Customer Reviews

The Prince of Egypt

5 star:		(286)
4 star:		(53)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This is a beautiful movie and a great DVD. The animation is some of the best ever done. Notice, in particular, the life-like Nile River and Red Sea at the beginning and end of the picture. The chariot race that opens the movie is thrilling and the parting of the Red Sea is breath taking. Frankly, I hesitated to see this because I believed that it would just be "The Ten Commandments" re-visited. However, the creators decided to focus on how the God's edict to "Let my people go" would effect the relationship of the two brothers--Rameses and Moses. This point of view permits the audience to have a strong attachment to both characters and the things that happen to them. Another surprise is that the creators did not tone down or "Hollywoodize" the religious aspects of the story. They realized that the great power of this story is its spiritual element. The DVD "extras" make it well worth the price. In particular, I found the comparison drawings showing the creation of the chariot race to be particularly compelling. The music and songs perfectly compliment the action and are never distracting. Clearly, Disney is not the only studio that can create a great animated film.

How exactly do you translate the story of Exodus...the story of freedom...into an Animated film...? How did they do it? Rarely have I felt tears at the BEGINNING of a movie...when Y'sheved(Moses' Mother) started to sing her lullaby IN HEBREW, I almost started crying. Since I always prefer animated films to the "real thing", I felt "finally, a perfect film..." Being Jewish and seeing this movie during the month of Pesach(Passover) was literally a religious experience. I was touched. Seeing the people sing Mi'Chamocha as the left Egypt pulled tears from my heart. I was so happy to see the way the film was executed. Don't get me wrong, this is a film for all peoples. But it seems to almost be aimed at the Jewish Community. And I think this movie is better than ANY live action film to date. I could literally hear the Words from the Torah in my mind as I watched. The music was too incredible to describe, the voices a special treat, especially Jeff Goldblum as Aaron. This movie may not be historically acccurate, but it is a well rounded account that has achieved an incredible thing. The Hebrew singing was too much for me, again, I wanted to cry because it was so amazing to see it on the screen, and feel like you are there. L'Chiam, Katzenberg, Dreamworks SKG. Thank you for adding something to the list with The Ten Commandments and Schindler's List and La Vita E Bella (Life is Beautiful). If you have to buy any movie for you or your children, please buy this one. It may be a little violent, but the sheer fact that Dreamworks is not afraid to show what it might have been like is something to applaud. The movie is a masterpiece. Watch it, it is a NEW experience...

The story of Moses is a compelling one. "The Prince of Egypt" manages to meld that story into a very easily digested tale for the whole family. Though some liberties are taken, "Prince" keeps the basic elements of this wonderful tale intact. The only truly noteworthy changes are that Moses confronts Pharoah instead of his biological brother, Aaron, doing most of the talking and Moses and Ramses are raised as brothers by the Pharoah. In the Bible, Moses is raised by Pharoah's daughter, and Aaron plays a larger role in the overall story, doing most of the speaking to Pharoh as a representative of Moses.

With those minor details out of the way, "Prince of Egypt" is one of the best films around for the entire family to watch. It begins with the finding of Moses on the Nile River by Pharoah's wife, then shows him grow up as royalty in Egypt. He and his brother, Ramses, pretty much have full run of the roost. They get into plenty of trouble with each other, and their chariot race sequence is one of the best "chase" scenes in cinematic history. When Moses finds out that he is Hebrew, and that most of his people are slaves to Pharoah, he begins to notice the horrible things happening to his people. He accidentally kills one of Pharoah's guards when he attempts to protect one of the slaves, and, upset, he leaves his home in search of himself. God reveals to him that he is to lead his people out of Egypt, and he must go and tell Pharoah (who, by now, is Ramses) to, "let my people go."

The tale then takes us through the plagues that wreak havoc on Egypt as long as Pharoah refuses to free the Hebrews. The final plague, and definitely the most chilling, is the Passover. This, for those uninformed, is the time when the Angel of Death comes down into Egypt and takes the life of the first born children in every home that is not painted by the blood of a lamb on the door. This sequence was very moving, and the worst part is when the actual Passover has been completed, and the unbelieving families realize what has happened. The finale, the epic parting of the Red Sea, is just as, if not more, moving than the same event in "The Ten Commandments." It ties the characters of Moses and Ramses together in a most painful way. Moses and Ramses share a great love for each other as brothers, but neither can deny their true calling in life. The final moments showing Ramses on the banks of the Red Sea are very moving, and almost brought me to tears.

I've rarely seen an animated feature in which the voice actors have done such a grand job. Val Kilmer is wonderful as Moses, making you feel the pain and joy in his voice. Ralph Fiennes portrays Ramses with plenty of regal flare, but there is a constant hint of grief in his voice. Danny Glover, , Sandra Bullock, Michelle Pfeiffer and Patrick Stewart are amazing in their respective roles of Jethro, Miriam, Tzipporah, and Seti. Steve Martin and Martin Short are hilariously devious as Pharoah's high priests intent on proving that their gods are much more powerful than Moses' God. The standout of this group, however, is Jeff Goldblum as Aaron. In my opinion, his performance in this limited role is one of the best voice acted roles I've ever witnessed. His character made the film for me, and, other than Ramses, had a strong effect on me as I watched the film unfurl.

The animation in this flick is on par with Disney's giant animated flicks of the last couple of decades, namely "The Lion King." The music is wonderful as well.

In all, this is simply one of the best animated stories ever. I place it well above plenty of Disney's top films, and feel that it deserves much more respect than it has ever received. Well done, SKG, this is a premier piece of animated work.

I am pleased to offer this review for what I consider to be one of the finest animated films of all time. The review is partially in response to a rather malicious one offered by a reviewer known as trezku13. I felt it necessary to rebut some of this person's inaccurate comments.

The movie puts a disclaimer at the beginning to inform the viewer that there are artistic and dramatic licenses taken with the story (a.k.a. whales in the Sea of Reeds). You should be prepared for this when you watch it. If you're watching this with the book of Exodus in your lap, you will see some differences in the two accounts. These changes don't adulterate the message of the story and should not detract from the viewing experience. Some differences to note are:

1) Seti's wife finding Moses rather than his daughter (Exodus 2:5),

2) The idea that Moses didn't know he was Hebrew and had no contact with his family (Exodus 2:7-11),

3) Moses' "accidentally killing the Egyptian rather than deliberately killing him (Exodus 2:12),

4) Rameses pleading with Moses to stay in Egypt as opposed to Pharaoh seeking to kill him (Exodus 2:15),

5) Any idea of personal rivalry between Pharaoh and Moses,

6) Moses speaking by himself before Pharaoh instead of Aaron speaking for him (Exodus 4:14-16),

7) An exaggerated role for Zipporah when she is actually hardly mentioned.

These changes may seem unnecessary, however they do add intrigue to the narrative and, as before mentioned, do not in any way seriously alter the story.

The quality of the music does fall firmly into the realm of opinion. However, as a person who holds a degree in music, and has performed and taught professionally for many years, my professional and personal opinion is that the music is quite wonderful. The comments made by another reviewer make me wonder if this person actually watched this movie. A comment about Steve Martin and Martin Short sounding least like their singing voices is the most absurd because they actually sang their own song. The singing voices are very closely matched to the point that I didn't know until watching the credits that Danny Glover had not sung his own song. A comment was also made about the firstborn sequence. The plague of the firstborn sequence is why this movie gets a PG rating. Focusing on the children dying rather than everyone involved makes sense, because that's the most shocking aspect of the final plague. It is also noteworthy that this tragedy is brought upon Egypt because of Pharaoh's stubbornness, not God's lack of compassion. A comment was also made about the two Egyptian soldiers dropping their staves and joining the Israelites. I found this to be a subtle nuance that demonstrates the serious research that went into the making of this movie. Exodus 9:20 makes it clear that there were Egyptians who feared the Hebrew God; and Exodus 12:38 records that many other people besides Hebrews participated in the exodus. There is no inaccuracy in the movie's depiction.

The wonderful music, superb performances by the actors, and breath-taking visual presentation make this a landmark event in animated movies. It has set a standard that all animated movies since have had to live up to.

A final note is in regard to the PG rating. This movie is rated PG so as to encourage parents to watch this with their children and guide them through the movie's more mature themes. Please consider this as I highly recommend this movie people of all ages.

The animation in this is beautiful and the music is very good - it reminds me of a Broadway musical in style. What bothers me about it is how it deviates from the Bible account of God's deliverance of his people from Egypt. It also adds much to the Bible account that is not there. For example, Moses is a young man in this whereas he should haave been 80. Aaron did not go with him to Pharoah as the Bible tells us; instead they send zipporah with Moses. The boyhood friendship between Ramses and Moses is completely fabricated - it's not in the Bible at all. I think it would have been so wonderful if they had stuck to the facts. The truth of what really happened is so much more exciting. By the way, my 3-year old will not watch it - she is too upset by the babies being thrown in the river. May be more appropriate for older children!

The Prince of Egypt is easily one of my all-time favorite animated features (the other being The Lion King). It is visually stunning, bringing ancient Egypt to life in a way that no other film even comes close. However, the main strength of the film is to take an epic tale that defined a nation and make it relevant to viewers from all cultures everywhere. In less capable hands, Moses might have come across as lifeless as a certain chief of the NRA and about as sympathetic as any number of fire and brimstone prophets found within the pages of the Bible. But The Prince of Egypt turns him into a flesh and blood person, one who feels agony at having to unleash disease and destruction upon the Egyptians and their children in order to fulfil his duty to his people and his God. It is the age old dilemma of whether to take action that is necessary yet appears to be morally ambiguous. It is a theme that is as relevant to Hindus (re: Arjuna agonising before the Battle of Kurukshetra over having to fight and possibly kill his kinsmen in order to fulfil his duty as a warrior and to restore honour to his family in the Mahabharata) as it is to Christians, Hebrews and Muslims. The amazing score by Hans Zimmer only adds to the already impressive qualities of this film. The haunting voice of the late Ofra Haza in "Deliver Us" made me cry - one can almost feel the pain of the mother forced to abandon her baby to the elements. "The Burning Bush" and "The Red Sea" augmented the film's visuals well, making one feel as if one is really in the presence of the Divine. A superb effort, well worth adding to your DVD library.

In 1956, Cecil B. DeMille introduced the world to the vivid elegance and powerful epic story of the opening events of the Exodus chapter in the Bible, bringing Moses to life in the most glorious telling of his story to date. Now come "The Prince of Egypt," which tells the exact same story as "The Ten Commandments," but does so on kids' and adults' terms alike, delighting its younger audience with song and brilliantly composed animation while giving its story a universal feel that will have an effect on teens and adults who look deep into the movie. To not call this movie an epic would be shortchanging it severely.

This film opens its gates with a musical number, as slaves in Egypt regale their turmoil as well as their hope that God will bring them to deliverance from the hands of their taskmasters. The plan to kill off all the firstborn is merely implied here: there is no chamber where women and their first-born babies go to die, neither is there a conversation explaining these actions. They are presented with a single baby's mother, whose song of hope for her son's success in life wills him down the river in a basket, where he is plucked out of the river by the Pharaoh's Queen, who names him Moses and raises him as her own. This all happens within the first ten minutes of the movie, but instead of seeming rushed, it tells us everything we need to know that is vital to our understanding of future events, without melodrama or lengthy twists.

Years later, Moses (voiced nicely by Val Kilmer), along with his "brother" Rameses (given a glorious treatment under Ralph Fiennes), have a strong relationship of brotherhood and friendship, so it is extremely difficult for Moses when he is set upon by his blood brother and sister (Sandra Bullock and Jeff Goldblum), finally realizing the truth of his situation and fleeing from Egypt after taking the life of an abusive taskmaster. His wandering lead him to a small gathering in the desert, where he soon is married, meets God in the form of a vibrant bush, and is sent back to his past home in hopes that Pharaoh shall free his people from his clutches. Of course he doesn't, causing Moses to bring down on Egypt the ten plagues of God, ultimately leading to their release from captivity and their walk to freedom.

Like the 1956 classic, there are some flaws in accordance with the accounts stated in the Bible, for instance the close bonds between Rameses and Moses. The movie chooses to focus majorly on this aspect, which works extremely well for the story because when the time comes for them to pit themselves against one another, it is so much more difficult for them to do so because of the past they shared. This works for the movie, but seems a bit of a stretch in terms of accuracy. However, the movie tells us that this account is not based solely on the historical, and that dramatic license was taken during the making of this movie, so that lets us know right away we're not dealing with the exactly, fact-is-all-here story.

The story, on its own terms, is magnificent and spectacular, a marvel for the ages along the ranks of other epics and sagas that bring a true story to life with grandeur and grace. The movie oozes with ambition and no sense of fear, and we can sense this because of its boldness in how it handles the story. The most intensified of these is the brilliant animation used for the movie, whose use of colors and depth bring to life the suffocating atmosphere of the grand halls of the palace, while giving us such feelings as warmth, coldness and chills. The animation will simply take your breath away with its grand scale, leaving you awestruck and touched.

This story is a true marvel in terms of courage and emotion, and the plot brings out both of those feelings wonderfully. Moses' struggle to free his people is told with utmost perception and grace, bringing us into his own mind's emotions and feelings as we watch him do God's work. His interaction with the other characters keeps the story moving, and the relations between he and Rameses in the second half of the movie is powerful and intense. We know who is going to be the ultimate loser of their battle, but it's still interesting to watch the two of them battle things out. We pretty much know the entire story, but that doesn't stop us from taking it all in again.

The key aspect to bringing out the emotion of this movie is its music, which is composed of some of the most haunting chords and upbeat melodies of any soundtrack I've ever heard. With original songs from Stephen Schwartz, whose previous work includes many Disney classics, and score composer Hans Zimmer, every emotion of the movie has its own piece of music, while the songs sung by the characters and the theme "When You Believe" bring to life the power and the struggle of the characters as they flee from bondage. While there are too many to mention here, the voice talents used are truly wonderful, composed of big name stars and bringing their characters to life as vibrantly as the animation does the setting.

"The Prince of Egypt" is an intense and glorious movie experience for the senses and the mind, taking us on one of history's most perilous and rewarding journey into a struggle for freedom and strength. The film's integrity and masterful storytelling capability make it pleasurable for adults and children alike, while keeping itself in line with its epic scope and scale.

In addition to being a beautifully made film, "The Prince of Egypt" stands as an excellent example of how to make religious subject matter entertaining without being preachy. It's also very much an adult film, and that's OK by me; it's about time us adults had a animated film we didn't have to suffer through.

This film bucks the trend of frankly religious films ("The Omega Code," "Left Behind," etc.) that are little more than shills for a narrow religious viewpoint; indeed, "The Prince of Egypt" should be quite an experience for a viewer of ANY faith, even if it interprets the Old Testament a little loosely (which, to the producers' credit, is explained before the opening credits).

The main strength of "The Prince of Egypt" should be evident to anyone who watches the first two minutes of it: the animation is absolutely exquisite, and has marvelous depth. The film stands right up in this respect with any of Disney's best, which is no surprise; the film's producer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, is credited with prodding Disney to make classics like "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid."

"The Prince of Egypt" also scores with a nuanced, beautifully layered plot that goes way beyond the typical kiddie-animation level (and makes it an iffy kiddie film - a tradeoff I support), excellent songs from Stephen Schwartz, and some of the strongest voicing I've ever seen in an animated film.

One of the great delights of this film is the relationship between Moses (Val Kilmer) and his would-be brother Ramsses (Ralph Fiennes). It would have been easy to make both characters little more than caricatures of good and evil, but instead we get inside their close, loving relationship and see each man's motivations; for Moses, it's guilt over his adopted family's treatment of Jews, while Ramsses acts out of a strong, if misguided, sense of duty to his country. Each man does what he must, even if it means breaking each other's heart, and in the end, that's exactly what happens.

That the inevitable climax is played more for tragedy than an easy "I'm right, you're wrong" payoff, in my opinion, evidence of a serious dramatic intelligence and an abiding faith in the intelligence of the viewer. No animated film I've seen even begins to approach this level of nuance and complexity.

Of course, it's this complexity that makes "The Prince of Egypt" a poor entertainment for young kids; it's not overly violent, and has no inappropriate sexual content or language, but without talking animals and cutesy songs, this film simply won't appeal much to the kiddies for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Personally, I think some of these themes are a bit too heavy for a child under eight or so (try explaining why God killed Pharoah's little boy to your four-year-old, as I had to, and you'll understand); in the end, it's up to you.

Overall, though, "The Prince of Egypt" is a real treasure of a film, and for those of us who believe in its story, it's a wonderful affirmation of the cornerstone of our faith. That "The Prince of Egypt" can do that without being preachy or self-righteous makes it that much better a film.

Bravo!

A word about the DVD features: DreamWorks really did a nice job on the extras for this one. The navigation is exceptionally well done, the picture and sound quality are flawless, and there are plenty of extra features to justify spending more on a DVD.

I am a grown man and I still get a little choked up when I watch this movie. It is animated film the way they should be done but seldom are in this digital age. It has all the necessary ingredients for an animated classic, good animation, a classic story, and beautiful, even haunting music.

The animation looks hand drawn, though at least some digital techniques were used, particularly in the very dynamic action sequences. But it works. Some scenes look almost cinematic in their detail. The filmmakers mimic live action photography very well. Look for the artificial sun glaring on the camera lens that does not exist.

As for the story, well a story that has been around for three thousand years will certainly stand the test of time. If you are familiar with the Exodus story from the Bible then you may notice that significant license was taken when translating it to film, a fact the filmmakers acknowledge from the opening. Nonetheless story is powerful and poignant. The characters are portrayed realistically, complete with inner conflict and the uncertainties that plague us all. Even the traditionally evil pharaoh is not truly evil. He has a motivation to act the way he does.

For those who may not know what type of film this is I issue a warning. This is a musical in a very traditional sense. If you don't like musicals you may not like this movie. Having said that however, I found the songs to be catchy and the lyrics to be poetic. Particularly touching was the song of Jethro, well performed by Danny Glover, and the Exodus sequence, which is the one that gets me every time.

The film does have a few sequences that may be frightening to very young children, particularly the final plague inflicted on Egypt. They are not so intense as to make one keep the kids from watching but may warrant a little parental explanation, so watch the movie with them.

The DVD also has some extras that the adults might find interesting, good commentary and some "making of" features. I found the multilanguage presentation of the song "When you believe" fascinating. In it the exodus sequence is replayed while the seamlessly dubbed voices shift between many of the languages in which the film was released.

I need not say much more. As of this time almost three hundred reviews have already been written on this film. Read them and you will get some different perspectives.

First of all this movie is great.The animation is amazing , the voice actors , the music , and the story itself is great.
It's from the book of Exodus.It begins with Yocheved , the mother of Moses , after that the river flows Moses to the palace of the pharaoh , Seti. There the mother of Rameses finds Moses and takes him as her own child. Then he becomes the prince of egypt. And I won't say anything else , you should watch the movie. About the title of my review the movie it's so breathtaking I couldn't breathe when I first saw it , it was amazing,stunning!! The good thing about this movie is that it happenned in real life , from the book of Exodus , and when Moses freed the Hebrews. Luckily I THINK there are no fictional characters in this movie , that's wnat I think. This movie is my inspiration to become an artist , it's amazing what a group of people can do together , and the whole world can enjoy it.
Although , it took 4 years to make this film , and it was worth it. I love the music by Hanz Zimmer.Now the voice actors , first Val Kilmer as Moses his voice is perfect it suits Moses very well.