'Exodus: Gods and Kings' a Hit or Miss?

NEW YORK CITY -- From the Red Sea to the red carpet, the biblically inspired epic "Exodus: Gods and Kings" will make waves when it's released nationwide Dec. 12.

Acclaimed director Ridley Scott is bringing new life to the story of Moses' daring quest to take on the might of an empire, setting 400,000 slaves free against the wishes of Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses.

The Brooklyn Museum hosted the New York City premiere of the film, with Christian Bale, Aaron Paul and many others in attendance to share their take on the project.

"I personally believe Moses is the most inspirational hero in probably human history," the film's producer Peter Chernin told CBN News.

The iconic 1956 film "The Ten Commandments," directed by Cecil DeMille, starred Charlton Heston as Moses, winning an Oscar and three other major movie awards.

Bob Waliszewski, director of Focus on the Family's entertainment review department, Plugged In Online, discussed "Exodus: Gods and Kings" CBN News Today, Dec. 12. Click play to watch.

Bale told CBN News how he viewed taking on the role of Moses after seeing other portrayals.

"He's the most intense figure I've ever portrayed in my life, as well as the most beloved," the actor said. "So at some point you have to take a leap of faith and recognize you have to go with your own portrayal."

"But also you can never neglect the fact that people have such strong... incredibly strong opinions on how Moses should be portrayed," he said.

With critics claiming the film "Noah" failed to relate to religious believers, producers say the upcoming movie will deal with a subject on which Christians, Jews, and Muslims can agree.

"Moses is the one figure that means something to the world's three major religions. He's obviously critically important to Jews, Christians, but Moses to the Muslims is also a Muslim prophet," Chernin explained.

Other cast members were in attendance - including Paul, who plays Moses' protégé Joshua, and Ben Mendelsohn, who plays the Egyptian viceroy Hegep.

"This is one of the truly great inspirational stories ever told. Now our take on it may be something some people feel good about, maybe some don't - but it's one of the greatest stories ever told," Mendelsohn shared.

Bale reflected on the complexity of his character.

"He was somebody who was filled with self-doubt," Bale told CBN News. "But equally he was a liberator, a leader, a man of incredible self-confidence, a man who at other times was very timid. He kind of encompasses almost every human emotion you can imagine but in a strong way."