In "The Prince of Egypt," they casted Val Kilmer to voice one of the most holiest men in the Bible, Moses. It's different from Heston's Moses, where he portrays Moses much like the every Man, the person who fell into his leadership as opposed to seeking it out. At first, Moses starts out in this film as more of a rambunctious, or loud, energetic young man. An internet reviewer named The Nostalgia Critic says that this Moses is like "a college student who just crashed his Dad's car." This isn't bad though because by the end it shows how far he has come in his leadership. People could say that this Moses makes him more Human because, remember, he was human as well. As opposed to Heston's performance, where he is a Superman, Kilmer's performance is more human and sympathetic.
Now in the role of Moses's brother, Rameses, they casted the man that would later go on to star in such amazing roles in "Red Dragon," and the Harry Potter series, Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes portrays Rameses as a product of his environment; a tortured soul who still loves his brother, but is also under the psychological grip of his over-bearing father, Pharaoh Seti I, voiced by Captain Picard himself, Patrick Stewart. Because of this, Fiennes plays Rameses as more tragic. You know why he is making his decisions, and how much he hates the fact that he is declaring war on his own brother. It destroys him inside, which is what Fiennes perfectly portrays here. In the part where Moses comes back and tells Fiennes that he has come back to be his enemy as opposed to his brother, it's one of the best pieces of animation that you will ever see. Sadness, anger, regret, frustration, and vengeance. According to The Nostalgia Critic, all of these emotions are portrayed in 40 seconds, which is pretty impressive. Fiennes's Rameses is more complex and sympathetic, but he can also be just as menacing as Yul Bryner portrayed Rameses in "The Ten Commandments." Fiennes makes Rameses looks like a villain right out of a Shakespeare play, which is portrayed just perfectly. They pull you into the drama by pulling you into Rameses's drama, which has to choose between family and legacy. Just about everything that you want in a character is portrayed through Fiennes.
Just like in "The Ten Commandments," this film had a large number of cast members in their line-up. A few people that I will mention are Michelle Pfeiffer voicing Tzipporah, who would later become Moses's wife, her father, Jethro, is voiced by an actor who I believe is not recognized enough, Danny Glover, Moses's siblings, Aaron, is voiced by one of the weirdest actors out there, Jeff Goldblum, and Miriam, is voiced by one of the hottest actresses who you might remember from Miss Congeniality, Sandra Bullock. Even Rameses' mother, Queen Tuya, is voiced by Helen Mirren, and Moses's biological mother, Jochebed, is voiced by Ofra Haza. Even though they have fewer cast members than "The Ten Commandments," they are given more development. Miriam and Aaron are fleshed out much more as Moses's real siblings, and Tzipporah is given more screen time as well. In this film, they meet before he actually leaves his crown. However, unlike in "The Ten Commandments," we don't see Moses's son. Rameses's servant isn't in this film either, unless Hotep and Huy as the High Priests are counted. They are voiced by two of the funniest people in show business, and really work well together in here, Steve Martin and Martin Short. They portray some of the harshness we see in "The Ten Commandments," but to The Nostalgia Critic, "they seem out of place. It's a little too gimmicky, and, for lack of a better word, cartoony." Also, Rameses's wife is left out of "The Prince of Egypt" as well, but the cast is still sympathetic.
Val Kilmer also voices God as the warm, loving God that many people have favored over the past several years. I would have to agree with The Nostalgia Critic when he says "the God in this film is a little more clever and thought out." The burning bush part looks like something out of this world, but is also more soothing and comforting. The soft, kind God that this film gives us is a much more interesting contrast, and you still feel the size and divinity when he appears. For that, the God in this film seems more like the God of love and peace than in "The Ten Commandments."
The heart of the entire story in "The Prince of Egypt" is focused on Moses and Rameses as brothers. When Moses returns to the palace, he has no idea how Rameses will react. Rameses acts like how any other brother would. The focus of the story is on their relationship, and it really works. You feel the pain both of them are going through, and how much they wish they could return back to a time to what they had. This drama makes it much more interesting. I also will agree with The Nostalgia Critic again where he says, "I also like how much more visual 'The Prince of Egypt' is." As I had mentioned that "The Ten Commandments" looks unbelievable, but "The Prince of Egypt" really used the visuals to their advantage. Not because it's animated but because they also do things differently. The part where Moses tells Tzipporah that he saw God, there is no dialogue at all. The music almost tells the story for us, we have to guess what Moses is telling Tzipporah, and her reaction of taking it all in is perfect. You really feel the emotion of this scene. Also, the part where Moses turns his staff into a snake is a bit more clever than in "The Ten Commandments." All the tricks the Priests do are portrayed through smoke and mirrors. There's a blinding light when the staffs are transformed, so you could say they switched them when nobody could see. Now that's a really clever way out. The songs as well, surprisingly, help tell the story too. Not only do they move it along, but they also show what the characters are going through, as well as enhance both the joy and suffering that everyone has to deal with. Though at time, they do seem a little sporadic or occasional. Like "The Ten Commandments," "The Prince of Egypt" does have the Soap Opera annoyance sometimes as well. There are just some moments that feel really forced. For instance, if you look at the comedy in the first half, it doesn't really feel all that natural, and the best comedic moments are the ones that added to the drama. If you look at the desperation in Goldblum's voice when stopping Miriam from telling Moses who they really are. However, I will give the bad comedy credit by help generating the "corniness of nostalgia", as The Nostalgia Critic put it. Although, you can say that nostalgia can be corny, which I have seen some pretty corny nostalgic stuff before, and it's a pleasant time that you want to return to where everything seemed simpler. It works in this film because later they are growing a great contrast to the drama.
Even though there are problems in "The Prince of Egypt," and there are elements in "The Ten Commandments" that are better, "The Prince of Egypt" just had better drama because they knew the focus had to be on Moses and Rameses, the brothers. This is where the drama and the interesting conflict comes from and takes place. They knew that was the most fascinating element, where people could mostly sympathize with. It will make you realize why the story is so good. It brings out good characters, from good writing, from a good story.
Well there you have it. This concludes my marathon on Religious films. I hope you all enjoyed them, and stay tuned for more of my film reviews coming at you. I'll see you next time.
Great review, loved how you referened the Nostalgia Critic I agree the film is awesome.
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