divisive new epic action film “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” It is Biblically-inspired, which means if you’re going for a faithful adaptation of the Moses story from the Bible, you won’t find it here. Overlong and with a slow start, it is otherwise peppered with impressive visuals and sets, “Exodus” isn’t as outrageously different as this year’s similarly-inspired epic “Noah,” (no rock people here) but there’s still some considerable differences and interpretations (the manner in which God speaks to Moses, as well as Moses writing the Ten Commandments are among them) that may cause some consternation among the Christian set. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, here it is: Moses (Christian Bale) is working diligently with the help of God to free his people from the oppressive Ramses (Joel Edgerton) to the promised land.  God’s use of deadly plagues finally helps set Moses and his people on the way, but not without even more obstacles along the way. Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Oscar-winner Steven Zaillian (“Schlinder’s List”), the slick “Exodus: Gods and Kings” is a mildly entertaining but sluggish historical epic that is loosely, and I repeat, loosely based on the Bible story made famous by Charlton Heston in the 1956 DeMille classic “The Ten Commandments,” which this film will be inevitably (and perhaps unfairly) compared to (more on that later). The slower initial acts give way to the later, more energetic scenes filled with plagues and the actual journey; scored by Alberto Iglesias (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) and photographed handsomely by Dariusz Wolski, who has worked with Scott before on films such as “Prometheus,” the film is a visual feast, which is unsurprising given Scott’s (who dedicates the film to his later brother Tony) eye for this. As well as the first-rate (and likely Oscar-nominated) visuals, some things work better than others here, including Bale’s strong performance, who paints Moses as a flawed figure with mental issues, while others do not, such as the interesting miscasting of John Turturro as the Ramses Pharoah father Seti I, as well as the famous Red Sea crossing, which I found disappointing compared to “The Ten Commandments.” Scott visualizes it more as a “drying up” than an actual parting a huge change that will divide more than the sea does in the movie. On that note, “Exodus: Gods and Kings” isn’t a great film, somewhat missing the point and upsetting many in the process with its inaccuracies; it works OK as pure entertainment (and visual spectacle), as long as you don't take your Bible with you.