Customer Reviews

The Ten Commandments

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments with Elliot Gould is an excellent claymation movie for the whole family. the characterizations, the acting, the cinematography is well done and first rate. relive the story of moshe ha navee (the prophet)and the great miracles that Yahweh (blessed be his name forever)did through his prophet. i thoroughly enjoyed this film. we need more movies like this in hollywood. every jewish person and christian should support this film and what better way than to buy the film. what is important about this film is that bible movies can make a difference not only in people's lives but can also tell hollywood there is an alternative to their disgusting graphic movies that have very litle ie no moral values what so ever. i know people will criticize this film and give very few stars for a rating. iam not a critic of any movie that shows decency, moral values, and is based on the bible even though there is fiction in the film. Val Kilmer, Elliot Gould, and the rest of the cast did a splendid performance.

I teach a course on the Hebrew Scriptures to juniors at a Catholic prep school, and I use a lot of video clips in class. I tried out this movie, and it didn't go over very well. The animation is reminiscent of a video game, and the movie isn't as entertaining or as well written as "The Prince of Egypt," which my students adore. "The Ten Commandments" generally follows the biblical text more closely, but since one of our exercises in class is comparing videos with the biblical text, I don't mind when videos take artistic liberties.

While "Prince of Egypt" ends after the parting of the Red Sea, "The Ten Commandments" continues through the giving of the Ten Commandments to the end of Exodus, including the introduction of Joshua and the death of Moses.

In my teaching, I'll continue to use "Prince of Egypt" to dramatize Moses's childhood and the Israelites' escape from Egypt, but then I'll use the end of "The Ten Commandments" to pick up where "Prince of Egypt" leaves off.

P.S. I showed an excerpt of this video in my ninth-grade World Religions course, and one class liked it so much that they want to have a party to watch the whole thing.

This is an excellent re-telling of the Bible's Exodus. Vivid animation, color and captivating storyline that kids will just love it. The voice cast is strong and the music is excellent.

The story follows the Bible closely with scary scene tastefully done up. A good resource to introduce bible stories to kids, sunday school, etc. A MUST for any Church Sunday School Library.

I have a 4-year old son who has access to decent library of animated material at home and he often requests this movie. We have owned it for several months. As a parent, I like that it sticks pretty closely to the source material of the Bible itself and lacks low brow humor and use of poor language--something many "children's movies" actually include a lot of these days. The story follows Moses's life from his trip down the river in the basket to his death just as the people finally enter the Promised Land. Please note, this movie is geared toward children, but it should be known that it does not avoid issues like Pharoah's issuing of the command to kill Israel's firstborn children, the Angel of Death's arrival to do the same to Egypt's children, attempted murder, accidental homicide, and mass drowning, among other things. If your children are being exposed to these stories already, then it brings the whole thing alive and together well. If you aren't sure your child is ready for these themes, maybe you need to preview it first.

There are some interesting reviews floating around for this movie. More than a few reviews I have read online seem to have mentioned that the computer animation was sub-par. I believe this is due to some weaker character designs being more prominent towards the beginning of the movie; some of the childrens' faces are really not the strongest. They aren't prominant figures, and the bulk of the character designs are good or great for this genre. Which seems to mean exaggerated features and rubbery people--this is the standard even for a Pixar movie. That stated, the overwhelming majority is top-notch, the faces are actually quite expressive and help carry the story along in places. The backgrounds are excellent, and there are some well-executed touches of realism, like the slaves having whip marks over their bodies. Really, it's not quite a Pixar offering's level of animation, but it is not cheap or "god awful" as I have read elsewhere, quite the contrary, actually. My son has chosen this movie more than once when he could have chosen any of a number of Pixar movies to watch just as easily. This is great, because I really prefer his exposure to the stories of the Bible over the others (though I absolutely love most of the Pixar animated films!).

At any rate, I highly recommend this as a children's movie, adult themes notwithsatnding. That is, if your children are already being exposed to these stories, and you are looking for a way to bring them to life in animated form. The big names involved do a professional job with the dialogue and the animation is actually quite good across most of the movie.

This is one of the most frequently told stories from the Old Testament. This version does a credible job of presenting the biblical account. The dramatic license taken for dramatic purposes does nothing to contravene the biblical history. The voice casting was pretty good.

The reason I only gave it four stars was for purely technical causes. The 3D animation, not Claymation as incorrectly noted in another review, was clearly done on a limited budget. It looked more like a video game than much of the contemporary animation. For overall production values I would recommend The Prince of Egypt. And the best work both artistically and biblically is The Miracle Maker - Special Edition.

Having said this, I too would recommend this for anyone interested in a reasonably accurate presentation of the account of Moses and the birth of Israel. This is especially apropos at the time I'm writing this, the time of the Passover, 2008.

This is a great movie for every member of the family. Unlike the Heston Ten Commandments that runs over 3 hours this version is only 88 minutes long, has tons of fun and wonderful characters (has some really good humor too if you can believe it) and tells the whole story Moses from his birth until the promised land. My kids absolutely loved this movie and didn't move from the beginning to the end. When I asked them what their favorite part of the movie was they said the whole thing. I encourage everyone to buy this movie.

This movie is great, I was impressed with it's production. For the most part Biblically accurate. Entertainment and Education for all ages. Well done!!

The animation itself left a little to be desired (disproportioned bodies, "jumping" animation, 3 month old baby moses with a full set of teeth, Moses the adult running around in a skirt above his knees). This is the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

Ultimately, I was pleased that this movie was more Biblically accurate than "Prince of Egypt". It also took less "liberties" and made fewer "assumptions" about details that were not included in the Bible. More of Moses' life was portrayed. In addition, we were given a better look into the suffering that the Israelites endured. My 3-y-o & 4-y-o enjoyed it immensely, as did Daddy & Mommy. This is definitely one we are proud to own and watch over & over again.

I have watched several live-action movies on Moses (e.g. Charlton Heston, and the more recent version by Dougray Scott), along with the animated Prince of Egypt; I liked this one the most.

Even though the CG animation could still be improved; the best thing going for this animated film is that it sticks very closely to the biblical account. Some of the scenes/ features I liked the most:

1) The 10 Plagues: it shows all of the plagues, and highlights the contest between Pharaoh claiming to be a god and Jehovah God, speaking through Moses his prophet. The script emphasizes the confrontation between the true God versus the gods of Egypt. All the plagues were depicted (Nile into blood, frogs, lice, locusts, boils, darkness, and killing of firstborn). This depiction was superior to that of both "Ten Commandments" movies (both 1961 and 2003).

2) The Parting of the Red Sea: this animation closely follows the Charlton Heston (10 Commandments) scene of the Parting of the Red Sea; however it ends with Moses shouting praise to God (the new song in Exod 15)

3) The actors did a commendable job in the voice-overs: (Christian Slater as Moses, Alfred Molina as the Pharaoh Ramses)

Some good scenes:

1) The Burning Bush -- it is very complete and follows the Exodus 3 text closely. The LORD tells Moses, " I Am That I Am" and then tells him to take the sandals off his feet; the LORD also tells Moses to put his staff into the ground (and it becomes a snake), and to put his hand in his cloak (and it becomes leprous). The only weakness in this depiction is that Moses does not kneel down or fall prostrate before the LORD; it would have been better if the movie depicted Moses showing more awe toward the LORD.

2) The confrontation between Moses and those who opposed the Lord; the confrontation is well-done, and the depiction of judgment is tastefully done so that it does not scare younger viewers.

Some reviewers stated that the CG Animation is not up to par in quality with the movie "The Prince of Egypt." This is true; however, the "Prince of Egypt" film takes a lot more liberties with the biblical account. I would rather have a biblically accurate movie than a beautifully animated film that is not very faithful to the biblical text.

I gave this film 5 stars because I think it is one of the most biblically accurate, movies that depicts Moses' life. Highly recommended!

This new telling of one of the greatest stories in our culture (Christian, Jewish, and Islam)works well for both kids and adults. Christian Slater does a tremendous job of making Moses the reluctant hero of the story. Alfred Molina (Spiderman) brings his menacing Rameses to life. Elliott Gould takes total control of the screen as God in giving Moses the daunting task of freeing the Hebrews from their bondage. Finally Sir Ben Kingsley narrates in a fashion that will draw the kids to the story as never before.

The grandure of Egypt is beautifully established early on as is the tenuous bond between Moses and Rameses. The Exodus scene is done in a manner that would make DeMille jealous. Composer Reg Powell (Alaska) handels the score with such mastery that he doesn't overwhelm the big moments but brings joy to the simpls act of children filling their water gourds when God through Moses produces a spring in the middle of the desert

All of the set pieces we expect from "The Ten Commandments" are there in a fashion that won't scare the kids but are powerful enough to interest adults. I especially loved the way the Ten Commandments are given to Moses in a flurry of Hebrew letters that burn themselves in the living rock.

All in all this is a title that every family should have in their video collection.