Darren Aronofsky has given us some mind-bending movies like Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, Pi, and more. His recent movies, like Brendan Fraser’s Oscar-winning The Whale and Austin Butler’s Caught Stealing, struck a nerve with audiences. The filmmaker always brings an idea with his own touch and presents even the most familiar material from a thought-provoking angle.
Among those features is Russell Crowe-led Noah, the biblical epic, which was not only controversial but also polarized its audiences. The critics gave it a 75% Rotten Tomatoes score, owing to its enchanting visuals and compelling performances, while audiences were more unforgiving of its historical and biblical inaccuracies and gave it only a 41% score. Nonetheless, it was a big commercial success, earning $359.2 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of $160 million, making it Aronofsky’s highest-grossing movie.
Taking inspiration from the biblical story of Noah’s Ark from the Book of Genesis and the Book of Enoch, Crowe plays Noah, a man chosen by the Creator (God) to build a massive ark to save his family and the world’s animals from an apocalyptic flood intended to cleanse the earth of human wickedness. While the visuals, direction, and performances were praised, Noah proved controversial for drawing on extra-biblical sources for inspiration and for perceived environmentalist messaging. It also faced bans in several countries, including the UAE and Qatar.
For fans who’d like to revisit the film or check it out for the first time, time is running out. Noah is leaving Peacock at the end of April. Along with stunning landscapes and intimate storytelling, the movie features a strong cast, including Jennifer Connelly as Naameh, Ray Winstone as Tubal-cain, Emma Watson as Ila, Logan Lerman as Ham, Anthony Hopkins as Methuselah, and more.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
What’s Next from Darren Arofonsky?
After Caught Stealing, the director has now set eyes on an A24 project, Breakthrough, with Dwayne Johnson in the lead. While no plot details have been revealed, Johnson previously teased, “I’ve been very hungry (and grateful) for this kind of challenge. The story is a deep dark psychological dive into the culture of motivational “gurus”, and those souls seeking to find their greater purpose in life. It’s a character I can try to unhinge. And perhaps rip open.” Johnson is in his thespian era, having recently starred in The Smashing Machine and completely transforming. It’ll be interesting to see his collaboration with Aronofsky.
Meanwhile, Noah is leaving Peacock on April 30. Stay tuned to Collider for more such updates.
