Ridley Scott’s biblical misfire is now out on DVD and given
that the story of Moses has been adapted so many times I thought it would be
the perfect subject of another Relatables segment. But instead of comparing it
to what might be the obvious alternative The Ten Commandments I’ve chosen the
Dreamworks animation adaptation. He reasons for this would be that the Ten
Commandments covers a much larger and longer segment of the story than Exodus
does, by coincidence The Prince of Egypt covers exactly the same period of
time, i.e the exodus from Egypt and then a flash forward to the revelation of
the stone tablets. As well as this, though many will deny it, Ten Commandments
has aged slightly. If it were made today we might brand it eccentric and convoluted,
but for its time it is a definitive classic. So let’s switch to the two more
modern versions of the story and why one succeeded and one didn’t.
For a start the basic principle of Exodus seemed misplaced
as just an opportunity for Scott to show off the actors he can work with and
the effects he can master. Though the plagues of Egypt are impressive the
overall theme of the story should be the personal journey of Moses. They are a
backdrop to his struggle rather than the centrepiece. In Prince of Egypt they
are reduced to merely a montage, but the intimate turmoil that Moses undergoes
as he witnesses the place that was his home being destroyed is excellently (and
rhythmically, it’s a musical just so you know before you rush out to watch it,
expecting grit and realism).
The relationship of the two brothers is the strongest part
of Prince of Egypt in my opinion and that was really lacking in Exodus. It’s
reduced to a simple case of Rameses being spoilt beyond belief and Moses as the
rejected child. Prince of Egypt displays a much better view where both brothers
are effectively lavishly spoilt brats, misusing their power and status to get
away with whatever they want. But Rameses is actually subjected to harsher
treatment than his brother by his father because he is the inherent ruler. His unwillingness
to concede to Moses’ demands stems from his father’s teachings that an undisciplined
ruler can be the ‘weak link’ that destroys a dynasty of empire building. It’s
such a motivation and almost ironic that the brother who was worry free in his
youth is suddenly burdened by the pain of thousands and his less lenient brother
is now able to wield all power without fear of repercussion, or so he thinks. The
characters are complex and beyond clichés that lord over those of Exodus.
Though Ridley Scott is renowned for completely submersing
his viewers within the world he creates such as Gladiator or Blade Runner, here
he falls short a bit. I’m not going to say that Prince of Egypt does a better
job, in fact it’s considerably worse on that front. However its simplicity is
more suited to the overall tone, certainly much better than falling short the
way Exodus does. The small and intimate nature of it allows these miracles to
appear grand and majestic through small and simple actions that come to mean
more for the character and evoke deeper emotions within the audience.
So those are my thoughts on Exodus: Gods and Kings and why
it wasn’t the Ridley Scott epic we were hoping it would be. Let’s hope he can
do better with a return to science fiction and Matt Damon in The Martian, and
that the increasing number of planned biblical movies (so far we’ve had Noah as
well as this in the space of a year) can be better.
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