10 Redeeming Elements In Otherwise Awful Movies

In many ways, Darren Aronofsky's Noah was really doomed before it even hit the screens. The production alienated fundamentalist Christians by integrating daring revisionist themes and insane pre-biblical myths, and then alienated progressive moviegoers by hiring exclusively white actors in a film that takes place before races even existed.

The final film that lumbered onto screens in 2014 was a clunky dark fantasy that couldn't decide on a tone or create characters interesting enough to sustain its 2+ hour running time.

However, within the fantasy equivalent of a muddy hut made out of sticks and old tree branches are a few nuggets of gold. By that, I mean this film is full of tiny little visual flourishes that read like Darren Aronofsky crying out "there's an artist behind all of this!". The film is peppered with time lapse sequences that push not only the visuals to a whole new level, but help reinforce any interesting themes buried under the muck.

The most memorable of these is when Noah tells his family the story of Genesis, which is visualized in a truly inspired abstract montage. While he describes the story of the creation as in the bible, the film visually takes the audience through a depiction of the creation of Earth and the evolution of life. It is both strikingly beautiful and subtly subversive at the same time, and it leaves the audience wondering why the rest of the film isn't this creative.