Customer Reviews

Joseph - King of Dreams

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Barring some scriptural inaccuracies (a disclaimer admits to the dramatic license taken), Joseph is a wonderful, inspiring version of the Biblical tale. The songs are decent for a video production, and some of them actually stand out quite well.

The majority of the story talks about Joseph's journey of faith and hope, and how he overcame hurdle after hurdle to properly share the gifts that God had given him.

A little light on the religious side, Joseph plays up the entertainment value of the story (as with most films). However, it never deviates from the fact that Joseph believes his ability to interpret dreams is a gift from God. Far too few films are willing to take this chance... Kudos to Dreamworks for a top notch production.

NOTE TO PARENTS: Though there is nothing outwardly objectionable, there is some serious subject matter that you may want to discuss with your children. :-)

This worthy companion piece to Dreamworks' "Prince of Egypt" retells the Biblical story of Joseph, his betrayal by his brothers, sale into slavery, imprisonment, then rise to prominence through God's gift of prophecy through dreams. The story is well-voiced by stars including Judith Light, Mark Hamill, and Ben Affleck as Joseph, despite some weak, Disneyfied songs (voiced by the normally reliable Maureen McGovern and Jodi "Ariel" Benson).

"Joseph"'s dream and flashback sequences are well-animated, with images of sunflowers, flowing wheatfields and flying eagles referencing Joseph's growth(in status and wisdom)in Egypt. This is notable where Joseph visions his brothers mocking him while cleaning a palace floor, then flashbacks to his youth while caring for a tree in his prison cell.

Like all great Biblical stories, "Joseph" works as love lesson (in forgiveness and personal growth here) and dramatic narrative, and is economically told on both accounts. The film accurately captures Joseph's contentious relationship with his old and new families; the story's dramatic parallels (his false imprisonment by and reproachment with Portiphar, then the suspenseful-turned-joyous reunion with his brothers where Joseph reveals his identity) are powerful. While some dramatic license was taken with the storyline, "Joseph" thankfully eschews Disney-esque asides, superflous fantasy characters or expanded romantic angles (Joseph's love and marriage to Asenath is simply part of the story).

"Joseph" was and remains among the Old Testament's most engrossing stories, particularly to families susceptible to sibling rivalry. Despite occassional melodramatic lapses, "Joseph" retains that core story and is an exceptional family film with much to teach its viewers. Recommended.

I usually don't buy direct-to-video sequels -- usually, they are inferior to the original product and only tarnish my enjoyment. However, "King of Dreams" is not a sequel, rather than a companion piece.

Delving once again into ancient history, this story tells of a "miracle child," the favorite son of old Jacob and his wife Rachel (the Biblical polygamy is delicately ignored, though hinted at in that Joseph is a half-brother). While Joseph's ten brothers toil in the fields, he is taught to read and write and is given a magnificently woven coat. When he has dreams that "mean something," his brothers' resentment starts to grow. He ends up enslaved in Egypt, where despite his talents and intelligence he falls further and further. But newfound humility and a special gift from God will bring him back up.

This movie has a beautiful piece of symbolism - the little fruit tree that Joseph carelessly steps on as he cries out to God, "Why?" Everyone in their lives is faced with a crisis in which it is asked why God is doing this to them. The single leaf that remains living on the shattered tree shows how his faith still exists, and that faith grows as he saves the tree and nurtures it to health. God is spoken of less, as Joseph is not convincing anyone of anything, but his presence is highly felt in the writing.

From a secular point of view, this is also a good cautionary tale. At the beginning, Joseph bounds past his brothers, singing, "I am special, I am smart! I am a miracle child!" and being coddled by his parents. Allowing himself to be arrogant is part of his downfall. Later on, he uses his gift and his intelligence to benefit everyone, and thus is rewarded.

The secondary characters are, like Ramses of PoE, multi-dimensional even if you are supposed to dislike them. As Joseph enjoys his special status, one can sympathize with his jealous brothers -- but the same spoiled boy will take your sympathy when his brothers taunt him and cruelly sell him. Potiphar is well-drawn -- a man who betrays his own honor and clearly suffers inwardly because of it, and his niece is an instantly sympathetic character is her urgings to forgive.

Though this film is acceptable for small kids, there are a few moments that will disturb them, such as when Potiphar's wife makes a (it's not obvious to the very young) pass at Joseph, and when he is dragged off while his brothers accept silver as payment for him.

The songs aren't quite as good as PoE, but the animation in its lesser glory is excellent. When Joseph is led into Egypt, one can definitely sympathize with his slack-jawed awe. Lesser details, such as Potiphar's servant's thoughts on Joseph's hygiene, are also present and very enjoyable. The dream sequences strike a good balance of otherworldliness and realism.

Okay, so this isn't quite up to the standards of "Prince of Egypt." There's a lesser budget, but it's a more personal, family story.

This is not "The Prince of Egypt," so you need to separate that film from this one. It's a totally different story, and follows Joseph, the son of Jacob, as he's given preferential treatment by his father, who is so proud that he is the first born to his wife, Rachel. Then there are the dreams which he receives, with his brothers bowing in obeisance to him, and then the action sets in, and he's sold into slavery into Egypt.

This is a fine re-telling of this Biblical story, and as has been noted previously, the animation and the songs are rich and fulfilling. Joseph rises to power in Egypt, after being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, and while in prison, he continues to remain faithful to God.

The resolution of this, naturally, is when the famine hits Canaan, Jacob sends all his sons to Egypt, except is youngest son, and by this time Joseph has risen to be the #2 man in Egypt. His appearance has changed, but his memories are vivid, and when he finally "shows" himself to his brothers, it brings tears to the eyes.

A magnificent film, and highly recommended!!

This is a wonderful video. A little artistic license with the bible story but the video makes clear that God, not Joseph, is in control. The song "Better Than I" by David Campbell is simply incredible. Many of the reviews compare it to Prince of Egypt and say that it falls short, but I have to disagree. While I loved Prince of Egypt, I believe that Joseph King of Dreams surpasses it in quality and music.

Absolutely nothing objectionable in the movie. The attempted seduction scene is so muted that no one should find it offensive.

Maybe because it wasn't released in theaters first, this movie is a little more open about naming and referring to God than Prince of Egypt was, which is a plus. The animation is just as excellent as the original, and the songs are wonderful. "You Know Better" is simply splendid, and must have been written by a person of faith. The changes in the movie from the Bible are relatively minor (Rachel is alive when Joseph is sold; Reuben's efforts to save Joseph are ignored; Joseph does not rise to be in charge of the jail). The one thing I really didn't like was when his brothers asked forgiveness for selling him, Joseph replied by asking their forgiveness for thinking himself a "miracle child," instead of saying "What you meant for evil, God meant for good." However, that could be counted a minor point as well. Otherwise, quite true to the original story and very moving.

Outstanding art and message that will live on in the minds of your children. My 7 year old was enthralled, my 4 year old was scared because of the "mean brothers" who sold Joseph. The pass that Potiphar's wive makes at Joseph is so subtle (she says, "We are your family now" and something about him being special) is so very subtle that it may be a few years before my children figure out what actually happened. (I had to explain that Potiphar's wife was asking Joseph to be disloyal to Potiphar by spending too much time with her!)

One of my favorite parts was the dream sequences, which are visuallized in the style of Monet's paintings.

My only disappointment was that Joseph never verbalized the most important point of the story: What the brothers had meant for evil, God meant for good. But that messages comes through even though it isn't verbalized, and parents can make that point to their children after the movie is over.

I think one should keep in mind that most of these straight to video movies are for children and that the things we find lacking in them as adults are really not so important as what our children may think of them. My daughter loves this movie. She asks to see it just about every day and I believe it's because she is drawn to the magnificent artwork. It is a great Bible story retold in a form that children can enjoy. As for the presence of God, He certainly was there when Joseph finally realizes that all he has suffered was a part of His plan. He tells his brothers that the evil they did, God turned into good. The music is not as memorable as "Prince of Egypt" but the songs "Better Than I" and "More Than You Take" are really beautiful and support the story. The vocal talents of Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid) add to the enjoyment. If the next Bible story from Dreamworks is as good as "Joseph: King of Dreams", I will be looking forward to it.

Joseph and his 12 brothers are one of my all time favorite Bible stories which was why I was so dissapointed in this rendition of the old-time story. I'm *really* dissapointed that they barely mentioned GOD in this. GOD plays a huge part in this story and it didn't feel right when they only mentioned him once.

The music although was amazing! The one thing I'm upset about is I can't find the music CD. I don't think they even sell it. They should sell it.

Anyway, it's totally up to you guys. Everyone has their likes and dislikes; so it's really no waste of money if someone you know or even you for that matter happens to love the movie.

Try it out! :)

Like most viewers, I was sceptical of another video-only release sequel. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this movie even more than The Prince of Egypt. The songs & music are of outstanding quality with the single Give A Little More Than You Take being a truly moving & inspiring song. I wish it had been released to the pop charts the way Disney did Can You Feel The Love Tonight & other of their movie-gone-pop-chart songs. At the very least Dreamworks could have marketed a movie songtrack for Joseph, King of Dreams the way they did for Prince of Egypt. This is truly a movie that stands on it's own merits!