That's 2 hours of my life I am never going to get back!!

Rating: 2/10 (5 March 2018)

I'm not really sure where to start with this. I've seen a number of Darren Aronofsky films and I've generally liked them. His movies always give you something to think about, however this was a whole different story. I honestly feel like I just wasted 2 hours of my life watching a poor re-telling of the bible that tried to use shock tactics to impress the viewers.
From the Cain and Abel story line, to the word of God spreading, to the birth of Jesus, the film is packed with biblical allegories and metaphors, however it feels like the hole in the floor that is meant to represent a bleeding vagina, the people killing the baby then literally eating his flesh and the crushing of mother nature's burnt heart to reveal a crystal, has all been added to the film in order to give it the dark tone it needs to earn the horror tag that it has and to shock the viewers and give them something to talk about after they have watched it.
It felt like the movie came in 2 halves, it was almost like Aronofsky got half way through and realised the film was awful and that he need to add some form of action, sex and gore to it to make it something.
The cast for this movie should have been enough to make this a great film. Lawrence and Pfeiffer are fantastic and bring the tension that the film is hoping for when they play opposite each other, but for me they were let down by their male counterparts. Bardem and Harris, although both great actors in their own right for me did not stand out in this film at all. If anything, their characters irritated me.
As I watched this movie i tried to keep an open mind and stick and give it a chance to get better. I did manage to get all the way to the end however I honestly lost my will to live somewhere in the middle section.
I've read a number of other reviews that claim if you don't like this movie you are not intelligent or don't understand the art that you have just been exposed to. I completely disagree with this. I think if you disliked this move you are probably an honest person who isn't trying to make yourself sound like you are some pretentious movie expert who sees something that extortionary in this film.
All in all, I feel there are a number of much better films out there that deserve the praise that people have given to this.