( CNN ) -- Is it `` Titanic '' for the faithful ? `` Noah , '' starring Russell Crowe and directed by Darren Aronofsky , opened in theaters today , and the critics have plenty to say about the epic . For the most part , it appears the critics appreciate the efforts of both Crowe and Aronofsky -- who is best known for controversial films such as `` Requiem for a Dream '' and `` Black Swan '' -- even if they do n't think the pair quite pull it off . Jordan Hoffman of Screen Crush says , `` This film 's inscrutable oddness -- and the willingness to take chances -- brought me to a place that could not have predicted . During the film 's third act I had no idea how this movie was going to end . Seriously . Even more exciting , once the credits rolled , I had to spend some time to work out how I felt . In fact , I 'm still thinking about it . '' `` Dark '' is how Nathan Adams of Film School Rejects describes the big-budget flick . `` There 's a tension that runs through the whole film about who you should be rooting for , or if it 's even possible to root for anyone in this situation , '' he writes . `` Noah goes to such dark places over the course of the movie that it 's impossible to keep relating to him as a protagonist ( sometimes to the point of comedy , intentional or otherwise ) , and it becomes necessary for the narrative to switch its viewpoint from character to character . '' The headline for Alonso Duralde 's review for The Wrap reads , `` Darren Aronofsky 's biblical 'Waterworld ' mostly runs aground . '' Duralde says that `` Unlike the thousands of CGI beasts of the land and air who hitch a ride on 'Noah , ' Darren Aronofsky 's highly-anticipated epic is neither fish nor fowl ; in no way is it a straightforward Bible tale ( and given the brevity of Genesis ' account of the flood , such a thing would be next to impossible ) nor is it the sort of unfettered freak-out that fans of 'Black Swan , ' 'Pi ' or 'The Fountain ' would expect from its director and co-writer ( with Ari Handel ) . '' HitFix 's Drew McWeeny writes that `` Noah '' `` is not just one of the most ambitious films I 've seen this year , it 's one of the most ambitious films I 've ever seen . It 's a movie that is spilling over with ideas and images and emotional explorations of the metaphysical . '' Opinion : Is 'Noah ' sacred enough ? Ty Burr of the Boston Globe says the film is `` equal parts ridiculous and magnificent . '' And while noting that Crowe `` turns out to be perfectly cast in the title role , '' Burr writes that `` The parts of 'Noah ' that do n't work really , truly do n't . But the parts that do almost sweep you away in the flood . '' As the Washington Post notes , the film has had its fair share of controversy , including complaints that there is a lack of mention of God in the film . Post film critic Ann Hornaday calls it a slightly different take on the biblical story and writes , `` The result is a movie that is clearly deeply respectful of its source material but also at times startlingly revisionist , a go-for-broke throwback to Hollywood biblical epics of yore that combines grandeur and grace , as well as a generous dollop of goofy overstatement . `` Viewers may not agree about what they 've seen when they come out of 'Noah , ' `` she said . `` But there 's no doubt that Aronofsky has made an ambitious , serious , even visionary motion picture , whose super-sized popcorn-movie vernacular may occasionally submerge the story 's more reflective implications , but never drowns them entirely . '' Likewise , Peter Travers of Rolling Stone cautions , `` My advice : Hold off on burning Aronofsky at the stake till you see Noah , a film of grit , grace and visual wonders that for all its tech-head modernity is built on a spiritual core . The Brooklyn-born Aronofsky and his Harvard roomie and writing partner , Ari Handel -- 'two not very religious Jewish guys , ' says the director -- are hellbent on making their Noah relevant for believers and skeptics alike . ''
Darren Aronofsky 's `` Noah '' opens today . Critics applaud the effort , even if they do n't think it entirely works . Score: 6