The quality of the animation was so bad that it was hard to ignore, considering what people are capable of making today...the makers don't get a "pass" for their substandard work. Even if it is just for children.
For example, when the children of Israel are streaming out of Egypt, at first my eyes thought I was looking at an aerial of weeds. Artists have been able to represent crowds from a distance for hundreds of years, but that task eluded the artist for that scene. This lack of skill characterized the art and animation both.
What bothered me more was the content though.
The Old Testament gives pretty good detail for this story. It is understandable that a writer would need to do some interpretation or interpolation, but...basic accuracy was lacking, and the movie wasn't true to the OT account.
Mis-characterization: God, or Yahweh, is a God of Love in this movie. Is that how the actual story portrays him? Is it how He was consistently portrayed even in this retelling? Yahweh kills every first born in Egypt because He is not obeyed, but at the end, Moses tells the Israelites that if they sin, just say sorry? The idea of sacrificial atonement was a pivotal belief for the Israelites. Sin was viewed as so serious (for Pharoah, his army, and the makers of the golden calf) that the penalty was death.
Was Yahweh's main concern in this story to show His love? The original story that survived the writer and appeared in the movie reveal a God who expects obedience, who expects His people to do what he says, and Who will use His power to enforce His commands to the point of death.
Even Moses is not permitted to enter the Promised Land, because he "let God down," in the corny phrasing common to the writing in this movie. Because of ONE LITTLE MESS UP Moses died without entering the land. This is a demanding God, not the sappy God that the writer attempted to turn Him into, even if He did love His people enough to rescue them from Pharoah.
In another example of inconsistent characterization, Moses, said to be "the most humble man on earth," leaves Joshua in charge at the end with the request to make sure his humility and name are passed down to Joshua's children in the future. Its less serious but no less inconsistent. lol Corniness: Just one of many examples is when Miriam asks Aaron "Shall we go?" as the waters of the Red Sea are being held back (this is a miracle FYI, you'd expect some awe...).
He replies something like "Come sister." Meanwhile they are walking on the bottom of a seabed, with walls of water towering above them and whales swimming next to them. Lol! This was just silly.
This is not good writing; this is not worthy of a spot in a theater, it was sloppy and poorly done at best.
Theologians and English teachers should be consulted before doing any more of these, and I suspect some would do it for free to save the makers embarrassment...
For example, when the children of Israel are streaming out of Egypt, at first my eyes thought I was looking at an aerial of weeds. Artists have been able to represent crowds from a distance for hundreds of years, but that task eluded the artist for that scene. This lack of skill characterized the art and animation both.
What bothered me more was the content though.
The Old Testament gives pretty good detail for this story. It is understandable that a writer would need to do some interpretation or interpolation, but...basic accuracy was lacking, and the movie wasn't true to the OT account.
Mis-characterization: God, or Yahweh, is a God of Love in this movie. Is that how the actual story portrays him? Is it how He was consistently portrayed even in this retelling? Yahweh kills every first born in Egypt because He is not obeyed, but at the end, Moses tells the Israelites that if they sin, just say sorry? The idea of sacrificial atonement was a pivotal belief for the Israelites. Sin was viewed as so serious (for Pharoah, his army, and the makers of the golden calf) that the penalty was death.
Was Yahweh's main concern in this story to show His love? The original story that survived the writer and appeared in the movie reveal a God who expects obedience, who expects His people to do what he says, and Who will use His power to enforce His commands to the point of death.
Even Moses is not permitted to enter the Promised Land, because he "let God down," in the corny phrasing common to the writing in this movie. Because of ONE LITTLE MESS UP Moses died without entering the land. This is a demanding God, not the sappy God that the writer attempted to turn Him into, even if He did love His people enough to rescue them from Pharoah.
In another example of inconsistent characterization, Moses, said to be "the most humble man on earth," leaves Joshua in charge at the end with the request to make sure his humility and name are passed down to Joshua's children in the future. Its less serious but no less inconsistent. lol Corniness: Just one of many examples is when Miriam asks Aaron "Shall we go?" as the waters of the Red Sea are being held back (this is a miracle FYI, you'd expect some awe...).
He replies something like "Come sister." Meanwhile they are walking on the bottom of a seabed, with walls of water towering above them and whales swimming next to them. Lol! This was just silly.
This is not good writing; this is not worthy of a spot in a theater, it was sloppy and poorly done at best.
Theologians and English teachers should be consulted before doing any more of these, and I suspect some would do it for free to save the makers embarrassment...