My Review of The Prince of Egypt · 3:47pm Jun 9th, 2021
Rating Scale:
12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made
Good morning, folks! This is Mr. J back with another animated movie review! This time, we will be talking about the arguably best DreamWorks animated movie of all time: The Prince of Egypt! Ah, this is one of my all-time favorite movies from my childhood that I would watch over and over and over again for its amazing story, intriguing characters, magnificent soundtrack and musical score, and glorious animation. This legendary film is truly a masterpiece although not perfect. It was a complete blast to watch especially with my family many years ago.
Now, this movie is based on a story from a religious book called the Bible specifically in the book of Exodus within the Old Testament. It’s about a Hebrew boy who, during the massacre of the male Israelite babies, was adopted by the Egyptian Queen as he was previously driven off in a basket on the river Nile by his own mother to save him. This same boy grew up to be the titular character and have a complex relationship with Rameses whom he called brother.
Moses’ relationship with Rameses was so well-written and deep that I literally felt sorry for both of them as they were in a normal relationship at first until they would end up in conflict with each other as the years went by. One would grow up to soon discover his Hebrew origins and be chosen by God to set the children of Israel free from slavery whereas the other would grow up as the new Pharaoh of Egypt, bitterly influenced by his wicked father, until he would strive against his former brother. A tale of two brothers separated by fate and destiny. To me, it’s one of those factors that made me love this movie so much.
This type of complex relationship is what made their character development strong and fleshed-out. For example, when Moses gave back the ring Rameses gave to him, you can see the look of hurt, shock, and betrayal on the latter’s face. The animation of that scene was a work of art. It’s what made the perfect transition from being a supporting character to a tragic villain in the case of Rameses.
Oh, and here is some trivia for you. Val Kilmer who voiced Moses and God is the same actor who played as Batman in Batman Forever; Ralph Fiennes who voiced Rameses is the same actor who played as Voldemort in the Harry Potter films. In other words, Batman and Voldemort fought each other through singing and in battle. That’s quite amusing, isn’t it?
The animation of this movie was stunningly beautiful. It showed us the visual beauty of these scenes to further convey the Biblical story. My favorite part of the animation is the parting of the Red Sea; I heard it took about three years or so for the animators to work on that sequence. To me, that scene demonstrated how devoted they were to this project and how it is the culmination of this story. The score of that scene always gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. Great job with the score, Hans Zimmer!
There are so many things in the movie that I love: the Ten Plagues, Playing with the Big Boys Now, the Burning Bush, Moses discovering his background, When You Believe, everything! That’s when you know you have done a great job with the making of the movie. Props to Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells, and Steve Hickner for their collaborative efforts to create this gem!
The thing is that you don’t have to be religious to love this movie. This is for everyone of all ages to fully watch and enjoy as a timeless classic from generation to generation. Whether you are a Christian or not, you can love this movie. If not, then that’s perfectly fine.
Overall, this movie is amazing, jaw-dropping, and nearly perfect. I give an 11/10!
Peace!
Another one of my favorite films. I have so many fond memories of it, and the film as a whole was something I grew up with since childhood.
In my opinion, it’s also one of the very best adaptions of a Biblical story. Especially unlike one in particular whose name I’m in no mood to mention.
5532454
I fully agree. 😊
I know exactly which one you're referring to.
5532460
Yep.
5532459
I know I said that I wasn’t in the mood for mentioning the name, but I’m gonna ask anyway:
You’re talking about the “Noah” film, right?
5532466
I already replied to your deleted comment as you see below. lol
5532471
I know.
5532472
It's okay. We all make mistakes.
So, you hate that movie, huh?
5532475
Yes I do. And with good reason.
5532521
I never watched the film (although I did see the trailers), so do you mind explaining what the movie is about?
Ah, a classic.
5532535
It’s a movie that’s “based” on the Biblical story of Noah, the figure who made a gigantic ark to house himself, his family, and a pair of each of the world’s animals from a worldwide flood.
Despite sources saying that the film is “based” on the actual story, though, it carries little faithfulness to the source material. And that’s only one of the reasons as to why it’s migraine inducingly terrible.
5532546
I see. It’s amusing to see how that story inspired so many animated Bible episodes and movies on Noah’s Ark. Another one I can think of is Evan Almighty. Have you heard of that one?
Don't forget that Jeff Goldblum player Moses's brother Aaron, AKA The Fly, AKA Ian Malcom, AKA The Grandmaster.
I was 14 when TPoE came out, and it is as good a movie today as it was then. It's so rare for animated films to stand the test of time like it has.
5532555
I have.
I remember seeing it one time, but I don’t remember much about it. I wouldn’t mind seeing it again someday, though.
Am I the only one who thinks that the God of the Bible is also a villain here aside from King Ramses? I mean according to the bible, he hardened Pharaoh's heart even if he could just intervened for a peaceful solution, and he is the reason for the plagues of Egypt and killing Pharaoh's son. I wouldn't call him a hero. The closest to a protagonist here is Moses but God? Nah. Its clearly shown in the film.
5532717
Apparently so. I don’t know why you’d think that, but in all honesty...the hardening of Pharoah’s heart wasn't God’s doing to begin with. Pharoah was a stubborn and prideful man beyond other things, and God was willing to peacefully negotiate with him in a peaceful manner through Moses to free the Israelites. As God predicted, though, Pharoah wasn’t wanting to grant the Israelites their freedom no matter how many times it was requested, so he had to smite Egypt with the plagues.