Kateri McColl's review of The Prince of Egypt

Date last edited: 10-10-2023 at 04:06PM

   Click here to view trailer
Rating: PG

Review:
Film: The Prince of Egypt
Directors: Brenda Chapman, Simon Wells, Steve Hickner
Distributer: DreamWorks Pictures, Universal Pictures
Genre: Musical/ Family
MPAA rating: PG
USCCB rating: probably A-I
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Primary Audience: Children and Families
Year of Release: 1998
Trailer Link: https://youtu.be/N0Vh65UrBK4?si=oyFKUdj4Dr-liURT

The Prince of Egypt (1998) is a beautiful animated musical displaying the story of Moses from the Bible. It begins with Moses being adopted by the Pharaoh of Egypt, then making Moses a prince. He learns that he must deny everything he has ever known to pursue what God truly has planned for him. This eventually leads him to free the Jews from Egypt in God’s name.

The First Media Key: Balance
The first media key from Dr. Gan’s book, Infinite Bandwidth, is “balance.” Balance helps us to “keep an open mind” and “take all things into consideration” (Gan, pg. 23). Balance requires consideration of the context, presentation, and intent of a story.
The story in The Prince of Egypt maintains an important balance that allows for very good storytelling and a necessary intensity. Because the story of Moses is a historical event, it is surrounded by some very dark historical facts. This film does a very good job of showing these disturbing truths in a way that is intense but easily digestible for younger audiences.

The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness
The second media key is “attitude awareness” from Infinite Bandwidth. Dr Gan explains this “helps us cultivate an awareness of the attitudes underlying the media we view and use.” He continues, “It enables us to more clearly recognize messages, both subtle and not so subtle, coming at us through media, so we don’t allow visible lies to override invisible truths” (Gan, pg. 40).
The Prince of Egypt inspires anyone watching to assess the areas in one’s life where they may have become blinded to an important and necessary truth. Just as Moses learns this for himself, the audience is encouraged to do the same.

The Third Media Key: The Dignity of the Human Person
The third media key from Infinite Bandwidth is “the dignity of the human person.” Gan writes “when the failings and quirks of actual people are used as grist for viewer entertainment, persons- who are supposed to be subjects- are turned into objects. And that’s never a transformation that reflects the dignity of the human person” (Gan, pg. 56).
The entire story of The Prince of Egypt exists to uplift human dignity because it follows Moses and his journey to free the Jews from Egypt. He goes on a journey from not recognizing the importance of the dignity of the Jews to becoming a savior in God’s name to free them from their enslaved state.

The Fourth Media Key: Truth-Filled
Dr. Gan explains the fourth media key, “truth-filled.” He explains that “we… know both good and evil exist in this world… We know that what we do in this life matters: every action and every choice has a consequence… And we know there is purpose, there is a plan, there is love, and there is hope” (Gan, pg. 70).
Despite the story being taken directly from the Bible, The Prince of Egypt shows a powerful story of a man coming to learn the truth of God and leaving everything he has ever known to pursue his new understanding of truth. This fact is displayed beautifully through the song “All I’ve Ever Wanted” where Moses is shown wrestling with what he has always believed and what he thinks may be the truth.

The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring
The fifth media key is “inspiring” from Dr. Gan’s book, Infinite Bandwidth. Gan writes that “the fifth media key encourages us to expect the best from media” (Gan, pg. 94). He continues, “it draws a clear line in the sand between media being used for its true purpose- to direct us to all that’s good, true, and beautiful- and media that either misdirects us or wastes its potential by directing us nowhere” (Gan, pg. 94).
There are several inspiring scenes within the story of The Prince of Egypt but the story as a whole stirs the human heart in a unique way that many other films fail to achieve. With the mixture of excellent story, actors, and music, the film perfectly executes the story of Moses in a way that inspires adults and children alike. Specifically, the scene where Moses discovers the burning bush and has a conversation with God creates a unique and tangible take on a difficult to understand biblical scene. The mixture of the score and the beautiful animation creates a truly beautiful scene which many still think back on to this day.

The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed
The sixth media key, “skillfully developed,” from Infinite Bandwidth, is described as “a necessary ingredient for good media” (Gan, pg. 100). Gan writes that “ we have ‘a duty in conscience to make [our]selves competent in the art of social communication…’” (Gan, pg. 110).
Because The Prince of Egypt was released in 1998, the animation is insanely impressive, particularly the scene where Moses parts the Red Sea. Along with the animation, the cast is stellar, including Val Kimmer as Moses, Steve Martin as Hotep, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Tzipporah. Lastly, the score was composed by Hans Zimmer and the album consisted of several large-name artists such as Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

The Seventh Media Key: Motivated By and Relevant to Experience
The seventh media key, from Infinite Bandwidth, is “motivated by and relevant to experience.” Gan writes that media is supposed to “create a sensory experience- an experience that appeals to our senses- in order to move our emotions, shape our thoughts, and inspire us to action” (Gan, pg. 117).
Although Moses’ circumstances are unique, his experience is very relatable. In one way or another, we have all experienced the shattering feeling of something you once knew to be true being proven false and replaced by an ultimate truth. This feeling is uniquely portrayed through the song “All I’ve Ever Wanted” detailing Moses’ internal battle with what he has always known and what could possibly be the truth.


Seven Keys:
Balanced:
Attitude:
Personal:
Truth-filled:
Inspired:
Skillfully Made:
Experienced:

Overall Rating: 30/35

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