Theatrical Review of The Ten Commandments

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This particular Bible story, that of the Hebrew exodus from Egypt, has been told before. Many times before. It´s been a live action epic and TV versions and musicals and even one animated production--1998´s "The Prince of Egypt." Frankly, if anyone has a burning desire to see Moses part the Red Sea or scare the bejesus out of Rameses as a cartoon, go look for "The Prince of Egypt." It´s more fluid, better animated, richer, and an overall more entertaining experience than the newest cartoon version, simply called "The Ten Commandments."

When a baby finds his way into the arms of the ruling family of Egypt, he is raised as a cousin to the heir-in-waiting Rameses. As a grown up, he clashes with the new king, eventually getting himself thrown out of Egypt. According to the story, he is instructed by God to lead his people out of slavery, warning Rameses along the way to free the Hebrews. After the first-born children of Egypt are killed, the Hebrews leave, forcing them to place their faith in a being they can not see and a man they believe may be crazy.

There´s little to no point in critiquing the story proper, with its miracles, feats of vengeance and plagues. One side of the religious aisle will claim these events happened; the other will argue Bible stories are nothing more than works of fiction. For as little as I know about Moses and the Ten Commandments, all the pieces seem to be in place. The burning bush, the various plagues sent upon Egypt, slaves, the Red Sea . . . it´s all here, even for a layman. So we´ll leave that part of the narrative alone.

What the story is missing is background, the motivation for the Egyptian/Hebrew conflict. It might be included in the original source material, but it´s been left out here. There has to be a reason for the enslavement of an entire group of people, for them to be subjugated and tortured for the betterment of another society. This history isn´t required for the rest of the story; there are more than enough references to the Egyptians being better than the Hebrews for the audience to fill in the blanks.

"The Ten Commandments," in this form, glosses over parts of Moses´ life in an attempt to get to the big events quicker. What it forgets is the seminal moments in his life which made him compassionate and loving to all people, and how he and Rameses grew up together and turned out far different from one another. It´s those things which make any film character a well-rounded one and perhaps even feel like a real person. Instead, with the simple hate from the Egyptians and perpetual goodness of Moses, the animated people we see on screen are simply crudely drawn characters relying on a story the majority of the audience knows in some form. They make the audience do the work of establishing the character instead of the script taking on the job.

The film, running under two hours, is all too happy for the Egyptians and Hebrews to be stereotypes we´ve seen dozens of times before. Egyptians bad, Hebrews good. God (in the guise of Eliot Gould) is on the side of the Hebrews, making them the chosen people. And the Egyptians--all of them, even the children who have done nothing wrong--are evil, with God´s wrath brought down on them. It´s the most simplistic characterization of any two groups committed to film, to the detriment of the entire production. By the time the Hebrews begin to revolt against Moses, despite his leadership through the desert and after asking God for food, the audience really can´t fathom why there is any lingering doubt.

It´s hard to really fault the story because its source material is the most read book in the world. Any deviation from what is in the Bible would have elicited cries of blasphemy from every corner of the religious world. So we´ll leave the discussion of the plot there. Which leaves the animation to talk about.

Frankly, Playstation 3 and Xbox video games have more fluid characters than anything in this movie. Even television programs like "The Simpsons"--made with far less money and under much more time pressure--are more refined and realistic than "The Ten Commandments." It´s not just the characters which are crudely rendered, it´s the backgrounds, the effects . . . every aspect of the visuals. I´m reminded of direct to video CGI films like "Casper´s Haunted Christmas" when I look at "The Ten Commandments." There was no effort put into making the humans look like, well, humans. Elbows are too narrow, faces have no texture and movements just aren´t fluid. Pixar this isn´t, let alone a Sony or DreamWorks animated production.

"The Ten Commandments" was made for a very specific demographic. I doubt co-directors Bill Boyce and John Stronach intend it to become a rival to the Charlton Heston version. Instead, it can be a companion piece, something to introduce children in Sunday School to the story without boring them to tears. On that count, the film succeeds.

I´m going middle of the road for "The Ten Commandments" because of the production values and the lacking story. "The Ten Commandments" rates a 5 out of 10; adjust accordingly for your tastes and sensibilities. Which brings us back to "The Prince of Egypt." It´s the same story as this film but with much better animation and a more engaging overall story.

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