Customer Reviews

The Prince of Egypt [DVD] [1998]

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Firstly, I am not at all religious, and though I am not fully aware of the changes made to the original story, I can't say it differed much from the story I remember being taught as a child. In my mind, this film does it exactly as it sets out to do, entertain whilst delivering one of the most well-known and influential biblical stories of all time.

The animation is top notch, a mixture of both CGI and hand-drawn, whilst the characters all have a beautifully chiselled design I have come to know and love from Dreamworks animation. The voice actors all do a top-notch job and I can say there is not one song in this film that I don't adore! All the songs and music just fit perfectly.

I first saw this film when I was about ten years old, a year or so after it came out and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, as an older teen, I still do and can see no reason why other children or adults wouldn't. Perhaps younger children under the age of eight might find the graphical interpretation of the plagues distressing but as a ten year old I certainly didn't and doubt I would have had I been even younger.

Perhaps what I find most attractive about this film is the fact that although it depicts a religious story, it in no way screams for the watcher to either believe or disbelieve the story it portrays, instead it merely points them to the book of Exodus if they want to read it for themselves.

Whatever your beliefs this is a fantastic film all round.

'The Prince of Egypt' mixes historical, biblical and Hollywood-style outlooks towards the story of the life of Moses. Not everything is true to the bibllical account, and although changes may seem unnecessary, they fit in comfortably with the story. Spectacular visual effects, such as the parting of the Red Sea glue you to the screen, fitting in with the original music such as "Deliver us" and "When you believe". The journey from Egypt will leave you moved - each person in the huge crowd of people seems individual and real. Christians and non-Christians alike will enjoy this film, despite the DreamWorks alterations. The star-studded cast of voices includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Helen Mirren, Val Kilmer and Ralph Fiennes, some of these also singing. I really enjoyed this film, with the powerful, if abrupt, ending proving that you're never too old for Disney-style animation.

I bought this DVD because my class started watching it in music to analyse the effectivness of the music and i was curious to see the whole film. I wasn't disappointed - the animation is amazing, so good that you dont think it's animated at times, the story line was fantastic and much praise should go to the fabulous voice overs - their feeling made the film what it was. The music in the film was very moving making the many moods of the film my personal favourites were Deliver Us, and When You Believe... buy this movie you wont be disappointed!!!

The Prince of Egypt is the most moving and inspirational movies i have ever seen. The animation is brilliant even to todays standards as it is nearly four years old. The story is an adaptation of the story of Moses and the miracles God works through him. I really feel that this is a film to show the whole family. The special effects are amazing especially 'the red sea' scene. DreamWorks have really captured the story well and have done a good job of filling in the little bits that arn't explained fully in the Bible. I would definately reccomend The Prince Of Egypt to anyone because it is undoubedly one of the best Animated films ever made. Dreamworks, in my opinion are right up there with Disney and this movie is a must buy.

I agree that this is a magnificent movie.
One of the greatest selling points for me is the additional features, especially the multilingual version of "When you believe" the closing song of the film.

It may not be Charlton Heston playing Moses, but this is still an EPIC!! In fact, it's a good deal better than 'the Ten Commandments'

For those who don't know the Bible story, the Hebrews have lived in Egypt for nearly 400 years. The current Pharaoh, fearing their alarming birthrate began oppressing them. Now the Israelites are slaves in a foreign land. But God has not forgotten them. That's where Moses comes in, sent to try and deliver his people out of Egypt and take them to the Promised Land as God commands him.

The story is brilliantly told and we see how Moses, raised as a Prince of Egypt, must learn of his past and later face it to meet with the task put to him. The character animation appears flatly drawn, but it works well and the acting is fully believable. Other special effects are positively mind-blowing, in particular, the Burning Bush, the Angel of Death and the Red Sea.

Hans Zimmers' score really adds something to the movie. Some of his compositions are very moving. One of the really high points is the joyful Hebrew chorus during the Exodus. (That part was actually sung in Hebrew)

So, to conclude, this is a terrific movie and a credit to the Exodus story.

P.S. About the question of the Plague on the First Born of Egypt. God did indeed bring that plague, but it was not an easy decision. Remember, Moses earnestly warned Rameses that something worse was coming - he would not listen, and so there was no other choice but to go through with it.
Besides, you must consider that the previous Egyptian Pharaoh ordered the death of EVERY newborn Israelite boy, so in a sense it was blood for blood.

I am a teacher and I bought this to watch with a Yr3 class (7-8 year olds)to support some RE work on the story of Moses. Whilst it was entertaining viewing, it seemed not to tally with the bible story we had studied. One such example was that we had learned that although Moses was brought up by an Egyptian princess, he had always known he was an Israelite; in the film he is horrified when he finds out as an adult that he is an Israelite. Another is that the bible story stated that the Pharoah's daughter was particularly keen to keep Moses as she wanted children, but had none of her own; in the film, as she carries the baby Moses into the house, there is a toddler tugging at her robe calling her mother. I'm not sure which is the most accurate, perhaps some children's bibles contain slightly different versions of events. None the less it was a relaxing afternoon's viewing with enough humour to keep the children engaged.

I'm not religious in any sense of the word, so my review will be based purely on the film placed in front of me, and not on any historical innacuracies and deviances from the actual story, or any religious implications in the film.

I was blown away by this film to be honest. The story, the voice acting, the animation, it was all faultless, and though the songs took a bit of getting used to (they didn't seem to have that sweet, flowing quality I was used to seeing in most cartoon musicals) the soundtrack fits the film incredibly well, with the obvious standout song of 'there can be miracles' made famous by Mariah carey and whitney Houston. One fault I did have however was the script, which at times felt slightly awkward, but the voice actors did the best with what they had, and that small fault is completely swept away by all the great aspects this film has to offer. One of my favourite parts personally was the portrayal of the relationship between Moses and the pharoah, the anguish and stubborness of both coming across well, and most importantly, the viewer can understand where both characters come from, sad that such a close friendship could be reduced to what it was. I thought the film was magical, and really look forward to watching it again. A brilliant piece of work, fully deserves the 5 star rating.

A suprisingly exiting film, will bring tears to the eyes, beautifully animated, this childrens film will capture the attention of all ages. The story of Moses, with plenty of History from the Egyptian era. This film is filled with wonderful music, thrills and spills, and a fantastic storyline, this film is a must for any family.

'The Prince of Egypt' is simply a great film for everyone. For children, their is the strong religious aspect and having something visual to relate to instead of something out of a text book. For adults, it has strong symbolism and songs that are enjoyable, and have proper words that are true to their meaning. The all star cast was worth it - all actors pull the voices off perfectly. They include Steve Martin, Ralph Finnes, Michelle Phifer, Geoff Goldblum, amoung many others