The Ten Commandments (2006)

Expected more

Don't Believe the Hype

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

I can see that making a film of magnitude begs the use of some artistic license. However, when one is using artistic licence, why not stick to the minor things. Fillers for instance.And why, when telling a story, won't one use the important things. If you want to cut certain areas, don't cut the vitals.There were 3,5 million Jews leaving Egypt, plus their animals. The train of movement would be huge. This is a great place to use special effects. I mean the special effects were good when it came to the crossing of the sea of Aqaba, but why not portray the immense amounts of people?And why in the world try to say that Moshe didn't know where they were going? G-d explicitly told him where to take the people; back to Midian, to Chorev. They came there after three months, not years.And G-d didn't let them walk the desert for to teach them anything, but to punish the original generation leaving Egypt, because they disobeyed him (Only Jehoshua and Kalev didn't). Even Moshe disobeyed G-d and that is why he at the end didn't get to cross into the promised land.

The Ten Commandments is a TV mini-series that dramatizes the biblical story of Moses,who after following the Prince of Egypt discovers his true identity and sets out on a mission from God.Dougray Scott, Linus Roache, Omar Sharif, and Naveen Andrews headline this epic mini-series from director Robert Dornhelm. An oracle has prophesied that a child will grow up to become the Prince of Egypt, and in order to prevent this from happening The Egyptian Pharaoh orders the immediate slaughter of all newborn males. No child in the entire kingdom is spared except for one. His name was Moses, the son of a Hebrew slave. Set adrift on the Nile immediately after he was born, Moses escapes certain death and enjoys a lavish upbringing in a royal Egyptian household. He has no memory of his past, and soon rises to the rank of prince. After he receives a fiery message from God and learns of his true heritage, he vows to reclaim his destiny by delivering his people from persecution and realizing his fate as the liberator of the Hebrews. The re-telling of this Biblical story unfolds with all of the spectacle, violent human drama, and grand inspiration that have earned it its distinction as the greatest story ever told.Also,the stunning cinematography and eye-catching special effects makes this a highly entertaining mini-series despite the fact that it does not match Cecille DeMille's 1956 The Ten Commandments in terms of extravagance and greatness.

It is difficult to compete against classic greatness, but once you make that choice and the decision is in play, you need find the best and brightest resources to keep your product top drawer, and on the cutting edge of quality. If your intention is to aim for second or third (or fourth) best, why even try? It is with that, I wonder why this version of the Ten Commandments was written, produced, and aired. I would ask the producers, "What were you thinking? Were you endeavoring to create a projected deficit?" If perhaps the producers were thinking, "We want to examine this biblical story from another point of view..." Then I would say "OK, I watched the show, now what's the point of view?" The premise of this "possible point of view theory" eludes me. I can generally watch programs, and (right or wrong) at least get a sense of what the creators were trying to accomplish. Not so, here. I recognize names such as "Robert Halmi" (the producer) and I can associate his work with some eye catching product; Tin Man, Earthsea, Flash Gordon, Jason and the Argonauts. Low budget entertainment based on myth, history and comic book entertainment. A perfect genre for Sci-Fi Channel. So I still have to ask Robert Halmi..."What was the point of THIS Ten Commandments, What WERE you thinking?" …………FJS

I appreciate the effort that the filmmakers wanted to depict the story of Moses and the exodus of Israel, and that the film helps viewers to put themselves into Moses' shoes and gain understanding of the intense burden laid upon Moses' shoulders. As excited as I was to see this film, I was greatly disappointed in the storyline. (I'll leave out the videography, special effects, and artistic ability in this review.) What is most disappointing is the historical inaccuracy of this movie and how it is so far from the historical accounts from Biblical texts. One of the overarching principles from the Bible is that *God* led His people out of Egypt, and He promised that He would take them to a land that is flowing with milk and honey. Not only did He give this promise, but He led His people in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He never left them; He always was visible to the Israelites. The movie, however, depicts a God who remains silent during the entire wandering through the desert. This movie changed the essence and theme of the Biblical text and instead depicts God as a silent, cruel, disciplinary void.In addition, the depiction of Moses was just as wrong. Moses was known as a man of faith (why else would he be such a father-figure to Israel throughout the Old and New Testaments, even that Moses is known as a man of great faith). However, the movie depicts him as a pragmatic, angry, insecure loner who despises the calling that God placed on his life. OK, I'll allow some creative freedom for the filmmakers in the Exodus story... but this is beyond creativity -- it is heresy.