The Prince of Egypt

I really wanted to like this movie. I wanted to say that Disney has finallymet their match but this movie was just awful. I was so bored, the singingwas lame and the story had too many lulls. This movie could not keep myattention. I am not religious at all but I know the story and it could havebeen very good. Unfortunately DreamWorks missed the mark. I hope they keeptrying though.

Actually, i watched it as a dare. A friend of mine had to watch HomeAlone 4, while I was left with the Prince of Egypt. I knew it would bereally bad so I had all the necessary things to keep me from losing it- the chips, the comfortable bed, the cool drinks, etc, but I guess itjust wasn’t enough. Just 30 minutes after the beginning of the movie, Ifelt like I had watched this crap for 4 hours straight. I hadunconsciously chewed up all the pillows and sheets around me, and oneof my eyes, that was closer to the TV, was really really red. Not onlyis this movie a great pile of Jewish propaganda, but it’s a horriblemelodramatic sob story Disney-style, one that no normal person would beable to watch for more than 10 minutes. Maybe I should have filmedmyself watching this crap and then send the tape to Jackass orsomething. It’s just complete torture!

I was very let down with this film. Dreamworks is hyping this as the bestanimated movie ever and it is definitely not that. It definitely can’tcompete with "Beauty and the Beast." I went into this film with high hopesand left the theater asking "why in the world would Dreamworks mess up sucha golden opportunity." Wait for the dollar show on this one. It’s not worthyour time or money. Boring plot, boring songs, mediocre animation. 1 1/2stars out of 4.

There is no joy in this picture. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but Iwish Dreamworks hadn’t attempted to do this film by following so strictlythe Disney musical formula–only without wit or subtext. They didn’t spendenough time letting the audience get to know the main characters beforebeing expected to empathize with them or identify with the struggles theyface. This has nothing to do with the AVERAGE running time (of an animatedfeature)–but the producers unwillingness to commit to creating individualpersonalites in the leads. So the audience is left to watch a pageant akinto really bad French Grand Opera. The designs remind me that, like "Antz,"Dreamworks eschews appeal by trying too hard NOT to be like Disney. Peoplemight not mind or compare if the stories were compelling or at LEASTentertaining (I did NOT say FUNNY, I said entertaining) As far as the color,I wish someone would turn the lights on so we could see the characters. Theskin, clothes, and props are colored so dark and with so little contrastthat it strains the eyes. While I admire the fact that it attempted to dosomething different–it just didn’t work, which proves the idea that a goalis something you strive for, but rarely achieve. And for all DreamworksHonking about this being an "Adult" picture, it falls into the same trapthey suffered with "Antz" in trying too hard to alienate anyone that mightcall them on their bluff: IT’S A CARTOON. That’s NOT a bad thing! Disneyhas had the same problem, and has yet to strike the right balance (Gargoylesin "Hunchback")–but the chances Disney’s taken in the last few years havebeen much more satisfying than this production.

this movie rocks..!!!I love the fact that Ralph Fiennes is doing the voice of Rameses. He ismyfavorite actor and he has a really strong and masculinevoice..The songs are good and the humor is kinda good..Grade A-

In every possible respect, this movie was meritless.

The animation was poor. I particularly enjoyed our protagonists grotesquelymisshapen head.

The music was awful, and I mean both the score itself and the performance.I’ve never quite cringed the way I did tonight when that nauseating themerecurred for the five thousandth time.

I guess it makes sense that the singing was so sub-par, considering theymanaged to blow all their money on gratuitous, excessive, repeatedlyegregious computer graphics. When Passover comes, the "death blob" looksmore like a plasma weapon from a orbiting alien battle cruiser. The partingof the Red Sea was nice though, in a "if we make it all spurting water, wedon’t actually have to draw any characters" sort of way.

The comic "relief" provided by Ra’s high priests was completely out ofplace, and a transparent attempt to emulate Disney’s habit of incorporatinga pair of funny side kicks.

Why is it that, in every movie dealing with Egypt in that time period, anexplanation is inevitably provided for the Sphinx’s missing nose? Really,dreamworks, how trite.

I’d like to end by saying that the entire group I went with feels the same,and that we are now going to scrub ourselves with wire brushes to see if wecan get the dirtiness off.

Oh, but it was a good movie though, yah.

I read so many reviews on this movie (on this and other sites) beforetrying to show it to my children. Too may people gush about thebiblical aspects of this movie without regard to the violence. There isa great deal of whipping of people (some in shadow) and violencetowards infants. My oldest (7) has a great interest in Egypt andhistory so I thought perhaps she would enjoy this. I gave the kids abackground on the Moses story beforehand, but still they wereabsolutely horrified at the dream Moses has where they kill the mothersand take the babies away (they kept asking if the babies were killedand I said "No, of course not"). We stopped the movie and they were intears all throughout bedtime. Not worth it at all, no matter what yourreligious beliefs. I do not think this movie should be shown to anyoneunder the age of 10.

This movie is one more Disney rip-off with only moderate animation,forgettable songs, terrible plot, and poorly developed characters. Childrenwill have a hard time with the violence and adults will be bored with theplot. Also, this is a religious film where God is depicted as a mereafterthought. Dreamworks was too careful with this one. They didn’t takeany risk at all and the result is an animated muddle that is only mildlyentertaining.

I usually like movies like this.

True, "The Prince of Egypt" has great animation, interesting characters andsuper voice talent (Kilmer, Fiennes, Bullock, Pfeiffer, Glover, Martin,Stewart, Goldblum…) and there are set-pieces that deliver the goods (TheParting of the Red Sea, the Building of the Pyramids, Baby Moses’ BasketTrip down the Nile, etc.)….

BUT, and this may be a BIG problem for many of you, there isn’t a whole lotof religion in this movie. You may be saying "big deal, it’s a kid’s movie,stop shovin’ God in our faces all the time". Well, I’d agree with you ifthis wasn’t based on THE OLD TESTAMENT!!!!!

A lot of the big scenes are treated like after-thoughts (Moses’ exile intothe desert, the Burning Bush scene, etc.), there’s little to no characterdevelopment (especially in Rameses and Moses, which is a shock) and scantmention of God and His hand in things. Telling a Bible story for kids andleaving out God? That’s like telling a bed-time story and leaving out theheroes in it.

SPOILER -

But this is my biggest gripe with "The Prince of Egypt" - right after theRed Sea is parted and Rameses is left in defeat - the movie ENDS!! Justsome end crawl about what Moses did afterwards and blah blah blah…. THEYMESSED UP! No Mount Sinai! No giving of the Ten Commandments! They missedout on what would have been a spectacular ending!

- END OF SPOILER

Could it be, in this time of movie-making where they don’t want to offendany non-religious movie-goers, the makers of this film decided to go middleof the
road and just deliver action, animated violence and big-name star’svoices, then forget the fundamental elements of the Exodus…like, say, thefact that it was BASED ON CHRISTIANITY??!

Look, you want to have the kids get the right kind of exposure to thisstory, rent "The Ten Commandments" with Charlton Heston. You’ll get thebest telling of this story yet. without a lot of cutesy, intrusive songs, toboot. And with God at the forefront. as it should be.

Shame on you, Dreamworks Pictures. Keep your mitts out of religiouspictures; you’re obviously under-equipped.

Only three stars - for the animation. It’s the best part, but that’s likebuying a car because it has a pretty paint-job.

Forgive them, O Lord; they know not what they do.

Even though the film tried to wow us with flashy and sometimes unnecessarycomputer animation, overall the animation was awkward. Proportions wereoften off, and people moved like jerky automatons. In one scene Mosesretreats like a limping hunchback. And characters’ facial features leaparound on their faces as they talk. Now, the ‘parting of the sea’ scene wasfantastic. But the ‘angel of death’ scene reminded me way too much of acertain Indiana Jones finale. (hmm…)