The Prince of Egypt
Starring The Voices Of: Val Kilmer and Ralph Fiennes Directed By Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner and Simon Wells. Running Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
A Dreamworks SKG Picture.
After the average Mouse Hunt, the silly Small Soldiers and the entertaining Antz, Dreamworks try again with the children's film market with this stunning adaptation of the Moses story. As the film warns us at the beginning, it's not the full story, and some liberties have been taken, but generally this the Bible story we all know and love, featuring burning bushes, the plagues and the parting of the red sea. The only thing missing is Charlton Heston. Instead, we get Val Kilmer voicing Moses, an hebrew who is placed in a river by his mother and rescued by the Queen of Egypt (Helen Mirren.) We flash forward several years to see Moses and brother Rameses (Fiennes) all grown up. Moses soon finds out from brother and sister Miriam and Aaron (Sandra Bullock and Jeff Goldblum) that he isn't really the son of the Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart) and that it his destiny to free the Hebrews from the Egyptians tyrannical rule. He soon sets about this, along with his wife Tzipporah (Michelle Pfeiffer.) Rameses and his two wizard friends (voiced by Steve Martin and Martin Short) try to stop Moses completing his task.
While the plot is familiar and somewhat exciting for adults, for children reared on Aladdin and Hercules, this film could be the most godawful thing they've ever seen. Gone is the quick fire humour and standard, easy to follow plot. But, spectacularly, and to Dreamworks credit, nearly every child in the audience was captivated by the story and events happening on screen. Jeffrey Katzenberg, who produced this film, certainly knows how to keep a child interested. He's included some songs in the film, plus some comedy, and a exciting chariot chase, to keep the children interested. And somehow, himself and the directors still manage to get all the drama and intensity of the story across, without ever being boring. It's a remarkable achievement.
Also remarkable is the animation, which puts Hercules, an almost 'slap dash' effort, to shame. Relying on hand drawn and computer animation, the backgrounds and characters are amazingly detailed. The film seems a little caught up with it's amazing visuals by showing a lot of sweeping visuals and 'moving' shots, but they _do_ look incredible. The final 'plague' where God kills every first born child, and the parting of the red sea have to be seen to be believed. Kudos to the animators.
The vocal talent is also very good. Val Kilmer does a fine job as Moses (although he doesn't sing) and Ralph Fiennes is superb as Rameses (and he _does_ sing.) Sandra Bullock and Jeff Goldblum are great, and Steve Martin and Martin Short are very good, but not in the film long enough. Finally, Michelle Pfeiffer does excellent work as Moses wife. Kudos also goes to the voice of God, who instead of booming and bombastic is quiet and subdued. Sadly, he is uncredited, and I couldn't quite work out who the voice was. (But e-mail if you do.)
The songs are good, ranging from the usual love sonnets to the traditional big production number. They don't disturb the movie, and while not particularly memorable, they are nice to listen to (they're well sung aswell.) The musical score is suitably epic, with some beautiful tunes. Coupled with the superb visuals, The Prince Of Egypt is a visual and aural treat, backed up with a great story. Entertaining both for kids and adults, this film is a must see.
RATING=**** OUT OF *****
A David Wilcock Review ©1998
DAVID WILCOCK david.wilcock@btinternet.com Visit the Wilcock Movie Page! http://wilcockmovie.home.ml.org -OR- http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/9061 Recieve Wilcock Movie Page Reviews via E-MAIL Send a blank E-MAIL to wmp-reviews-subscribe@makelist.com to join the mailing list!
"You know, for kids"- Norville Barnes
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