It’s been said that every nation which receives the Gospel has distorted it to suit their own obsessions. “Exodus” is a good example of that.
The film moves from one violent scene to another with only a thin thread of resemblance to the biblical account of Moses’ life. The authors of the film obviously didn’t find the historical records exciting enough for a “modern” audience. They not only filled in a lot of blanks with character inconsistencies, they also recklessly disregarded key parts of the known story in order to make a film for the audience they know – the mindless masses.
There is little in the way of story, in a film which should be about story. It’s just like hundreds of other formula films. It is, however, the wrong formula for Christians and Jews who know the story – it is an insult!
Anyone who has read Exodus will be disappointed at best. I felt violated, cheated, and angry. It’s sickeningly Hollywood, but it is accepted and expected that they will do anything for an easy buck.
Should media influence society or does it reflect society? In this case, the film has nothing to say, but if there is anything to learn here, it is that the American Gospel is deceptively distorted by the national obsession with violence, easy money, and shallow religion.
For a more inspiring account of the story of the Children of Israel in the wilderness check this out:
www.ajourneyinthewilderness.com
© Copyright 2014-15, Paul K. Weigel – All rights reserved.