The Prince of Egypt [VHS]
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VHS Movie Reviews of The Prince of Egypt [VHS]
Movie Review: Excellent movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I am Hindu so I have almost no background in the Bible or this story. But I absolutely loved this movie. There are some violent themes in the film but not too excessive. Its a beautiful but sad film. I wouldn't recommend this to children under 10. Adults will love this.
See this film you'll love it. Its a great animated movie with characters that you'll care about.
Movie Review: Brilliant animation....
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know why Amazon has the New Yorker review in the editorial review at the top, its negativity goes against the public opinion here, and just shows that some people are paid a lot of money/just to talk a load of rubbish... A 'blustering' and 'homourless epic'? No chance...
Anyway, there is not a lot to be said about this animated feature that other reviewers haven't already said. However, The Prince of Egypt has proved a couple of major important points. Firstly, that this film gives the best of Disney animation a run for its money. Secondly, with the huge success of computer generated animation, TPOE proves that the old craft of cell animation is not dead, all it takes is a good story, brave financial backing and a good script above all else.
The animation here is stunning though, the art beautifully crafted and the animation is fluid. The backdrops of ancient Egypt powering in the background in the form of statues, columns and huge entrances that dwarf the animated characters.
The best part in it for me is Moses parting the red sea. The animation is brilliant, with crashing waves and the shadows of huge whales appearing in the illuminated gigantic curtains of the parted sea. It is very rare for an animated feature to have a huge emotional impact on people, especially when compared to a conventional film, the only other film that has done this to a great extent to me is Watership Down, but the parting of the sea made the hairs stand up on my neck. Disney make great feature length animations that are beyond excellence, technically and artistically, however I have always felt that the story substance sometimes fall short. Disney movies always have a slight patronising feel about them, and despite very young children, they offer no real depth for an older audience. Of course, I have not seen all the Disney movies so I may be wrong, but I feel that the TPOE is successful in bridging BOTH gaps.
The reviewer at The New Yorker called this film a `humourless epic', however, despite the comedy talent voicing some of the characters (Steve Martin, Martin Short) the humour, I felt, showed constraint as to not effect or soften the impact of the gravitas of Moses's struggle.
The list of actors who provide the voices for the characters is a wide diverse list, including Ralph Fiennes as Ramses, Val Kilmer as Moses. Other actors who appear include Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Michelle Pfeiffer and Patrick Stewart.
To tell the truth, this film initially passed me by, maybe because it is an animation and I do not really care for them, however I caught it on TV and I didn't notice the time whiz by. Dreamworks have either good luck or great knack of releasing excellent movies, and The Prince of Egypt is no exception.
Whilst the score was great, the song `When You Believe' felt out of place. In this regards the makers tried to emulate Disney who have a bigger success at taking pop songs and inserting them deftly into their features.
All in all, this is a great animation for children AND adults.
Movie Review: My Favorite Movie!
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the best movies ever made. Naturally, a great story, plus awesome music and artistry. A fantastic achievement! Highly Recommended.Movie Review: Children's Version of the Story
Summary: 4 Stars
Being animated, this is expectedly directed towards a younger audience. That does not keep it from being acceptable to older viewers, however. It generates enough interest to be worthwhile to all viewing ages.
It tells the story of Moses, born to Hebrew slaves and raised as a prince of Egypt. When he learns of his origins, he flees Egypt only to be called to return. He has been chosen by God to lead his people out of slavery.
While this tells the same basic story as the Charlton Heston epic, it focuses on different events and has, of course, a more childish approach. The crossing of the Red Sea is the undoubted climax but other than that, the whole tenor is different. It brings out some parts of the story left out of the classic. Moreover, it emphasizes a friendship between the young Moses and crown prince rather than a rivalry.
The songs seem a bit out of place but, for me, they always do in a musical. This once has an Academy Award winner, though, so I guess the music is good if you like your characters to break into song at the drop of a hat.
For those interested in the biblical content, its not too bad. There is not much emphasis on God but there are not any large scale contradictions of scripture either.
I prefer the classic version but the kids seemed to like this one.
Movie Review: Excellent Retelling of a Classic Story
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first heard that Steven Spielberg and friends were making an animated version of the story of Moses and the Exodus, I was nervous that they would sanitize or reconstruct history or religiously neuter Moses. "Prince of Egypt" is the opposite: a wonderful, highly researched and magnificently filmed movie that is an animated version of the brilliant rabbinic tradition of midrash, the rabbinic literary device that answers questions and fills in gaps about stories in the Hebrew Bible. To my relief, the story stays true to the *Israelite* experience ... while freedom from slavery is obviously a universal value, this was - after all - a *Jewish* moment in history.
The characters are 3-dimensional (so to speak): Moses is the doubter who eventually must successfully confront his own fear and faith; Aaron, the peacemaker who frequently gets lost in the family dynamic; and - the biggest character treat for me - Miriam, the dynamo partially responsible for the infant Moses' survival: for the first time, a Jewish woman who actually looks like a *Jewish* woman (and no, I'm not talking stereotypical Eastern European - this Miriam is a blend of Ashkenazi and Sephardi).
The music is a special gift, especially the voice of Israeli singer Ofra Haza, who tragically died less than two years after making the movie. I was excited to hear real Hebrew Bible text.
The effects are spectacular - from the hieroglyphics that come to life during an especially frightening dream sequence to the sheer brilliance of the depiction of the plagues (the death of the Egyptian first born is especially harrowing).
We've happily come a long way from the wooden theatrics, pseudo-Jewish theology and cone bras of the Cecil De Mille classic. This "Prince of Egypt" is a wonder.