The Prince Of Egypt: The Musical Blu-ray Review
“The Prince Of Egypt: The Musical” is a noteworthy companion piece to the animated film.
Based on the 1998 Dreamworks animated film, “The Prince Of Egypt: The Musical” is a stage musical filmed in front of a live audience at the Dominion Theatre in London. The story centers around Moses- an orphaned Hebrew baby who was adopted by Queen Tuya alongside her son Ramses II. The story jumps ahead to the teenage years of Moses and Ramses II as Princes. Ramses II is now set to be married and become the new Pharaoh while Moses realizes that he has been living a lie. Moses escapes into the desert and finds his calling as a shepherd and also becomes married to a former slave Tzipporah. Hoping for change in Egypt, Moses returns to ask Ramses II to free the Hebrew slaves. Ramses II initially agrees but breaks his promise and incurs a wrath of plagues. Through a miracle though, Moses just might be able to save his people while Ramses II redeems himself.
Adapting an animated film into a live-action musical may not always translate well, but in the case of “The Prince Of Egypt,” it’s a true miracle. From the start you can tell this would be a grand production with elaborate dancing, quality costumes, towering sets, fantastic screen work, notable props, and, of course, catchy and enduring music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (especially “Deliver Us,” “When You Believe,” and my personal favorite “Through Heaven’s Eyes”). There are some new tunes as well!
From a production perspective, the live show is very well shot with a nice variety of angles. The nifty stage movement of the sea returning to normal and swallowing Hotel and the soldiers was a particularly nice touch. The only downside is a couple of scenes that didn’t quite work visually. The chariot race is a literal piggyback (a stationary prop vehicle would have gone a long way here) and the depiction of some of the plagues is rather underwhelming.
Cast wise everyone is on point, but there’s one cast member who stands above the rest- Luke Brady as Moses. Remember his name because he’s sure to be going places in the future. He has a real screen presence, great pipes, and is a natural for musicals.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? Despite some flickering, this is an otherwise crisp looking hi-def transfer.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The 5.1 track packs a punch (especially during musical numbers).
No extras.
No comments yet.
Share This Blog
Robert Ham
dmanderson
Andrea
nicklyons1
DVD Corner 
Leave a comment