Protagonists in Darren Aronofsky films always seem to lurk in a prophetic netherworld, whether drug-induced (Requiem for a Dream) or somehow inspired by the fates (The Fountain), so it should come as no surprise that for his latest, Aronofsky has tapped a Biblical narrative as source material. The story of Noah (the cannily cast Russell Crowe), a moody Old Testament figure chosen by God to secure the seeds for survival before the approaching apocalyptic flood, fits perfectly in the wheelhouse of a filmmaker who has proven to be unafraid of tackling the nuclear frisson between the human and the divine nature of all things. Opens wide March 28. (PG-13) Not screened in time for review
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2014.