The Prince of Egypt
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) | Release Date: December 18, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
EmpireStaff (Not credited)
Prince Of Egypt is epic storytelling on the grandest scale. Big imagery, big themes, big emotions - all met head-on and accomplished triumphantly within a film that is in essence a live action movie - more precisely a Steven Spielberg live action movie - writ cartoon. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Stack
An inspiring translation of biblical grandeur, turning the story of one of history's greatest heroes into an entertaining, visually dazzling cartoon. Read full review
90
VarietyGlenn Lovell
At once rich in historic and character detail and full of eye-popping tableaux, this new spin on the Moses saga sometimes out-DeMilles DeMille's 1956 live-action epic, "The Ten Commandments." Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Overall, it's a story of triumph and adventure - of oppression ended and freedom begun. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
One of the best-looking animated films ever made. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
The blend of animation techniques somehow demonstrates mastery modestly, while the special effects are nothing short of magnificent. Read full review
80
SlateDavid Edelstein
Everything we love about biblical-movie kitsch is here, only concentrated and heightened. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
DreamWorks has gathered for the movie and for these extracurricular projects an amazing collection of voice talent that complements the film's stunning technical achievements. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The filmmakers are more interested in spinning an entertaining yarn than probing the spiritual dimensions of their important subject. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Moses was elevating mankind to a place closer to God, but when the Red Sea parts here, the feeling it gives you isn't awe; it's closer to deep impact. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Apt to scare kids. [18 December 1998, p.72]
75
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
DreamWorks' story of Moses raises the bar on the art of cartooning to the top of Mount Sinai and beyond.
70
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
A well-made work with much to recommend it, even if its worthiness is not the brightest flare on the movie horizon this season. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Even in an animated feature, visuals alone, no matter how successful, are not enough. And despite having this sturdy biblical tale to work with, despite being faithful enough to the spirit of the story to please a wide swath of scholars and theologians, the creators of Prince of Egypt have been unable to relate it in a completely compelling way. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Rendering in high drama the story of Moses one moment and then underscoring that drama with songs filled with banal "you-can-make-it-if-you-really-try" cliches moves from the sublime to the ridiculous so quickly, you could get the bends. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Features a first-rate voice cast and state-of-the-art animation that's nothing short of miraculous. Read full review
70
Washington PostStephen Hunter
If nothing else it's a wonderful essay on the meaning of freedom and the courage it takes to wrestle it from despots. In that sense, it feels more political and cultural than religious. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Certainly spectacular -- an elaborately designed combination of animation and computer-generated imagery -- but at times it's a spectacular bore. Read full review
60
Film ThreatRon Wells
Much of the animation is stunning and all of the vocal performances are good to great. It's just much of the passion seems to be in not stepping on anyone's beliefs or interpretations, instead of in telling the story in the most compelling way possible. Read full review
60
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
As a rule, the drawn and computer-animated imagery is top notch and seamlessly integrated, but the central characters' tawny complexions and the often chiaroscuro lighting sometimes obscure all but the whites of their eyes and their pearl-perfect teeth. Read full review
50
San Francisco ExaminerJuan M. Mendez
The spectacle is huge; the animation, breathtaking. In many ways, it is the epic of biblical proportions the filmmakers hoped for. But, like the Good Book itself, The Prince of Egypt can also be tedious, self-important and at times exhausting. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverMichael Sragow
The producers of this glorified latter-day frieze have gone nuts for computer-generated extras without clinching the essentials of character and catharsis. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbor's. Maybe DreamWorks should stop trying to be Disney. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
The few good jokes (most of them courtesy of the Pharaoh's high priests, voiced by Martin Short and Steve Martin) are swallowed up in this humorless epic. Read full review
40
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
As entertainment goes, however, this desert spectacle is no "Aladdin"-- despite the impressively strong graphics of the vast urban spaces. Read full review
30
SalonCharles Taylor
Middlebrow kitsch, but kitsch straining for respectability and therefore without the energy that can make kitsch entertaining. Read full review
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