Russell Crowe has hit back at the "absolute stupidity" of 'Noah' critics.
The 49-year-old actor - who plays the titular character in the forthcoming epic - thinks people need to watch the movie before they slam it and has found viewers have appreciated how "respectful" Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of the Biblical story of Noah's Ark is.
Speaking on the US show 'Good Morning America', he said: "We've had probably over a year now of harsh criticism from a bunch of people who have put their name and stamp on an opinion that's not even based on the movie or seeing the movie, just an assumption of what it could be or how bad it could be or, you know, how wrong it could be in their eyes. Which, you know, I think quite frankly is bordering on absolute stupidity. Because now, I think, people are seeing the movie and they're realising how respectful it is and how potent it is."
Crowe is thrilled 'Noah' can spark philosophical discussions which explore issue in the world we live in.
He added: "You come out of this movie and you want to talk ... about our stewardship of the earth, our relationship to animals, what is spirituality, who am I in this world - all these fantastic subjects for conversation ... Art that can do that for people is a wonderful thing."

Scarlett Johansson bonded with Chris Evans over his "down and dirty" stories on set.
The 29-year-old actress stars as the Black Widow alongside the Hollywood hunk who plays the titular superhero in 'Captain America: The Winter Solider', and she enjoyed quizzing him on personal tales since he's a "great storyteller" when they had time to spare during shoots.
Talking on the Radio 1 'Breakfast Show' to Nick Grimshaw, she said: "If you're waiting for a bridge to explode [on set] .. guess Chris and I usually... Chris is a great storyteller. I wanna get the down and dirty stories - tell me about all your friends in Boston, what's the most disgusting thing you've ever seen in person - you know that kind of stuff."
Grimshaw asked: "What is the most disgusting thing he's seen in person?"
She replied: "I can't say that on this radio show, it's too early in the morning for that."
Although Johansson remained coy about Evans' stories she admits the time between shoots often got "tedious".
She said: "At times it is [intense]... a lot of these huge sequences take four to five days, or sometimes two weeks to shoot. For instance, all the stuff that we do on the overpass when the Winter Solider is finally revealed to us, that stuff took a couple of weeks, then they had to close a couple of freeways. A lot of it is waiting around for things to be re-set up and explosion to be handled properly. So it can be a bit tedious."

Arnold Schwarzenegger will play an ageing T-800 in 'Terminator: Genesis'.
The 66-year-old actor and former bodybuilder - who was catapulted to fame after starring in 1984's 'The Terminator' - will reprise his role as the titular cyborg in the forthcoming film and insists different models will be used to show him growing old.
He told MTV: "The way that the character is written, it's a machine underneath. It's this metal skeleton but above that is human flesh, and the Terminator's flesh ages, just like any other human being's flesh.
"Maybe not as fast, but it definitely ages."
The hunk was unable to feature in 'Terminator Salvation' in 2009 because of his commitments as the Governor of California but is thrilled to hit the big screen and be part of the franchise once again.
He added: "I did say, 'I'll be back', so now I'm back and it's going to be really terrific."
'Game of Thrones' actress Emilia Clarke, Spartacus' Jai Courtney and 'Lawless' actor Jason Clarke have also been confirmed for the new "action-packed" movie.
'Terminator: Genesis', the fifth instalment in the series, will be directed by Alan Taylor and is due to begin production in April with a scheduled release date of July 2015.

James Van Der Beek once lent Justin Timberlake his I.D. so the singer could get into a club.
The 'Dawson's Creek' actor planned to go partying in Las Vegas with boy band 'N Sync in the 90s, but the underage heartthrobs' attempt to share the TV star's driver's license to sneak into the venue failed dismally.
Speaking in a web chat with HuffPost Live, James recalled: "I was in Vegas one New Year's and somebody came by and said, 'N Sync wants to meet you!' And at the time, 'N Sync was the second to Backstreet Boys - it was before they had blown up.
"So, I said, 'OK.' And I met them and they were so sweet. They were so nice. They were such cool kids and I immediately liked them. I remember that night, we were all going to some club and they were all too young.
"And so I went in and somehow passed my I.D. back so that Justin could get in with my I.D. Justin used it to get in and then tried to pass it off to [Lance Bass] to get in. By the third time [the bouncers]saw a James Van Der Beek I.D., they were like, 'Ah, I don't think so, James.' "
The 37-year-old actor also discussed landing his iconic role as boy next door Dawson Leery in teen sitcom 'Dawson's Creek', admitting that 'Entourage' star Adrian Grenier originally also auditioned for the part and the rising stars shared an extremely awkward flight to Los Angeles on their way to meet with producers.
He said: "We were both testing for the same role and they sat us next to each other on the plane."
However, James insists things between actors are normally very friendly.
He added: "I haven't really seen much cattiness. There's enough work for everybody."

James Franco has accused Lindsay Lohan of lying about having had sex with him.
The '127 Hours' actor was named on a leaked list of 36 celebrity sexual conquests allegedly written by the actress so insists he didn't feel bad for writing about her in his new book of poetry because he never said anything worse than she is claimed to have done.
In an interview with Los Angeles magazine, James said: "No, I didn't write anything bad about them. And Lindsay herself has told lies about me with her people-she's-slept-with list! So I feel like what I said is much less than what she's said."
James, 35, mentions Lindsay alongside other stars in his book 'Directing Herbert White', and hopes his celebrity status will encourage people who otherwise wouldn't be interested to give poetry a chance.
He explained: "I know that my life as an actor obviously casts a shadow over what I'm doing with the poetry, but it allows me to get readers that maybe normally wouldn't read a book of poetry.
"It also attracts skepticism and contempt prior to investigation, but I can't think about that. It's something I love, and if people want to judge my poetry through the lens of my acting then there's nothing I can do about that."

Angelina Jolie allowed her 10-year-old son to buy a "foul" swearing toy on Tuesday (25.03.14).
The 'Maleficent' actress visited Bonanza Gifts in Las Vegas earlier this week with five of her six children, and allowed Pax, 10, Zahara, nine, Shiloh, seven, and five-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox to splash out on new games and gadgets.
Store manager Angie Hurt told Us Weekly magazine:
"The kids were having a good time. They were straight for the toy department and they grabbed their baskets and just started filling up!
"Pax bought a Swearing Finger. It's phonic operated, and it will flip off and it swears. It's really foul! A lot of F-bombs.
"[Angelina] kind of raised an eyebrow, but she didn't say anything to him. I think she just lets them get what they want."
Angelina - who also has 12-year-old son Maddox with partner Brad Pitt - spent several hundred dollars in the store and impressed fellow customers during her 45-minute spree.
Angie added: "She's just regular and normal.I had customers coming up saying 'Oh my God I just walked into Angelina Jolie's family, and everybody was so nice!'"

A man who claims to have a sex tape featuring Kris Jenner wants to sell it for a million dollars.
The mystery guy, who called himself 'Troy', intends to contact Vivid Entertainment - the porn studio who has released many x-rated celebrity videos, including one of Kris' daughter Kim Kardashian and her former boyfriend Ray J - to sell them the footage.
When asked why he had not yet offered proof of the tape's existence, Troy said: "I am not [making it up]... I have the sex tape on my hard drive. It goes for a high price. I just can't release a sex tape. It is a million dollar sex tape."
Kris has denied the footage - which Troy claims was shot in the Beverly Hilton hotel - exists and has called police to claim she is being bombarded with calls, voice mails and text messages about the film
And while Troy confirmed he has made "hundreds" of calls to the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' matriarch, he insisted he hasn't harassed her or tried to extort money.
He said: "That is absolutely true, yes I have [called her]
"She knew about this sex tape and did not want it out. It was about the sex tape and she doesn't want it out, so yes, I have contacted her lots of times."
Discussing reports of extortion, he added: "That is totally false. Nobody has extorted money or asked to extort money from her. There is no money exchange."
Kris - who split from husband Bruce Jenner last October - is now said to have "drastically stepped up" security and was particularly upset over a recent incident where she went out to eat at Malibu restaurant Nobu and then "got a text from the man saying 'Are you enjoying the restaurant?' "
The source added: "This person knew where she was."
However, Troy said: "That's an absolute lie. She told me she was going to Nobu in Malibu and I quote unquote I asked her, 'How are you doing at Nobu?' Nobody said 'How are you doing at the restaurant?' She told me she was going to Nobu. She's a liar."

Rihanna was spotted heading into Mayfair's Tramp nightclub for the second night in a row. The 'Rude Boy' singer wore a red hair piece and leather jacket as she partied at the London hotspot until 4am.

Sienna Miller showed off her slender frame in a nude blouse at the launch party for 'Honestly Healthy for Life' at Bumpkin Notting Hill.

Kim Kardashian teamed a grey tee and jeans with a leather jacket as she left her New York apartment. The 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' star headed out for a lunch at Cipriani restaurant in SoHo.

Jessica Biel wore a grey oversized blazer and jeans as she headed to LAX airport with her luggage. The actress stayed close to her husband Justin Timberlake as the the pair boarded a flight out of Los Angeles.

Lady Gaga showcased her bizarre style in a cropped jacket, pink trousers and a personalised handbag as she strolled around New York City.