Pluskylang Great Film overall

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

AndrewHeaney1 When it comes to talking about DreamWorks films, most people tend to think of the 3D-animated film franchises, like How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, and Kung Fu Panda. And while I do think those are good film franchises as well (I personally adore both HTTYD films and regard them as excellent films as well), I do not think any of them reach the level of DreamWorks' 2D-animated film, one of their first films, The Prince of Egypt.I think this is an underrated masterpiece, and is absolutely my all-time favorite animated movie. I'll even go to say it's one of my favorite films of all time.I cannot find a single element of the film that is less than stellar.The animation is gorgeous. Dare I say it's some of the best 2D animation I've ever seen.The voice acting is phenomenal on all fronts. Even some actors that could have potentially been distracting, like Steve Martin and Martin Short as the two Egyptian priests, work very well.The characters are all identifiable and complex. Moses and his family are all likable and charismatic. Even the villain, Rhamses II (voiced by the wonderful Ralph Fiennes) is very sympathetic and is one of my favorite interpretations of the famous character.The story (based on the Book of Exodus) is adapted beautifully. I have read the story of Exodus many times, and while there are changes and creative leaps to the story, they are inserted into places that the Bible does not touch on. What I mean by this is that there are things added in that are in places that the Bible skips over, and I think this is brilliant.The music is undoubtedly phenomenal. The burning bush scene where God speaks to Moses (one of my favorite movie moments of all time) has one of the most soothing, lovely melodies I've heard in my life.One more thing to add: I did not grow up with this film, and I still cannot recommend it more. Honestly, I never even heard about it until my mid teen years.Of course, the rating is an 10/10 from me. If you haven't seen the movie, go see it as soon as you can.

elicopperman 20 years ago to this day, Dreamworks Animation released their second feature film, The Prince of Egypt, based off the book of exodus. Although it received critical acclaim and did pretty well financially, it isn't really looked upon as much as other Dreamworks films like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda or How to Train Your Dragon. That being said, I personally think that this is one of their most outstanding achievements in both film and animation, and a highly respectable adaptation from the Bible. What's interesting about this adaptation is that at its core, it's a story about brothers: Moses and Ramses. The two different sides they choose end up tarnishing their relationship, making it very hard to feel sorry for either side. Moses transitions from a pompous son of Pharaoh to a man determined on freeing the enslaved Hebrews tremendously and the film really displays just how conflicted he becomes over his duty and trying to fulfill his task without harming anyone. Even though Ramses is despicable for his crimes as Pharaoh, it's made clear that his prejudice was passed down from generation to generation. As such, the film becomes all the more heartbreaking once the inevitable plagues come afloat, ruining both Egypt and siblings forever.Speaking of the plagues, it's remarkable how the film never shies away or sugarcoats the biblical story, showing off many mature themes and horrific imagery throughout the feature. In addition, the feature appropriately takes itself rather seriously, avoiding a lot of juvenile antics and cliches found in animated family films. While it may frighten some, it's always important to remember the horrible tragedies that had to take place in order to free the Israelis. For the first ever hand-drawn animated film made at the studio, the crew really went all out in creating a grand epic scale that truly showcases the impressive monuments in Egypt, from their rise to their demise. Along with realistic albeit stylized character designs and solid character animation, the visuals practically scream ancient Egypt, down to a scene depicting the killing of the first born Hebrew children being done in wall art. The parting of the Red Sea is a legendary moment in animation, really pushing the envelope of what computer animation and effects could pull off back in the day.As this film is a musical, it more than ever delivers with stunning and gut wrenching songs done by the wonderful Stephen Schwartz. "Deliver Us" sets the tone of the movie by showcasing the proper hardships that the Hebrews faced, "Through Heaven's Eyes" enlightens Moses in his reformed culture with the right amount of cheers and wonderment, and "The Plagues" song really showcases just how horrific the plagues really were while also rightfully showing the pain and devastation shown through Moses and Ramses. Finally, the Oscar winning "When You Believe" presents true exhilaration as the Hebrews taste the freedom that they desired for years. Not to mention, Hans Zimmer brings his usual poetically epic and spiritual score to elevate the raw emotional and grandiose aspects the film exhibits.Given how rare it is to see animated retellings from the Bible, this film truly is remarkable in how respectful, passionate and mature it is in doing so. With an epic scope, a heartbreaking story of sibling rivalry, and a fantastic score, The Prince of Egypt still shines as one of the greatest non-Disney animated films of the 1990s, if not of all time. Without a doubt, even if you're not religious, check this film out to gain a great taste of this well developed adaptation of biblical text to see what Dreamworks could have become if they stuck to this. It's kind of a shame Dreamworks hasn't done anything like this since its release, but considering that it's playing at Annecy soon to commemorate its 20th anniversary, here's to a bright legacy for the film in the following years.

Aadam (aadamhgafar-68237) First off, if you didn't already know, the movie is based on the story of Moses from the book of Exodus. This might seem like heavy stuff for an animated movie, but I think it's handled well; the writing ensures darker implications of the story aren't skimped out on to make it more child-friendly but the movie still managed to rein enough in to make it so even young children can access the message in the story. I think there needed to be a little more fleshing out of Moses and his childhood and some downtime with the protagonists to slow down the (in my opinion) very quick pace of the movie and let the movie breathe a bit, but on the whole the story hits all the key points and takes itself seriously (particularly in its dramatic flair), which might be for the best since it proclaims itself as a respectful and accurate recount of the story of Moses.Now in terms of visuals and animation, this movie looks really good even by today's standards. For me it was the greatest achievement of the movie; the movie looked like a mix between beautiful hand-drawn and painterly style with a little bit of CGI thrown in and I have great respect for those who worked on it. If you have a problem with the movie, it will definitely not be the animation because it is really, really outstanding and the attention to detail put into the animation really helps sell the characters and story.Another aspect that the movie shined in was the soundtrack - it was phenomenal. This movie has one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a long time, with the fantastic art and animation, the music goes a long way in helping you connect with the characters in the relatively short time they have on-screen.The movie is definitely worth watching, the dramatic story, masterful animation and moving soundtrack all ensure that but the one shortfall that the movie suffers is that far too many things are brushed over; years are skipped over, significant events happen in quick succession before you have time to digest their consequences and there isn't enough quieter moments to disperse the high emotion, energetic scenes. Still... I recommend it, it's a good watch.

amtiley Most incredible movie with great graphics and story line, let alone those beautiful songs! Always have loved this story from the Bible and this broadened my adoring for it immensely. Love all the scenes from this movie and how they tug at your heart, such as Moses leaving then returning to his brother Ramses or meeting his biological siblings Miriam and Aaron once again. Everything was wonderful. Fantastic work Dreamworks.