The Prince of Egypt
DreamWorks Pictures, Rated PG
Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner & Simon Wells
Written by Philip LaZebnik & Nicholas Meyer

First of all, make no mistake about it, this film is far and away made for adults. Kids will enjoy parts of it (some of it is truly unsettling however, no one under 8 should see it), but the movie was made for an adult mindframe. These are not treated like "characters from the Bible" as if it's some fairy tale. For the many who believe the Bible is true, every single character acts like a real human being. You don't see that too often. Also, the expressions on their faces is only rivalled by DreamWorks' other animated film, Antz. This is perhaps the most realistically portrayed film of any hand-drawn animated film. You forget it's a cartoon after a while, just like you forget the animals in Babe: Pig in the City are animals. The story is gripping, and it takes one of the most significant events in human history and makes the drama palpable.

The story is based on the biblical story of Moses (voiced by Val Kilmer), who is found by the Pharoah's wife after his real mother sends him down the river in a basket to escape the Pharoah's guards. Moses grows up as the brother of Ramses (voiced by Ralph Fiennes), the heir to the Pharoah's throne. He believes he is a prince of Egypt until he learns the truth from his long-lost sister Miriam (voiced by Sandra Bullock). Soon he learns of the Pharoah's oppression of the Hebrew people and leaves his life as a prince. He is later visited by God who chooses him as his messenger to tell Ramses that the oppression must stop.

Moses and Rameses are sympathetic for different reasons, and one wonders what they would do if they were used as an instrument of God and a small part of them didn't want the job. The computer effects make the various miracles truly miraculous and God is definitely portrayed in a fantastic, awe-inspiring way. It's truly hard to believe that a film like this has been made and not one person will be offended in any way by it. It brings a realism to the Bible that few productions ever have before and I have never seen an animated film that came across as something so real. The voice actors, all Hollywood actors, fit their roles quite well. At first, you hear Jeff Goldblum's distinctive voice as Aaron, Moses' brother, and you automatically think "That's Jeff Goldblum as a cartoon," but eventually you forget about that. Every other actor does a fantastic job from start to finish, even Martin Short and Steve Martin in mostly-serious roles as Ramses' magicians, truly showing their range here. All but one of the songs are fantastic. The only regrets - it could've gone on for another hour and I would still be enthralled. But "leaving them wanting more" is always a great sign, and it's the best regret anyone can have. A major accomplishment by DreamWorks and if they can top this, it really is miraculous. ****

Back to the main page