The star-studded film directed by Darren Aronofsky is his highest-grossing film to date.17:00, 19 Jul 2026An "epic" film that was banned in several countries is free to watch for a short time only.‌Fans of historical dramas like Gladiator are urged to watch a drama inspired by a biblical story that grossed over $359 million (£267 million) worldwide.‌The 2014 film stars some huge names like Russell Crowe, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson and Anthony Hopkins, and it received positive reviews from critics.‌Despite this, the movie did cause controversy around the world due to its perceived political messages, and was banned in several Muslim countries due to its depiction of prophets.Inspired by the biblical story of Noah's Ark, Noah, the film in question, is is available to watch for free on Pluto TV until August 31.Crowe received praise for his depiction of the title character - a role that was originally offered to Christian Bale and Michael Fassbender, both of whom were unable to take the part due to other commitments.‌Fans took to the review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, to share their thoughts, with one saying: "Anyone expecting a faithful biblical epic will be disappointed. Darren Aronofsky has opted to go in a different direction, for better or worse."It is quite an arresting spectacle featuring marvellous performances from Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, and Emma Watson (this is her best performance in a non-Harry Potter film)."‌Another commented: "I was a bit disturbed with this interpretation when I first saw it but can appreciate the artist license to entertain. Emma Watson and Jennifer Connelly are beautiful here and although way off course from the Bible, it still provides an epic movie experience."Over on IMDb reviews, one fan called it a "miracle of biblical proportions", adding: "It's awesome and rocks, and it certainly deviates from what you might have covered in Sunday School."But boy, is it ever interesting—and well worth seeing, especially if you're open to a bold, Trip new interpretation of an old, old story, about miracles of varying size and shape, in which you still today might find some new inspiration of man struggle in his relationship with God the Creator."‌Another fan hailed it a "masterpiece", adding: "Masterpiece of film-making; gripping in every way."I have to laugh at those who criticise because this interpretation is not true to the Biblical account. Perhaps I, as a Jesuit-educated Roman Catholic, give film-makers a little more sway when it comes to interpretation.‌"This is grand, old-fashioned film-making. DeMille. Spartacus. The Ten Commandments. It's on that grand of a scale."Lead actor Crowe spoke to Collider at the time of the film's release about how the daunting task of portraying this kind of character in a new way was exciting."That's kind of what I like about it though," he said. "Everybody has images in their mind when they hear 'Noah', and none of this matches up to that.Article continues below"None of it at all. There's a lot of reading, actually, about pre-diluvial human life, and it's quite enlightening, actually—what's been discovered by archaeologists over time."Noah is available to watch for free on Pluto TV until August 31.