I'm strongly compelled to give an in depth explanation on why fan service is bad for art in general, especially storytelling. I've seen tons of movies and TV shows that could've been masterpieces but failed to reach perfection because of fan service. I'm tired of fan service and demand better from the film industry. For those who don't know, fan service is material intentionally added to please the audience. It's often sexual but can also include references to other films and shows. Here's 4 ways fan service ruins movies and TV shows.
Fan service doesn't advance the plot - Fan service doesn't tell us anything interesting about the characters. What do we learn about characters from a sex scene? That they love sex with each other? If that's the only reason, it's extremely superficial. Fan service is a waste of screen time which could be used for substance.
Fan service feels inauthentic - Stories and characters are supposed to be believable. Fan service makes the story inconsistent. For example, many movies and TV shows love to include subtle references to "the Shining" horror movie. Would characters really say lines similar to "here's Johnny!" Like Jack Torrence? Compare their characters and you'll see they wouldn't. It makes no sense.
Fan service is a cop out - Creators often use fan service when they lack the skills and/or confidence to create original material. They hope the audience won't notice but if you analyze it deeply, you'll see it.
Fan service is often poorly done - Fan service is often poorly made. It's unimaginative, boring, tasteless, cringe worthy, etc.
I'm not saying movies and TV shows shouldn't have fan service. I'm saying it should not affect the story in any way. If a movie or TV show soundtrack and merch. has fan service, it's completely fine.
The Prince of Egypt movie is one of the greatest and most powerful animated Exodus movies ever! I've seen it dozens of times throughout my life. In this review, I'll explain why the Prince of Egypt is still one of the best animated musical films to this day!
From the beginning of the Prince of Egypt movie to the end, you can tell the creators poured their souls into this movie. There's so much raw emotion behind almost every scene. I nearly cried watching the Prince of Egypt movie because of how emotional it was!
Non spoiler review
Acting:
The acting was amazing! All of the actors completely immersed themselves in their roles! They were all completely believable!
Dialogue:
The dialogue in the Prince of Egypt was very well-written and powerful! It had so much emotional depth!
Animation:
The animation was amazing and breathtaking! I was surprised a film from 1998 had such high-quality animation! If I didn't know when this movie was made, I would've thought it was made around 2000-2005!
I loved how historically accurate the character and building designs were. It made me feel like I was actually there at the time of the Exodus.
Cinematography:
The camera shots of the vast landscapes and places left me speechless!
Story:
The script for the Prince of Egypt movie was incredibly well written! They all felt very human. The Prince of Egypt movie had a complex story. Rather than have a simple "good vs. evil" plot, the Prince of Egypt movie had the characters make extremely difficult choices. The Prince of Egypt was a powerful masterpiece because it addressed real life issues that are still relevant to our time. It took us on an epic and awe inspiring journey of the Exodus story from the Bible.
One of the flaws of the Prince of Egypt movie is the humor. I felt like the creators tried too hard to appeal to children with comedic scenes. As a result, it felt forced and unnatural. The story was dark, serious, mature, etc. until you watch scenes intended to be funny. When I was a child, I didn't really laugh much at the jokes. The Prince of Egypt movie could've been better if it used the screentime to develop the story and characters rather than attempt to make the audience laugh. If you plan on creating a serious and mature movie, you shouldn't try to change it because you're afraid your target audience won't like it.
Characters:
All of the characters in the Prince of Egypt are memorable whether they're the main characters or minor characters. There are no filler characters that are placed there for the sake of being there. They greatly impact the story even without words. I loved the character designs. I loved how the Prince of Egypt movie portrayed the characters as tan or dark-skinned rather than have them whitewashed. It felt authentic and special.
I loved how the Prince of Egypt movie had three-dimensional characters!
I was amazed at how despite having no blood or gore, the Prince of Egypt movie made you empathize with characters such as the Hebrew slaves.
Soundtrack:
The Prince of Egypt movie had some of the most powerful and epic soundtracks in film history! The movie had a strong opening song "Deliver us." I loved how the Prince of Egypt movie made a distinction between Egyptian and Hebrew music. I also loved the Prince of Egypt movie included Hebrew lyrics in the soundtrack. There was a ton of emotion in almost every track! Almost every word was written with purpose! The soundtrack made various emotions such as sadness, grief, fear, etc. more powerful.
One of the flaws of the Prince of Egypt movie soundtrack was the "playing with the big boys" song. I didn't think it fit well with the rest of the soundtrack. It was catchy but It's not something characters would say considering the time period they were in. I felt like the creators included it to try to entertain the audience.
In conclusion, the Prince of Egypt movie is an unforgettable masterpiece that everyone can love regardless of their backgrounds. I highly recommend you buy the Prince of Egypt movie on DVD!
The acting was amazing! All of the actors completely immersed themselves in their roles! They were all completely believable!
Dialogue:
The dialogue in the Prince of Egypt was very well-written and powerful! It had so much emotional depth! I loved how the Prince of Egypt movie foreshadowed some events through dialogue. For example, in the scene where Seti reveals Moses real origins - he spoke of sacrifices. Moses would later understand the meaning of that during the plagues of Egypt when the Egyptians faced the same oppression they put the Hebrews through!
Animation:
The animation was amazing and breathtaking! I was surprised a film from 1998 had such high-quality animation! If I didn't know when this movie was made, I would've thought it was made around 2000-2005!
I loved how historically accurate the character and building designs were. It made me feel like I was actually there at the time of the Exodus.
Cinematography:
The camera shots of the vast landscapes and places left me speechless!
Themes:
The Prince of Egypt movie dealt with mature themes such as slavery, freedom, hope, justice, identity, etc. The Prince of Egypt was a special Exodus movie because it tackled beliefs we hold about ourselves. Sometimes, we believe we have no purpose and feel insignificant but we can't see everything in store for us.
Story:
The script for the Prince of Egypt movie was incredibly well written! They all felt very human. The Prince of Egypt movie had a complex story. Rather than have a simple "good vs. evil" plot, the Prince of Egypt movie had the characters make extremely difficult choices. The Prince of Egypt was a powerful masterpiece because it addressed real life issues that are still relevant to our time. it took us on an epic and awe inspiring journey of the Exodus story from the Bible.
I will analyze my favorite scenes from the Prince of Egypt movie!
The opening was hard to watch because of the dehumanization of the Hebrews at the hands of the Egyptians.
The Prince of Egypt movie had deep symbolism. For example, Moses had the color red while the other Egyptians usually had dark colors. This showed you that Moses never truly belonged to them.
The nightmare scene was one of the scariest scenes of the Prince of Egypt movie! Mainly because of the animation style and music. I loved how there didn't need to be any words in the nightmare for it be scary.
The aftermath was scarier! Seti admits the truth to Moses. Seti isn't at all villainous like you would expect. He doesn't have an evil grin or laugh like typical villains. Instead, he tries to comfort Moses with a quiet and relaxed tone of voice as a step father. You can catch a glimpse of trauma on his face as he's talking to Moses like he's still tormented by what he's done. It's almost as if Seti was trying to convince himself he did the right thing to absolve his guilt. You can't help but wonder what Seti was doing nearby at night close to the hieroglyphics. The line "oh my son...they were only slaves.." was one of the most terrifying lines of the Prince of Egypt movie! That sent chills down my spine! This scene sometimes kept me awake for a couple of nights. I thought about what would've happened if Moses didn't escape from the Egyptians when he was a baby. Seti would've had him killed! This is a truly disturbing realization!
I love the ambiguity of the Prince of Egypt movie! It gives you room the movie. The part where Moses falls in the Nile is a foreshadowing of the Egyptians chasing him after he killed the Egyptian. If he stayed in Egypt, the Egyptians would've killed him anyways.
The scene where Moses flees Egypt was one of the most powerful scenes of the Prince of Egypt movie. The Pharaohs were supposed to be gods who could do anything and everything they wanted. Nevertheless, Ramses showed himself to be a mere human in this scene and begged Moses to not abandon him. This was one of the saddest scenes of the Prince of Egypt if not the saddest. You see Moses develop as a character and how much Ramses loved Moses.
The burning bush scene was one of the most powerful scenes of the Prince of Egypt movie. YHWH's voice was made of the many voices Moses came in contact with. This gave the message he often speaks to us through those we love. You could tell YHWH was a God of love and compassion but also of wrath from his vocal tone along with the way he comforts Moses. I loved this version of YHWH in movies best. In other movies, his voice sounds distant and more commanding.
The scene where Moses returns to Egypt and tells Rameses to free the Hebrews was sad as well as powerful. I felt at that point, Rameses became the villain. Rameses transformation was disturbing. It's interesting to note when Rameses told Moses "I will not be the weak link!" - he stood in the same place where his father rebuked him in the beginning of the film!
The plagues scene and music was amazing! It was scary as well as intense! It was genius for the creators to show most of the plagues in the form of a musical song. I loved the attention to detail in the Prince of Egypt movie. When Rameses angrily looks at the Egyptian gods, it's as if he's angry at them for allowing Egypt to be destroyed.
The death of the firstborn scene was one of the scariest scenes of the Prince of Egypt movie! The angel was just an essence moving around! The silence and darkness in this scene made it scarier!
I loved the "when you believe" song especially the way it started. The Hebrews didn't immediately burst into song. It took time for them to realize they were finally free.
The red sea crossing scene was powerful and emotional. When Moses parts the red sea and Aaron smiles at him, that was a symbol of the Hebrews (especially Moses) transitioning into a new life. Though Moses lost his brother Rameses, he gained a new brother. While the Hebrews crosssed the red sea, you saw the young motivating the old to move forward in their strength and hope. When the young were afraid of the unknown, the old were there to comfort them with their wisdom. It's implied Moses was going to sacrifice himself to the Egyptians and stop running from his problems to save the Hebrews. He realized however that without him, there wouldn't be anyone to lead the Hebrews.
The scene where Ramses is stranded seemingly in the middle of nowhere is terrifying. He's surrounded by the red sea alone with apparently no way to return to civilization. He can't swim to shore without possibly drowning or getting eaten by wild animals. He probably doesn't know where the shore is. All he could do was cry out Moses name as he died a slow death from lack of food. He could drink from the sea but the salt would only quicken his end. What a horrible way to die!
One of the flaws of the Prince of Egypt movie is the humor. I felt like the creators tried too hard to appeal to children with comedic scenes. As a result, it felt forced and unnatural. The story was dark, serious, mature, etc. until you watch scenes intended to be funny. When I was a child, I didn't really laugh much at the jokes. The Prince of Egypt movie could've been better if it used the screentime to develop the story and characters rather than attempt to make the audience laugh. If you plan on creating a serious and mature movie, you shouldn't try to change it because you're afraid your target audience won't like it.
Characters:
All of the characters in the Prince of Egypt are memorable whether they're the main characters or minor characters. There are no filler characters that are placed there for the sake of being there. They greatly impact the story even without words. I loved the character designs. I loved how the Prince of Egypt movie portrayed the characters as tan or dark-skinned rather than have them whitewashed. It felt authentic and special.
I loved how the Prince of Egypt movie had three-dimensional characters! The villains were sympathetic and relatable. I was amazed at how despite having no blood or gore, the Prince of Egypt movie made you empathize with characters such as the Hebrew slaves. I felt their agony and pain through their body language.
These are characters who stood out to me the most!
Queen/Moses stepmother - I loved Moses' step mother because although she was quiet, she was strong and ruled with compassion. She was gentle. For example, she grasped Seti's shoulder with disappointment after he sternly rebuked Moses and Ramses for desecrating his statue. Its as if she was trying to say harsh words weren't going to do much to help them change. When Moses humiliates Zipporah, he looks at his step-mother and sees her bow her head in disapproval. This is because she knows he's a Semite like Zipporah.
Moses - I loved Moses portrayal in the Prince of Egypt movie. He was torn between two civilizations - Egypt and the promised land of the Hebrews. While the Hebrews were his biological family, the Egyptians were his adopted family. Moses displayed a wide range of emotions in the Prince of Egypt movie. In other movies, he appears mostly angry which is not realistic.
Miriam - I loved Miriam because she was optimistic and brave like her mother. She helped Moses grow as a character.
Ramses - The Prince of Egypt did a spectacular job in developing Ramses character! He loved his brother Moses and often went against his Egyptian upbringing to defend Moses. He was plagued by his father's legacy and eventually had to choose his brother or his father as he was heir to the throne.
Zipporah - Zipporah is very sexy and attractive! I loved how the Prince of Egypt made her dark skinned to show black can be beautiful. She had a strong personality but could also be gentle, supportive, and nurturing. I'm not sure if the creators should've made her stunningly beautiful as she didn't have as large of a role as other characters.
Soundtrack:
The Prince of Egypt movie had some of the most powerful and epic soundtracks in film history! The movie had a strong opening song "Deliver us." The emotions are further emphasized by Moses' mother lullaby. I love how the supporting vocals mix cries of anguish with chants.
"Through heaven's eyes" is another amazing song. I love how Jethro and supporting vocalists don't stay stuck in a fixed structure. Even the instruments sometimes vary the rhythm and melodies. Rather than repeat the same chorus, Jethro changes some words and mostly repeats the chorus melody. The way Jethro and vocalists hold high notes is powerful. This makes the song feel alive and joyous. It doesn't sound recorded.
I loved how the Prince of Egypt movie made a distinction between Egyptian and Hebrew music. I also loved the Prince of Egypt movie included Hebrew lyrics in the soundtrack. There was a ton of emotion in almost every track! Almost every word was written with purpose! The soundtrack made various emotions such as sadness, grief, fear, etc. more powerful.
The Prince of Egypt movie soundtrack profoundly developed the story! For example, in the plagues track - Moses sang in the same melody he used in the "all I ever wanted" track. It was a symbolic way of Moses finally accepting his identity as a Hebrew and moving away from the denial he had at the beginning of the film. One creative feature of "the plagues" song is when Rameses sings "I will not let your people go!" while Moses sings "let my people go!" at once.
The burning bush song was a phenomenal example of memorable storytelling. In the burning bush scene, the music sounded as if angels were singing to inspire awe in Moses. The ascending and descending notes made you feel like earth was merging with heaven. In the red sea crossing, the same melody plays but there's different instruments and voices added. This track inspired amazement, zeal, and almost a child-like curiosity over the red sea crossing.
One of the flaws of the Prince of Egypt movie soundtrack was the "playing with the big boys" song. I didn't think it fit well with the rest of the soundtrack. It was catchy but It's not something characters would say considering the time period they were in. I felt like the creators included it to try to entertain the audience.
In conclusion, the Prince of Egypt movie is an unforgettable masterpiece that everyone can love regardless of their backgrounds. I highly recommend you buy the Prince of Egypt movie on DVD!
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