I’m not driving to see Noah in Mexico today. After prolonged begging and several emails between myself and Darren Aronofsky and Paramount, I finally got myself invited to a screening that’s happening tomorrow. Noah was shown over a week ago to several East and West Coast critics, and their reviews (posted concurrent with the Mexico opening) appeared late last night. Variety‘s Scott Foundas and The Hollywood Reporter‘s Todd McCarthy are fans. Nobody’s calling it rote or banal. Everyone seems to agree that it’s ambitious and “not stodgy.” Some have issues with what they see as a mixed bag quality…a lack of thematic purity or trying to be all things to all audiences. Noah is imaginative, they say, but at the same time semi-conventional (the battle stuff at the end) and trying not to offend the Christian nutters. The best Russell Crowe performance since Gladiator or A Beautiful Mind, some are saying. Everyone seems to be annoyed by Ray Winstone‘s Tubal-cain. “Though it’s not without its faults, Noah is a powerful experience with some truly stunning scenes.” — Indiewire‘s Eric Kohn.

I love how Paramount is telling me to hold my review until opening day with several reviews currently up on Rptten Tomatoes and Metacritic and Noah playing to general audiences in Mexico.