Welcome to The Morning After, where I share with you what movies I’ve seen over the past week. Below, you will find short reviews of those movies along with a star rating. Full length reviews may come at a later date.

So, here is what I watched this past week:

Noah

If you hope to get a wholesome, family-friendly rendition of the well known Bible story, Darren Aronofsky is not the director you want to turn to. Noah is a film somewhat faithful and highly divergent from its source.

The story about a flood sent by the Creator (God’s name is never mentioned in the film) to punish the world for its wickedness is the impetus for a small family descended from the third child of Adam and Eve to build a massive ark wherein two-by-two every animal species known to man will ride out the tide in safety. Aronofsky, no stranger to controversy, adds a number of new characters, embellishes the very short prose that inspires the film and goes haywire with social commentary.

Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connolly, Emma Watson and Logan Lerman give solid performances even though they don’t precisely know what to do with themselves within the framework of this highly fictionalized retelling of the oft-told tale. Their performances aren’t central to the narrative, focusing instead on the threat of rampant civilization building and the depravity of men. A blend of fantasy and realism, Aronofsky doesn’t seem too concerned that his film is so far afield from common perception of the story. While I admire some of the things Aronofsky tries to do, it seems wholly mocking in its tone, trying to find a way to completely alter the trajectory of the story and make it into something more grand, more cinematic and never really finding the perfect balance.