Exodus: Gods and Kings is a 2014 biblical epic film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, and written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Jeffrey Caine, and Steven Zaillian.

The film also received accusations of whitewashing for its primarily Caucasian cast, and was banned in Egypt and in the United Arab Emirates for "historical inaccuracies".

In 1300 BC, Moses, a general and accepted member of the Egyptian royal family, prepares to attack an encamped Hittite army with Prince Ramesses at Kadesh.

Moses is horrified to learn from God that the tenth plague will be the death of all firstborn children but follows through with the plan, instructing the Hebrews to protect themselves by covering their doors with lambs' blood.

Ridley Scott publicly stated that he would be looking to natural causes for the miracles, including drainage from a tsunami for the parting of the Red Sea.

[9] According to Scott, the parting of the Red Sea was caused by a tsunami believed to have been triggered by an underwater earthquake off the Italian coast around 3000 BC.

It's an indication that there will be a tremendous disconnect between Bale’s interpretation and the expectations of the market"[12] and suggested that Christians would not go to cinemas to see the film.

[16] On March 15, 2013, Deadline Hollywood reported Scott wanted Christian Bale to star in the film;[17] in August he confirmed the role to be Moses.

[24][25] Four white actors were cast to play the Hebrew and Egyptian lead characters: Christian Bale as Moses, Joel Edgerton as Ramses II, Sigourney Weaver as Queen Tuya, and Aaron Paul as Joshua.

The Sydney Morning Herald also reported the online community's observations that the film gives a European profile to the Great Sphinx of Giza.

It also compared Exodus to the 1956 film The Ten Commandments with its all-white cast and said, "The racial climate, number of black actors, and opportunities provided to them were very different in 1956, however.

[26][27] More so, Forbes' Scott Mendelson said that the film did not need to be "whitewashed" and stated that "Even if we accept the argument that Moses had to be played by a world-renowned movie star and that in all likelihood that meant a white actor, I do not accept the idea that the rest of the main cast needed to be filled out with Caucasian actors of varying recognizability.

[40] The film was released on the weekend of December 4 and 5 on 6,462 screens and in markets such as South Korea, Mexico, Hong Kong, and India.

The Egyptian culture minister Gaber Asfour described it as "a Zionist film", and said it was banned because of "historical inaccuracies", such as creating a false impression that Moses and the Jews built the pyramids.

[44][45][46] In Morocco, the state-run Moroccan Cinema Centre (CCM) initially approved the film's screening, but officials banned it on the day before its premiere because of the personification of the voice of God.

[41] The following week it earned $17.8 million from 27 international markets, coming at second place at the box office behind The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

[54][56][57] At the end of its theatrical run, Spain proved to be the most successful country with $18.1 million followed by Russia, Brazil, France, and the UK.

[59] They praised its acting performances and technical achievements, but criticized its pacing, thin screenwriting, and lack of character development.

[60] The film veered creatively from the Bible, and Scott's honesty about his own atheism did not help its potential appeal to a religious audience.

The critic's consensus reads: "While sporadically stirring, and suitably epic in its ambitions, Exodus: Gods and Kings can't quite live up to its classic source material.

"[65] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was positive toward the film and said, "Exodus is a biblical epic that comes at you at maximum velocity but stays stirringly, inspiringly human.

"[66] Reagan Gavin Rasquinha of The Times of India gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and said, "Exodus: Gods and Kings is 'spectacle' with a capital 'S' and in more ways than one, definitely epic.

"[67] Catherine Shoard of The Guardian gave 3 out of 5 stars and said, "It’s impossible not to feel some awe at the spectacle, but more shocks would have helped see you through the two-and-a-half hour running time.

"[68] Phillips Hawker of The Sydney Morning Herald gave a mixed review and awarded the film 3 out of 5 stars, saying, "Exodus: Gods And Kings... lacks Gladiator's full-on intensity and committed central performances, however; it's a mixture of the grand and the bland, and when it's not spectacular it's a little plodding.

"[69] Justin Chang of Variety said, "Some may well desire a purer, fuller version of the story, one more faithful to the text and less clearly shaped by the demands of the Hollywood blockbuster.

But on its own grand, imperfect terms, Exodus: Gods and Kings is undeniably transporting, marked by a free-flowing visual splendor that plays to its creator's unique strengths: Given how many faith-based movies are content to tell their audiences what to think or feel, it's satisfying to see one whose images alone are enough to compel awestruck belief.

"[70] Jim Vejvoda of IGN said, "Director Ridley Scott gets lost in the desert at times in Exodus: Gods and Kings, his epic, but not entirely effective take on the story of Moses's journey from an Egyptian Royal to Hebrew leader.

But is this oh-so-familiar tale still fresh enough to get people into theaters in the droves needed to make back the very high production values that we see on screen?

"[73] Alonso Duralde of The Wrap also gave a negative review and said, "If you're going into Exodus: Gods and Kings thinking that director Ridley Scott is going to give the Moses story anything we didn't already get from Cecil B. DeMille in two versions of The Ten Commandments, prepare to be disappointed.