Exodus – Gods and Kings: Naïve & Devoid of Content

This movie was selected by our Patreon Supporters over at the Cinematic Doctrine Patreon. Support as little as $3 a month and have your voice heard! 

Shirleon joins Melvin to discuss our latest Patron-Selected movie, Exodus: Gods and Kings! Can Ridley Scott give this paramount Bible story the Gladiator treatment? Does it play fast and loose with the historical account? Was it, at the very least, enjoyable? Tune in to find out!

Topics:

• (PATREON EXCLUSIVE) 33-minutes discussing the various drama leading up to Snow White (2025)’s release as well as it’s Rotten Tomato Score debut. (PATREON EXCLUSIVE)
• Shirleon, “I hated it. I hated the direction that it went.”
• Melvin, “It’s super rare to find movies that feel like they’re devoid of content.”
• What deflates the material is how remedial it is compared to the rich complexities of the Biblical text.
• A follow-up to criticism’s mentioned in the Journey to Bethlehem episode regarding bible-reading statistics.
• The film doesn’t just mischaracterize historical figures, it mischaracterizes biblical figures, texts, and God Himself, all in ways that can’t be considered concessions of the medium.
• Melvin talks about the one scene in the movie he liked.
• The two agree: It’s not just a bad biblical adaptation, it’s also a bad movie.

Recommendations:

• Read Exodus from the Bible
• The Prince of Egypt (1998) (Movie) (Cinematic Doctrine Episode)
• The Ten Commandments (1956) (Movie)
• The Midnight Meat Train (2008) (Movie)

Exodus: Gods and Kings is Rated PG-13 for violence including battle sequences and intense images. It features Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn, Zipporah, Isaac Andrews, Hiam Abbass, and Indira Varma. Directed by Ridley Scott. Exodus: Gods and Kings is available here.

Consider supporting Cinematic Doctrine on Patreon! As a bonus, you can gain access to a once-a-month movie poll where you decide a movie we discuss on the podcast, early unedited episodes of the podcast, and merch!!

Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!

Cinematic Doctrine is available on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast apps.

I Can Only Imagine – A Monumental Song, A Serviceable Movie – Cinematic Doctrine: A Movie Review Podcast Hosted by Christians

Send us a Question!REBROADCAST MOVIE DISCUSSION: From setting the stage with the world of CCM, to the song I Can Only Imagine's release and world domination, then finally right into the movie itself, Melvin and Daniel dive into many topics throughout this episode! (originally released August 31st, 2021) Topics: A brief history of CCM in the early 2000's which set the stage for the song I Can Only Imagine. Explaining the impact of the song I Can Only Imagine. Melvin had three not-so-positive (but not deal-breaking) observations that made it hard for him to fully enjoy the movie I Can Only Imagine. I Can Only Imagine is a 'good Christian movie' because "it just does all the things a movie should." Melvin, "I would have liked if the bulk of the movie was the reconciliation between [Bart Millard] and his dad." For Daniel, the ending is too cheesy when compared to the real life events they seem to semi-replicate. I Can Only Imagine, as a movie, isn't trying to sell you anything, and that's likely why it worked well with critics.Recommendations: John MacArthur's Acts Commentary (Volume One & Two) // Stanley Horton's Acts CommentaryDonut County Erin Morgenstern's "The Starless Sea" Support the showSupport on Patreon for Unique Perks! Early access to uncut episodes Vote on a movie/show we review One-time reward of two Cinematic Doctrine Stickers & PinsSocial Links: ThreadsWebsiteInstagramLetterboxdFacebook Group 

1. I Can Only Imagine – A Monumental Song, A Serviceable Movie 01:12:09
2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ambitious and/or Bloated 01:11:20
3. Spider-Man: Brand New Day – w/ Daniel Braindead on Consequences and Growing Up 01:15:11
4. Sunset Boulevard – Resilience, Belonging, & the Impact of Film 01:10:32
5. The Matrix – The Mind, the Body, the Leather 01:02:42