REVIEW: ‘Noah.’ Why?

I am an orthodox atheist, a militant one. That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good mythological story, especially a stylish fantasia made by one of our better filmmakers. Darren Aronofsky is among those better filmmakers, certainly. He has great visual taste and a storytelling technique that has real gusto, exuberance, that’s never dull — well, maybe The Wrestler was a bit groggy, but that’s also due to Mickey Rourke’s unfortunate but appropriately punched-up face. Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and Black Swan are visionary and edgy in terms of the scripting, editing, the camerawork, the performances he elicited. The Fountain showed his penchant for a certain mawkish ‘mysticism’ or ‘spirituality,’