"Rameses, let my people go!"      

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT (PG) 

Reviewed December 18, 1998 - Check out the Prince of Egypt Website.

With three full-length animated features (Antz, A Bug's Life, and The Rugrats Movie) still currently playing in theaters, Dreamworks SKG now adds a fourth animated film to the holiday mix: The Prince of Egypt.  Re-telling the story of Moses and the Hebrew people's exodus from Egypt, The Prince of Egypt tackles a somewhat weighty religious tale, and one that could have proved controversial if not handled carefully.  Could you imagine the reaction of certain religious groups if, for instance, Moses' holy staff (a wooden stick) talked?  Or, alternatively, if the infamous burning bush broke out into a Broadway-style song?

Well, fortunately enough, none of these kinds of elements appear in The Prince of Egypt.  Though it does contain its share of musical numbers, you will generally not find the wild, animated antics of Disney's Hercules or The Hunchback of Notre Dame, where we saw singing gargoyles and dancing pottery.  Instead, this film has a noticeably more serious and dramatic tone, with a fair level of adherence to the original Biblical story, and a good deal of restraint over "gratuitous merriment." 

The story, which begins when the infant Moses is set adrift on the Nile, and ends with the delivery of the Ten Commandments, is a very abbreviated and stylized version of the full Exodus tale.  On the way, we are introduced to Moses (Val Kilmer), his brother Rameses (Ralph Fiennes), the Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart), the Queen (Helen Mirren), Moses' birth sister Miriam (Sandra Bullock), and his future wife Tzipporah (Michelle Pfeiffer).  Thankfully, the voice work for these and all other characters is excellent, lending a good deal of credibility to the tone which the film tries to maintain.  Credit should also go to Dreamworks for some impressive set and background animation work, and a number of truly amazing sequences (e.g., the parting of the Red Sea). 

For all its many strengths, however, The Prince of Egypt is also not quite the film it could be.  Though the set and background animation is excellent, the character animation is a bit flat and lifeless, with occasional angular or facial disproportions that made certain scenes look awkward.  And, though both Val Kilmer and Ralph Fiennes do excellent work portraying their characters, the very noticeable difference in their accents (one English, one American) is sometimes distracting, particularly considering that Moses and Rameses were raised as brothers.  The overall effect is an animated film that is likeable and entertaining, though far from perfect.  Still, my complements go to Dreamworks for attempting to portray this rich and epic saga in a 97-minute animated film, and doing so in a very credible manner.  It's a great first effort for this group, and one that will undoubtedly lead to other equally ambitious efforts in the future.

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

trackrnr8880@msn.com gives this movie  stars: "I still think the movie was great, but he didn't send no fire from the sky. You didn't really express that Aaron Moses' brother help do the plague with the gnats. So you should of showed that, and the plague was a hail storm. And you didn't show Moses' walking threw the desert. Just letting you know" (8/30/01)

trackrnr8880@msn.com gives this movie  stars: "This movie in my mind was the best! Ut really opened my eyes to what herbrews went through. It is a sad but adventural mood.I feel more in tune to the bible. I would love to have been apart of that. Well just not die when the tenth plague hit lol!!! But i would like to go visit egypt one day and explore and do all i can . Egypt has the most exciting history i have ever read about. I mean moses and the bible i wish this movie would never end it could come a part of our lives. I think if ppl know what slaves went through we would all feel the same. Like i said this movie is great. I mean far be on great so dreamworks kept making the good work ok :) this is chris saying my feelings!!!!!!!" (8/16/01)

Mr.Dev.1@sgi27.netservers.net gives this movie  stars: "I thought the Prince of Egypt was a FANTASTIIC film, its the best cartoon film I have ever seen. I've asked my friends if they've seen it, but they said 'no we don't watch kiddie's films.' I said it wasn't really a kiddie's film, it was definitely a family film, I'll say that many adults would approve. There was so much feeling into this film, its the first time I felt emotions for a cartoon. There was only one thing I didn't understand, How did Moses remember that song that was sung to him when he was a baby? and suddenly relise he's jewish. How did he find out that he wasn't an Egyptian Prince? I hope there will be more Egyptian films because its history is so cool. " (7/13/00)

chistopher_hale@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "Excellent Dreamworks production. Greatest movie I ever saw. Great for all ages." (4/28/00)

shotgunshells@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "Nice sound, good graphics and a great parting of the red sea, but the truth of it is, the story is more like the story os Moses in the Koran than the Bible. Number one, no one is REALLY sure that Moses had no knowlage of his herritge when he was growing up Number two, Moses and Aron had a much stronger realationship than shown. Number three, Moses was crying when he was "drawn out of the water," in the movie, he was smiling. Number four, it was infact Pharo's DAUGHTER that found Moses, not his wife. This is where it is like the Koran, in the Koran, (more or less the Islam Bible) it says that Pharo's WIFE found Moses. Where the Bible says that Pharo's DAUGHTER found him. I keep asking my self, "Why can't they just make it freaking right!?!?!" The most fun I got out of this was going home from the theatre and seeing how many mistakes I could find " (7/27/99)

atgrant@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "I liked it, but I thought it was a little adult." (3/10/99)

JB-Kim@wiu.edu gives this movie  stars: "For all the glitz and glory and hype that this movie recieved, I actually wanted to see this movie. Although I don't regret watching it, I have to wonder if it was all it could be. While the Red Sea parting scene was a sight to behold as well as the scene with the angel of death or whatever it was sweeping through the streets, outside of the special effects, I have to wonder why they sold themselves short. Yes the animation was there. Yes the story stayed true to the original...kind of. But no, the movie simply did not come out as well as it could have been. There just wasn't enough depth to the story outside of the relationship between Ramses and Moses." (1/30/99)

spermicles@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "The Prince of Egypt is the greatest Disney movie made and should be considered an epic ! Brilliant animation and the Egyptian scenery is amazing. Great songs and although not an original story, they made it like new and interesting. Just brilliant ! An animated epic !" (1/9/99)

ronin@dccnet.com gives this movie  stars: "This is one of the best movies of the year. It is wonderous and full of creativity. I will never forget this movie." (12/29/98)

mjbov@pdq.net gives this movie  stars: "Not only do I admire the film itself, but also DreamWorks, just for stepping out in faith and making this movie. I disagree with a lot of the negative things reviewers are saying about this movie -- like the cast is too star-studded, the movie is too short, the animation is jerky. I've seen the movie many times already, and I have to say all almost every category is perfect. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I knew if I did, the case I have built may have seem a bit biased." (12/22/98)

vermonte@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "Whatever the fate of this movie I hope we get another egyptian style movie soon. They show the grandue of Egypt in unseen glory. Its a bit uncomftable to say the story failed to hold full attention considering its source. But the final river clip was the weak link and did not compare to the visions we had seen earlier. A movie to see , admire but does not quite become a classic dreamworks want it to be." (12/19/98)