The once-thriving swords-and-sandals genre has long since faded, and efforts to revive it have met with limited success. Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings was one such attempt, but it did little to reinvigorate the genre. Released in 2014, it quickly became a box office dud, with theaters nearly empty upon its debut. Though the film had a star-studded cast, including Christian Bale as Moses, critics and audiences alike were underwhelmed.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Bale shared how he turned to comedy to help him process the film’s heavy subject matter. He explained that after his initial meeting with Ridley Scott, he rented The Life of Brian, a personal favorite, to help him mentally prepare. “I rented The Life of Brian,” Bale said. “It’s a beautifully made film, and I love it, but the point is, if you approach something with too much earnestness, it could quickly become a parody of itself. So, that was my guiding light.” Bale even joked that the iconic Life of Brian song, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” was often stuck in his head while working on the film. Later, he rented Mel Brooks’ History of the World: Part 1 for a bit of comic relief, admitting, “You need humor when tackling something this serious, or it just gets exhausting.”
Despite the efforts to balance the gravity of the material with a touch of levity, Exodus struggled to connect with viewers. It received poor reviews, criticized for its pacing, lackluster CGI, and often dull storytelling. Complaints about historical inaccuracies and the casting of a non-Jewish, non-Egyptian actor in the lead role also added to its backlash, with many accusing the film of “whitewashing.” While The Life of Brian and other similar films weren’t exactly diverse, today’s climate is far less forgiving of such casting choices.
Despite these issues, Exodus: Gods and Kings didn’t completely fade from memory. Its failures remain a reminder of how hard it can be to bring an epic historical story to the screen in a way that resonates with modern audiences. Scott’s ongoing approach to historical films — often disregarding traditional scripts and relying on his own creative vision — has worked for him in the past, with hits like Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator. But recently, it seems his luck has run out, and Exodus is a testament to that. Although we may not see another Alien or Gladiator from Scott, we’re likely to see more attempts at pseudo-historical epics, much like Exodus, in the future.
