The Ten Commandments

A review of the 2007 feature-length animated movie by John R. Brooks

This is an animated feature that is not to be missed. The film is a superbly animated feature that closely follows Cecil B. Demille's original motion picture by the same name, which featured Charlton Heston. This version of "The Ten Commandment" is distributed by Promenade Pictures, a worldwide distributor of family films. This picture will appeal to children and adults, and it was meant for families to watch it together.

The film features some big Hollywood names as the voices of the key characters: Christian Slater as Moses, Alfred Molina as Ramses and Elliott Gould as God. Ben Kingsley is the film's narrator.

The film is the story of Moses' life, focusing on his relationship with Ramses, the Egyptian king, leading the Jews out of Egypt to the Promised Land, parting the Red Sea and destroying Ramses' army. The film concludes with Moses' death, after he saw the Promised Land but was not allowed to cross into it.

Prior to its release, there was some controversy involving "The Ten Commandments" and Radio Disney, which asked for the word "God" to be stricken from advertisements for the movie. Promenade President and Chief Operating Officer Cindy Bond complied with the request, because Radio Disney's listeners are the core audience for the film, she said. Viewers of the film will hear plenty about God and Scripture, but the feature is not overly heavy in its use of "God" language.

I watched a DVD of the movie on a computer screen. This is a picture filled with colorful animated scenery and large landscapes that is meant to be watched on the big screen. Families will enjoy this film, and it provides the basis for more discussion later.

For more information about "The Ten Commandments," visit www.epicstoriesofthebible.com
for Parent Resources, visit www.epicstoriesofthebible.com/parent_resources.php 
for Church Resources, visit www.epicstoriesofthebible.com/church_resources.php
for Youth Resources, visit www.epicstoriesofthebible.com/youth_teen.php

John R. Brooks is the Associate Executive Director and Director for ELCA News Services of the Communication Services unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.