The Prince of Egypt - REVIEW
The Prince of Egypt. A 1998 Dreamworks Production.
Action. Adventure. Drama.
Because I love (good) storytelling, I decided to watch 'The Prince of Egypt' for the first time again in well over a decade. Having somehow stumbled upon a clip of the movie on YouTube (Moses parting the Red Sea), I immediately knew that I had to watch this film again.
I say without hyperbole that this is one of the best films ever made. Take a walk with me....
I am not big on animated movies. With that being said, I really liked this movie when I first saw it in the cinema in 1998, and again after I bought it on VHS. Having watched it now, however, I can uncategorically say that I love and appreciate this film for what it is; a magnum opus.
Simply put: 'The Prince of Egypt' is a masterpiece. It is awesome. There are too few films that hit all the right beats at the right time, but when one does, you sit up and take notice. This is one of those films. There is so much to be amazed by. The first thing that jumped out and impressed me was how incredibly well the film has held up after nearly twenty years. It doesn't look dated at all. AT. ALL. I was equally amazed by how much more I enjoyed and respect the narrative and epicness of the film this time around - and I had already loved it! This is now one of my favourite movies of all time and one of the best sprawling action/adventure movies ever.
Some will have a difficult time believing and accepting this as they're unable to get pass the fact that this is an animated film. This is unfortunate because it's so much more than an animated film. It's awe-inspiring. It's moving. It's epic! It's so epic! It's not really a kids film. Yes, it's an incredibly well drawn - animated film (the combination of hand drawn animation fused with just the right amount of computer generated animation is top notch), but it's an excellent, all-encompassing film for every age range. Your parents can enjoy it as much as your teen sibling can enjoy it.
The scope of the film is also impressive. It ranges from small, intimate scenes between characters to whopping landscapes and spectacle. The way in which certain scenes are framed is superb. There are so many breathtaking set pieces throughout that the viewer is constantly rubbing away an onslaught of goosebumps (i.e. the wall of water with the silhouetted marine mammals. Hashtag: IJustDied). My hat, scarf, jacket, gloves and loafers off to directors Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner and Simon Wells as well as writers Philip LaZebnik and Nicholas Meyer for perfectly crafting an emotionally charged, action/adventure film.
It is indeed a very emotional movie with first class writing. The emotional beats get you on every level. They did an excellent job building up the relationship between Moses and Ramses and pulling the viewer in and making us feel the deep rooted emotional friendship and brotherhood the two shared, and making us feel the sorrow of their collapsing relationship as the two eventually face off.
And the movie serves as a learning aid! I now know the story of Passover - thanks to this film! I was like: Hey! HEY! Did they just....They did! That scene just, very clearly and cleverly, explained to me what Passover is! How about that?! It was very interesting.
One can't help but feel as though the studio wanted to do another non animated - live action film based on Moses, but knew that they could accomplish so much more (for far less money) by making it an animated film. If you enjoy action adventure a la 'Gladiator' 'Troy' 'Alexander' 'Pirates of The Caribbean' 'Lord of The Rings' or any other mega - type action film, and you were disappointed with 'Exodus: Gods and Kings', you will thoroughly enjoy 'The Prince of Egypt'.
Lastly, a huge applause to Hans Zimmer on his scoring of the film. It's easy to overlook the ability of a score to elevate a film and add texture, layer and quality to a film when done right. Zimmer effortlessly captures the grandeur of such a film and seamlessly fuses his sound perfectly with Egyptian influences. This is easily one of his best soundtracks to date and I'm sure he would agree.
Thinking back on the film, I contemplated whether I felt as though there was anything to be improved upon. Honestly, there is nothing. This film hit all the right notes at the right time and....just watch the movie. There are no complaints to be found here.
'The Prince of Egypt' is an excellent excellent film. Exciting, inspirational, educational, well-rounded and just plain entertaining, this is the crowning achievement in the history of Dreamworks Studios and one to be revisited. Do yourselves a favour and rent it, stream it, buy it. Just see it.
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