Box Office Battlefield: Exodus: Exodus: Gods and Kings, Top Five, and Inherent Vice

The weekend warriors of December 12, 2014 includes Exodus: Gods and Kings, Top Five, and Inherent Vice. Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard-earned dollars, Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over the others and determine who will be victorious.

Last weekend, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 crushed the box office again despite weak new releases. However, the young adult adaptation has some serious competition this weekend with a big sword and sandal epic and a potential Chris Rock Oscar contender. YOU SHALL NOT PASS? This is the Box Office Battlefield:

Exodus: Gods and Kings (Ridley Scott) Rated PG-13 [150 min] – The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. Starring Aaron Paul, Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver, Joel Edgerton, and Aaron Paul

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 28% • Audience – 40%

What they’re saying:

“Exodus: Gods and Kings updates the story of Moses in every way except the one that would actually be gutsy: race.” – Alison Willmore (BuzzFeed)

“Despite the best 3D I’ve seen, this is one of the silliest movies of all time. Forget history, it’s not even faithful to The Bible.” – Todd VanDerWerff (Vox)

What I’m saying:

Ridley Scott has been really miss more than hit these days. And although Exodus looks like a huge epic with great production value, I fail to believe that the film offers anything of substance, much like Scott’s Robin Hood. From the trailers, Exodus has some fight sequences that I generally don’t remember reading about. And that run time does not make the journey worth the trip. RENT IT!

Top Five (Chris Rock) Rated R [102 min] – A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality-TV star fiancée talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her TV show. Starring Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, Gabrielle Union, and Kevin Hart

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 89% • Audience – 77%

What they’re saying:

“In spite of its silly attitude, the movie asks real questions about the tension between show business and artistic desire.” – Eric Kohn (indieWIRE)

“Chris Rock wrote, directed, and stars in this genial, splendidly constructed, occasionally hilarious comic drama with a reflexive twist.” – Richard Brody (The New Yorker)

What I’m saying:

I’m intrigued by Top Five. There’s something about Rock and the parallel’s of his career that make the film stand out due to its apparent honesty and heart. I dig the cast and the story it’s trying to tell. SEE IT!

Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson) [Limited] Rated R [148 min] – In Los Angeles in 1970, drug-fueled detective Larry “Doc” Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend. Starring Josh Brolin, Jena Malone, Sasha Pieterse, and Reese Witherspoon

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics – 73% • Audience – 68%

What they’re saying:

“While the film will have very limited appeal for casual moviegoers, Inherent Vice is great genre entertainment for intellectual and/or cinephile types.” – Kofi Outlaw (ScreenRant)

‘Inherent Vice isn’t quite a magnificent as “There Will Be Blood” or “The Master.” But that just means you’ll only want to rewatch it several times, as opposed to dozens.” – Tim Grierson (Deadspin)

What I’m saying:

It’s been two years since The Master was released and I’m still not over the film. Paul Thomas Anderson has yet failed to deliver, but Inherent Vice feels strangely off kilter from what we’ve seen in the director’s filmography. The reviews are not quite as positive as we tend to see for a PTA release, which could be due to his dense storytelling. MATINEE IT!

Exodus: Gods and Kings is the widest release this weekend and Mockingjay has been out for three weeks now. And Christan Bale has quite the draw. Top Five is getting a lot of buzz this awards season, but it’s only releasing in a third of the amount of theaters Exodus is. So as it stands, I believe the victor for this weekend shall be: