EYEBROWS have been raised high ever since word first surfaced of this new take on the story of Noah, with a huge budget, fantasy adventure stylings and no less than Russell Crowe in the title role.

But not only has director Darren Aronofsky delivered a full-blooded, properly bonkers Old Testament epic, he's done it while tackling big questions in a way that will hopefully prove satisfying whether you're a person of faith or otherwise.

It's a full-on Bible tale, beginning with a rattle through the story of Adam and Eve, the killing of Abel by Cain and a mention for the lesser known third brother, Seth, and the good and evil that came from them.

The line of Cain spread wickedness throughout the world, something faced daily by Noah (Crowe), a descendant of Seth. With his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and children, they scrabble for their existence up against bad men who would kill nature's bounty.

Noah has visions of a great flood that will come to destroy the world, and that he must build a giant ark to save the innocent animals.

The entrance of Ray Winstone's king, Tubal-cain, adds the next level of conflict. He aims to oppose Noah, partly because of his more pragmatic approach to god-fearing, but mainly because he wants a seat on the boat.

Whether you come at Noah from a religious point of view or not hardly seems relevant. In its themes and central ideas, it's a powerful parable of righteousness versus sinfulness, posing monumental questions of whether anyone deserves salvation, or if we're all just sinful.

It is rather awash with CGI, but then there's really no other way to tell this story on this scale, as all the beasts of the earth make their way on to the ark.

There are also flashes of stunning spectacle in what is a visually striking film taking place in a land that looks as much post-apocalyptic as biblical.

And when the time comes to get the brollies out, the action really kicks up a notch. On the side of good are the Watchers, angels made of rock (seriously), which allows Aronofsky to stake his claim for any future Lord of the Rings remake.

A post-flood final third takes the pace down a notch or two, and could possibly even be accused of being a little dull and stretched in places, but this is where much of the meatiest character stuff gets covered.

The plot of wiping the world clean and starting again has run and run, all the way up to the Dark Knight trilogy, the difference being that the baddies in those movies are the ones perceived as the loonies.

Here's it's the central character and there's no disguising that Noah is something of a zealot, which makes for sometimes troubling but always compelling drama.

Crowe is immense, but Connelly gets almost nothing to do, while Anthony Hopkins goes all Yoda for his role as Methuselah, Noah's grandfather.

But this is Aronofsky's show, and he has crafted a remarkable blend of action, spirituality and humanity that also gives us something to think about.

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Running time: 138 mins