This Controversial Fantasy Movie Is Still One of Emma Watson’s Biggest Hits Outside of Harry Potter

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Since the last Harry Potter film came out in 2011, the three lead actors – Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint – have all continued to work on various projects. Many other actors from the films have also remained active. Recently, Tom Felton appeared in the new film They Will Kill You alongside Zazie Beetz. Daniel Radcliffe has been the most consistently busy, performing in plays and TV shows like Miracle Workers, and starring in films ranging from horror (The Woman in Black, Horns) and action (Guns Akimbo) to larger studio productions like The Lost City and Now You See Me 2. Rupert Grint occasionally appears in both films (Knock at the Cabin) and TV series (Snatch).

While all three actresses are famous, Emma Watson could be considered the biggest star. Although she hasn’t done a lot of projects since Harry Potter, the ones she’s been in have generally been very well-received. However, one film, Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, really split audiences – it caused much more disagreement than something like The Bling Ring.

What Made Noah Such a Lightning Rod of Controversy?

Emma Watson’s film Noah performs reasonably well when looking at her work outside of the Harry Potter series. It’s not as highly rated as My Week with Marilyn, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, or Little Women, but it’s comparable to films like The Tale of Despereaux, The Bling Ring, This Is the End, and Beauty and the Beast. It’s better received than Colonia, Regression, and The Circle. While not a poor film, it didn’t quite meet the expectations of many viewers.

From the moment the rock monsters appeared in the first act, it became clear that viewers expecting a literal, straightforward retelling of the Noah’s Ark story wouldn’t stay until the end. Surprisingly, the film also received criticism for its environmental themes, as if having a message about protecting the environment was a negative thing.

Many Christians didn’t mind the movie taking some creative freedoms with the biblical story. For example, Noah’s wife, played by Jennifer Connelly and named Naameh in the film, isn’t actually named in the Bible, but that’s a name commonly associated with her. A more significant change involves the character of Tubal-cain, played by Ray Winstone. The movie portrays him simply as Noah’s enemy, while the biblical Tubal-cain was the first blacksmith and, crucially, Naameh’s brother – a connection the film completely leaves out.

Even if you’re not expecting a strictly biblical adaptation, Noah is still enjoyable. It has a unique and unusual tone, which sets it apart. As the actress Emma Watson noted during filming, the movie deliberately avoids a specific time period. It could take place in either a primitive ancient world or a desolate future, leaving the audience to wonder.

The movie Noah takes so many liberties with the original biblical story that Paramount included a disclaimer, letting audiences know it was inspired by the story, not a direct retelling. It’s difficult to say if it would have been as successful as The Passion of the Christ if it had stuck closely to the source material – though The Passion wasn’t a word-for-word adaptation either. The biggest challenge, though, is that Noah only covers a small section of the Bible – from Genesis 6 to Genesis 9. A truly faithful adaptation would likely have resulted in a very short film, probably around 45 minutes long.

Emma Watson and Darren Aronofsky both benefited from their collaboration on Noah. The film was one of Watson’s biggest successes outside of the Harry Potter series and Aronofsky’s highest-grossing movie ever, earning $359.2 million worldwide on a budget of around $160 million. It surpassed the earnings of Black Swan by $29 million, though Black Swan remains Aronofsky’s most profitable film due to its very low $13 million budget. For Watson, Noah performed better than her most recent film, Little Women, which grossed $220 million, but didn’t reach the massive success of Beauty and the Beast.

Did you catch the movie Noah in cinemas? What’s your favorite film by director Darren Aronofsky? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-28 19:42