From beautiful scenery and culture to unexpected twists and turns, “Exodus: Gods and Kings” is a 2 hour and 22 minute movie that had me captivated at every moment. It is a story about a man who uses his ability and courage to stand up for what’s right, whether the people he loves are with him or not.

Exodus, which is the second book of the Old Testament of the Bible, takes place in Egypt in a time where the Egyptians held the Hebrews as slaves.

The Egyptian Pharaoh had ordered all first born Hebrew males held in Egypt to be killed. Moses, who was born a Hebrew, was floated down the river by his family as a baby (in an attempt to keep him from being killed)  to where the Pharaoh and his family lived. They found him, kept him and raised him as their own, unaware of his true origin.

Although Moses was raised as a prince, he would never succeed to the crown because he was not blood-related. The Pharaoh’s blood son, Ramses (Joel Edgerton), would be receiving the crown even though it is obvious Moses (Christian Bale) was his favorite.

The movie is about God’s call to Moses to help free the Hebrews from Egyptian control.

You do not have to be religious to be able to enjoy this movie. Yes, it comes from the Bible and yes, the Judeo-Christian God plays a role in the movie, but it is more of a story of persecution against the Hebrews and the acts and results of right and wrong that took place.

The actors did an amazing job of portraying the actions and emotions of the characters. Christian Bale, as Moses, succeeded at holding the audience’s attention throughout the whole film. But, they would not have been able to pull it off without the costume designer. The many outfits ranged from Egyptian royalty to slaves who sleep every night with their farm animals; all of which turned out great.

The best song on the soundtrack was by Coldplay called “Midnight (Phones Remix)”. It’s also the song that is used on the official trailer.

This movie is definitely a must-see. There is action, adventure, love and loss bundled into this PG-13 drama/ action.

BY ABI BROOKS