The Prince of Egypt

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
The Prince of Egypt Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 8+

Animated feature tells story of Moses; some violence.

PG 1998 99 minutes
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Parents say

age 8+

Based on 23 reviews

Kids say

age 8+

Based on 60 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Prince of Egypt is an animated musical based on the Bible's Book of Exodus. It follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to becoming God's chosen prophet. There are scenes of enslaved people being whipped, hit, and verbally and physically abused. Babies are dropped and thrown into crocodile-infested waters. Moses kills an overseer of enslaved people. Rameses' short uniform exposes his rear during a chariot race.

Community Reviews

danny800
danny800 Adult
April 21, 2019
age 13+

the prince of egypt is not for little kids

i think the prince of Egypt is a amazing movie but its not for little kids because its very vilonte and intense the Egyptians whip slaves with whips the main character has a nightmare and in his nightmare theirs a Egyptian who takes a mother and her baby off-screen and kills them theirs a picture shown of the Egyptians throwing babies into a river filled with alligators a Egyptian almost whips a old man to death but the main character saves him by pushing the Egyptian off the structure to his death God tells moses to put his staff down and he turns the river into blood the city gets burned down a fog comes down from the sky and kills lots of kids and they even show a kid die on-screen and the water comes down and drowns all of the Egyptians except the main characters brother theirs also a very Adult sexual innuendo where the main character orders a man to go to the bed chambers with a girl with that being said i think the prince of Egypt is for teens and adults and i dont reccomend it for anyone under the age of 13

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
2 people found this helpful.
angelsdagger
angelsdagger Adult
February 1, 2023
age 13+

Too much for young or sensitive kids

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 23 parent reviews

What's the Story?

DreamWorks SKG's first animated feature, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, respectfully retells the story of Moses. The movie takes some liberties, with Moses (voiced by Val Kilmer) and Ramses (voice of Ralph Fiennes) raised as brothers who love each other deeply. But Moses learns that he was born enslaved and that the man he loves and respects as his father, the Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart), once ordered the murder of babies. Moses runs away and marries the spirited Tzipporah (Michelle Pfeiffer), until he receives a message from God telling him that he must return to Egypt and "free the slaves."

Is It Any Good?

This movie has some astonishing visual effects, particularly a chariot race that rivals Ben Hur and the parting of the Red Sea. The filmmakers of The Prince of Egypt have done a good job of making a traditional tale exciting and vivid, with compelling characters, though the musical numbers are largely forgettable. Rameses, loving Moses but terrified of being responsible for the end of a dynasty, is a flawed but understandable character. And Miriam (Sandra Bullock) and Tzipporah are strong, intelligent women.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Prince of Egypt's themes of taking responsibility and the importance of freedom. How do these themes fit within the story of Moses and what can be learned from them?

  • How does this compare to other film interpretations of passages from The Bible?

  • How was violence used in the movie to show the barbarity of slavery? Do you think this violence was necessary? Why, or why not?

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