Movie Review: Noah by Sight and Sound Productions


This is an unpaid, honest review by Alex Galvez

Sight and Sound Theaters is well known in the Christian Community for putting on amazing productions that bring to life several of the Biblical Stories that we have learned as children. They began more than 40 years ago and have draw an audience of over 1.5 million members every year! This is quite impressive when you consider that the stage shows they produce are Biblical.

In April, they will make available in theaters a revised production of their landmark production of Noah. It is quite an impressive production with the historic ark being built before your eyes and being filled with live animals!

The production follows along in Genesis 6 where God warns Noah of an impending flood due to the wickedness of mankind. We know that Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5) and for 120 years he built the ark faithfully heeding the command from God. When the flood came, Noah and his family alone were spared, along with all of the animals in the ark. This true story is a shadow of the reality of Christ. It points us to the fact that God has provided a way of salvation for all mankind in the person of Jesus Christ, just as He had provided a way of salvation from the flood in the ark.

So, is this soon to be in Theaters Production worthy of our time and attention? Let’s see.

Strengths
I want to start off by saying that this production is leaps and bounds better than the very unbiblical version of Noah that Darren Aronofsky directed in 2014. One reason for this is simply because it is actually accurate to the Biblical account (for the most part, see the cons section for more details). Sight and Sound Theaters generally do remain faithful to the Bible and do a very good job at bringing the text to life. For example, it is one thing to read of how Noah lived during a time of great wickedness and then to see that wickedness before your very eyes. Also, we tend to not think about the struggles that Noah and his family would face knowing that all of their loved ones were outside of the ark during the flood and that meant certain death. We often need to be reminded that we are not reading fairy tales, but about real events that occurred and this production does a phenomenal job at pulling the audience into the Biblical accounts to experience the emotions and the drama in a very palpable way.

We feel for Noah and his family as they lose their friends and family and are mocked by the people around them. The whole theme of God’s faithfulness to His promises and His mercy for His people are woven throughout the story beautifully which makes this movie really captivating and inspiring. I liked the additional trivia that the production provides in bringing Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, into the story.

Weakness
While the production had very many strong points, there were a couple of points that you ought to keep in mind. It is impressive that they are able to take a three-chapter event and turn it into a 110-minute-long production, but in doing so you must allow for certain liberties to be made. For example, the land of Nod, the place Cain left the Lord’s presence to in Gen 4:16, is the city associated with wickedness throughout the story with a wicked leader seeking to unite the world under his rule. This wicked ruler is also depicting as seeking to convince the world that there is no God. This, of course, is nowhere to be found in the Biblical record, but is used to carry the story on. Additionally, the production does not offer a complete Gospel presentation when it is a perfect opportunity to do so. I must add to my above point that the version I saw was not the final cut production and so they may make some tweaks to it before the final release to theaters. I also should add that they do conclude the movie with several verses which point to the Gospel but no presentation is ever made for repentance and faith.

ConclusionOverall, I have to say that this is a worthwhile movie for you to watch with your friends, families, co-workers, and others. It also is a great opportunity for you to do what the movie did not in spring boarding to the Gospel.

I give this movie, 7.5 stars out of 10

Sight & Sound’s NOAH will be in movie theaters for three days only: April 9, 11 & 13. Learn more at NoahEvent.com.

Link to the Trailer: Noah Trailer

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