Ridley Scott's “Exodus: Gods and Kings” is coming this winter, another spin on the Moses story and…I don't know, why can't I get excited about this? Part of it might be the fact that the last Scott film that really lit my fire was “Matchstick Men,” though I did quite like “American Gangster” and the director's cut of “Kingdom of Heaven,” and I have a ton of below-the-line respect for “Prometheus.” But it also just feels, I don't know, passé? This is Scott back in “Gladiator” territory, and “Gladiator” was 14 years ago, by the way.
That's just my first blush. I won't fault a film too much ahead of time for marketing that misses the mark for me. But so far, it's really not grabbing me.
Anyway, will this end up with enough meat on its bones to be an awards play? Maybe. “Gladiator” was pretty groundbreaking in its era on the visual effects front and this one clearly has a lot of created environments flying around. Obviously it's opulent; Scott's usual recent crew of production designer Arthur Max, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski and costume designer Janty Yates (Oscar winner for “Gladiator”) is back. But beyond the crafts categories? We'll just have to see how Fox can spin it.
Check out the new trailer above and tell us what you think. And click through the gallery below to check out the new posters and a slew of new photos from the film.
“Exodus: Gods and Kings” opens Dec. 12.