My Movie Review on The Prince of Egypt · 2:34pm Oct 10th, 2019
My 70th film review.
Boy, I sure have been on fire with the film reviewing. I've even been planning on what reviews I'm wanting to post to represent specific numbers, particularly in the 5's and 10's numbers.
Number 70 is definitely no exception, because the film I'm reviewing today is on one of my favorite animated films:
The Prince of Egypt
Here's the summary:
Having been part of a royal Egyptian family for much of his life, Prince Moses suddenly makes a shocking discovery that will forever change his life:
He discovers that he's actually a Hebrew, whose mother hid him in a basket to save him from the wrath of
Pharaoh Seti.
The biggest conundrum, however, is that Moses will have to oppose the family he had grown close to since childhood, especially Rameses, his adoptive older brother who eventually becomes Pharaoh.
Will the brotherly bond between Moses and Rameses stay continually strong? Or will the conflict and their destinies cause their brotherhood to fall?
I really must say, this film is something that I've fondly cherished since childhood, and I've been interested in making an analysis of it for some time. Even today, I can't get over how all-out magnificent this movie is.
Here's why I think so:
The performances of the film's ensemble, and the casting, characters, and character development, were astonishing! Each and every performer on board portrayed their characters like they were meant for them. They gave their characters amazing personality, depth, and emotion that's accompanied by an equally awesome sense of passion. Their performances were even accompanied by noticeably incredible dialogue, much of it being filled with excellent wit.
As an honorable mention, I'd like to say that Steve Martin and Martin Short were definite scene-stealers in their portrayals of Hotep and Huy the high priests. Their characters weren't the most recurring, but the personalities and charisma that the two Egyptian priests had were so eye-catching it was hard not to notice them.
If I had to choose whom my favorite performers and characters of this film were, though, it would be Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, and Michelle Pfeiffer and their characters of Moses, Rameses, and Tzipporah.
I love how Pfeiffer was able to completely throw herself into playing her character. She gave an astounding sense of humor, spunk, and feistiness that makes Tzipporah far from a defenseless damsel, as well as a surprising sense of warmth and kindness, such as when she's giving Moses comfort and support.
Ralph Fiennes was also able to give a vocal performance that was not only powerful, but physically and emotionally human. The way he was able to raise his voice when Rameses was giving a declaration was especially astounding.
And Val Kilmer...man, he was born to play the part of Moses in this film. He performed his character in a way that made Moses so alive and human, incorporating a loving sense of humor, wit, and compassion on the side. Moses's character development was something that I could not even take my eyes off of, because as the journey progresses, he doesn't stop growing as a person. As a plus, Kilmer did a remarkable job being the voice of God.
The animation that the film had, which was a combination of hand-drawn animated characters with computer-animated backgrounds and environments, was groundbreaking! I love how the animators were able to successfully put them together to where they blended with each other perfectly. I'm not even sure how many have said this, but, I think Bible and animation are perfect for each other.
The direction by Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells, and Steve Hickner, and the screenplay by Philip LaZebnik, along with the contributions by Nicholas Meyer, was magnificent too. Combined together, with clear influence from executive producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, the team was able to create a character-driven film that was full of drama and emotion, yet also have moments of humor and wit.
Something I can't help but particularly note is not only how true the production team was to the actual story of Moses, but also the fact that they were able to bring their own creative flair into the film to make it perfect as one. There were things about the film that were different from the book, yet they were understandable, and they benefitted the film greatly.
For instance, in the Bible's actual story, Moses's brother Aaron was assigned by God to accompany Moses and speak for him in the presence of Pharaoh and the Hebrews. However, in the film, that is not so, because Moses does the speaking. I can understand why that change was made, really. Moses is the protagonist of this movie, so in order for it to work, the film's focus needed to be kept on him and the relationship between him and Rameses.
Finally, it all comes down to the music and songs of this film.
I've got just two words to say to you guys:
ABSOLUTE AWESOMENESS!!!
Next to that of a great many other works Hans Zimmer composed for, his work in this film was astounding! It was so emotionally-driving and powerful, which was enough to inspire me to make a list of top ten works composed by Hans Zimmer.
Likewise, the songwriting by Stephen Schwartz was flawlessly melodious. Schwartz was not only able to get the lyrics to be in complete rhythm and step of one another, he also made them instantly memorable and detailed. One might even go so far as to say that his work in this film is instantly inspirational.
In conclusion, "The Prince of Egypt" is a film that I believe to be an instant masterpiece and classic, and it's the best adaption of a Biblical story that I've ever seen.
So, I rate "The Prince of Egypt" a solid five out of five stars.
You know you've done a movie right when at least half of the comments on any given clip read along the lines of "I'm not Christian/I'm an Atheist, and this movie is awesome."
What I believe separated this from other biblical films is that it's a character-driven story, rather than a doctrine-pushing story. Plenty of Christian films can come off as either preachy or intended solely for members of that religion. The Prince of Egypt is an exception because the characters are so intriguing that their actions follow the plot along, and we're drawn in as well.
5134959
Exactly.
I think this was the movie that got me into reading Bible stories.
SOLID 10 Out of 10 stars!
Y'know, something else I should point out. Val Kilmer (Moses) also played Bruce Wayne/Batman in 1995's Batman Forever, while Michelle Pfeiffer played Selina Kyle/Catwoman in 1992's Batman Returns.
So when you think about it, Batman and Catwoman saved Israel.
Just a joke based on some interesting trivia, you understand. I'm not trying to be sacrilegious or anything.
This was a phenomenal movie that remains one of my favorites to this day.
Ah yes, by far one of my favorite films, animated or otherwise, ever made. I recall how they were originally gonna make the Burning Bush have a man, woman, and child's voice, but apparently test audiences found that too...unnerving, so to keep the comforting tone of God, they had Kilmer do both.