Batman the animated series is one of the best-animated series' and my favorite shows from childhood. This show brings back so many memories. I watched around three episodes and instantly loved it! I'll give my analysis of the show in this review with some spoilers!
Cinematography - I absolutely love the camera angles of the Batman animated series! The wide shots not only help us to see the characters but also help us explore Gotham city more.
Animation - I love the Batman animated series animation because of how well it fits the overall theme of the show! There's often shadows in many environments. I loved the "block" animation. It looked really nice. I especially loved the architecture, car designs, and settings! They looked authentic and had a style appropriate for the time the series was made.
Music - The music is very memorable and unforgettable! The opening sets the mood of the show in such a powerful way! You feel the suspense, fear, anticipation, and awe of seeing the Batman in action! The growing melody makes you feel all of those emotions. It helps me picture the Batman spreading his wings as he flies at criminals.
Another memorable piece of the score was "Harvey's nightmare." It was one of the scariest pieces of music the show's score had to offer! The melody made you feel like Harvey Dent's evil personality was playing it to torment you into embracing him.
Another memorable piece of the score was the Penguin's theme. It was catchy, energetic, and playful. It expressed the Penguin's personality exceptionally well!
Acting - All of the characters did a phenomenal job! They played their roles so well from their tones of voice to their accents, mannerisms, and more! The actor who played Batman has the best Batman impersonation ever.
Story - The Batman animated series almost follows the same story as the dark Batman comics. The only difference is some details were altered. The Batman animated series is an action-packed, suspenseful, humorous, scary, depressing, and exciting adventure! The Batman animated series has many memorable characters who leave lasting impressions on you! I was shocked at how dark this show got despite being geared toward children. It felt more like an adult show than a children's show.
The Batman animated series is unique because the characters change for better or worse. The characters' choices make a profound impact on one another. It's interesting and nerve-racking to see what characters do in different situations! I was deeply disturbed by some of the villains' origins such as the two-face episodes. Those were some of the scariest episodes I ever saw in an animated series!
Characters - Many characters are three-dimensional! They have their own personalities, emotions, etc. You can deeply analyze each character after every episode. Here's some of my favorite characters.
The Batman - He's a very traumatized and skilled crime-fighter! I love how he can communicate his feelings such as displeasure through his eyes and body language. Sometimes, the Batman needs help from others despite being mostly a loner.
The Joker - The Joker is the Batman's main archnemesis and one of my favorite villains. He's scary because he's unpredictable and chaotic. You don't know what he's capable of or what he's plotting to do at times. He has an iconic laugh and does things just because he can. His jokes are full of dark humor and sadism.
Two-Face - Two Face was a memorable character because he was a tortured soul! He struggled with two opposing personalities, one was good and the other evil. What I find very disturbing is how the show never explains how his evil personality was born. Two-Face is interesting. He's similar to the Joker as they both seem to believe life's meaningless and chaotic. Unlike the Joker, Two-face is somewhat redeemable. Two-face still makes good choices based on chance, questioning whether he's really a villain or hero.
Catwoman - Catwoman is very beautiful and unique. She's not a mere thief. She believes in helping cats from abusive humans. You can empathize with her. I don't see her as a villain. I see her more as an anti-hero. That's probably why she's attracted to the Batman.
The Ventriloquist - The Ventriloquist deeply disturbed me. He's similar to Two-face except his "acceptable" personality is very shy and anxious but his dark personality (AKA Scarface) is the exact opposite. Scarface is evil, arrogant, and the list goes on!
Theme - The Batman animated series deals with dark themes such as grief, trauma, loss, self-blame, and so on! The main message is you can never fully recover from trauma. It stays with you for life. You can use it to better other people's lives and your own.
The show also explores what causes people to commit crimes and whether it's possible to rehabilitate criminals or not. The show makes you think deeply about the psychological make-up of people rather than simply label them as good or evil.
Dialogue - The dialogue is diverse, emotional, and deep! Each character expresses him or herself in a very special manner! The dialogue is very thought-provoking! Sometimes, I reflected on the dialogue after watching some episodes and tried to analyze it. I wanted to find out what happened to particular characters.
Flaws - Despite the show's wide success, I felt it had some flaws. Some episodes felt like filler material. They didn't feel necessary. For example, I felt some episodes just centered the theme around Christmas for fan service.
In conclusion, I can't recommend the Batman animated series enough! This is a must-have DVD for your collection! I can almost bet money you'll love it regardless of your age or the time you grew up in!
I'll be reviewing the horror masterpiece - the Exorcist extended edition (1973). I was disturbed when i watched it twice! This review will contain some spoilers so be warned!
Dialogue:
The dialogue is robust, especially in the scene where the priest confronts his mother.
Cinematography:
The cinematography truly captured the character's faces very well, especially in the scene where the priest visits his mom. I loved the strong opening especially the long shot of the house at the beginning before the light turned off. The lighting is very good at showing gloom, despair, and tension at some points. I love how the film uses wide camera shots of the environment around the characters. It makes us feel the main characters know things others do not.
Characters:
Characters are three-dimensional. It's scary how we don't know exactly how Pezuzu sounds and acts other than through Reagan. The exorcist does a terrific job at making you feel for the characters, especially Reagan. I felt awful watching her undergo torment at the hands of doctors and Pezuzu. Chris is someone who would do anything for her daughter even if she thinks it's ludicrous. I loved how the characters deeply affect one another.
Soundtrack:
I love how in the Exorcist extended movie, there is almost no music. Several omens are shown exceptionally well without music. The Exorcist extended movie is not like other horror movies that excessively use music to try to scare you. When there is music in the Exorcist extended edition, it made you feel like something bad was going to happen.
Acting:
The acting in the Exorcist extended edition was incredible! Reagan MacNeil played her role amazingly well!
Story:
The film's about a girl who becomes possessed. Her mother seeks help from Catholic priests.
The story does a great job of explaining the origin of the villain we're going to face at the beginning of the film. It's disturbing how Pezuzu's face on the artifact resembles Reagan's face later. The Exorcist does a great job of blending horror with elements of crime, drama, and maybe psychological horror. Internal and external conflicts are well balanced.
I love the small subtle scenes that foreshadow what's going on happen such as Reagan's mother and her daughter play fighting. The changing environment around the characters makes you feel bad omens are happening.
The film did a fantastic job of using natural sound and body language to build suspense in its viewers! For example, the father sees strange occurrences and seems very concerned. The Exorcist extended edition does not just focus on horrifying visuals but audio as well.
I love how the horror is in the fact scientists can't exactly pinpoint the problem with Reagan. It's ambiguous whether they know it's supernatural but don't want to admit it or are clueless. Chris Macneil is trapped in an almost hopeless situation.
Reagan's transformation is terrifying throughout the story. I loved the build-up of conflict. Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, they do.
The ending is shocking and dramatic. It's ambiguous and open to interpretation. I interpreted it as good triumphs over evil but at a cost.
Overall, I thought this was one of the best exorcism movies of all time if not the best. I highly recommend buying the Exorcist extended movie edition on DVD! How would you benefit from buying this DVD?
DVDs are cheaper than streaming - Streaming sites are a waste of money. When you compare the time you're not using your monthly subscription to the time you are, you'll see you're not getting your money's worth. It's worse if your internet is poor to where your movies buffer. You're wasting money paying monthly fees. If you pay more for better internet, that's even worse. With DVDs, you only make one-time buys which save you a ton of money long-term.
DVDs have tangible ownership, streams don't - When you buy DVDs, you technically own them. With streams, you only pay for permission to watch them. If a company no longer wants to have its content in say Netflix's library, the company can request Netflix to remove it. You won't be able to stream it anymore. If a company stops selling a movie on DVD, that's the worst thing they can do. The company won't bother to confiscate your DVD.
DVDs have exclusive content, streams don't - DVDs (namely special editions) have much more content than streaming services such as extended editions, unrated editions, deleted scenes, interviews, "making of" documentaries, etc. Movie streams don't. Typically, streaming services play only standard editions of movies. The exorcist director's cut extended edition DVD for example has more footage that was cut out of the theatrical version. It includes a commentary.
You can resell DVDs but not streams - You can resell DVDs since you have tangible ownership of them. With streams, you don't own them so you can't. Once again, you save a ton more money buying DVDs than streaming.
DVDs have better quality than streams - Quality is determined by bitrate. Higher bitrate means higher quality video and audio. Quality can also be affected by codec encoding and compression techniques. Regular DVDs run at 6-8 megabits per second. Streams usually play movies at lower rates. Netflix for example plays movies at around 5 megabits with a standard connection.This DVD has Dolby Digital 5.1 EX.
DVDs don't require Internet, streams do - If your internet connection or streaming service fails, you won't be able to finish watching your favorite movies and shows. Nothing is worse than watching one of the most critical and intense scenes in a movie only to be interrupted by say internet lag. It ruins the viewing experience. With DVDs, you don't have those problems.
DVDs look fantastic on display! - DVDs will make your room look much more alive with its stunning physical artwork! There's nothing like holding a DVD of your favorite film in your hands! With streaming, everything belongs to the streaming service. It can feel like you're just renting your favorite films.
Aladdin the movie 1992 is raw intense energy from start to finish! It was memorable for its character struggles! In this review, I'll include some spoilers.
Cinematography:
I loved the many different camera angles in various scenes. I loved how the camera focused on showing the vast landscapes of Aladdin the movie 1992.
Animation:
I loved the breathtaking animation in the movie, especially during scenes showing the cave of wonders!
Dialogue:
The dialogue in Aladdin the movie 1992 feels natural especially when it builds tension.
Characters:
I loved how each of the characters complemented each other. When one character couldn't accomplish a certain task due to his/her flaws, another character helped with his/her strengths. None of them felt overpowered. They were three-dimensional and relatable. I loved how the characters communicated their feelings through body language. Even characters with non-speaking roles were memorable through body language!
Aladdin - I loved Aladdin for being a noble thief. He was a complex character. He often stole because it's all he knows how to do. Metaphorically, he tried to steal Jasmine through deception.
Jasmine - I loved how Jasmine showed her strength even if she was mostly quiet. I loved how Jasmine rebelled against the social structure she lived under. She did what needed to be done even if she wasn't always aggressive and violent.
Jafar - Jafar is a disturbing villain because of his demeanor and mystique. We don't know much about his backstory. He wasn't as loud as other villains. I was scared of his depiction in the last scene.
Genie - I loved how the Genie was unpredictable. He shapeshifted in different forms you didn't expect. He was different from typical genies because of his desires.
Soundtrack:
All of the songs made a huge impact on the story. The opening song did a great job of setting the mood, time, and place of the story. I loved how the songs portrayed the characters very well. Some songs had beautiful melodies but others such as "friend like me" were catchy. The melody and tone of voice were chaotic as it was changing at odd moments. This expressed the Genie's chaotic personality.
Theme:
The Aladdin animated movie 1992 touched on some very deep and emotional subjects such as forced marriages! Unfortunately, forced marriages are a part of some middle eastern cultures. The movie does a great job of exploring this issue not just from the woman's point of view but also from the parent's. Some parents want what's best for their children. I loved the message of being able to choose who you want to marry. Marriage should not be done out of obligation or survival.
I also love the importance of being yourself rather than focusing on social status.
Story:
Each scene in the Aladdin animated movie 1992 had you on the edge of your seat! I was surprised at how subtly violent Aladdin the movie 1992 was for a children's movie. There were some deeply emotional moments like when Aladdin sees starving children looking for food.
While it seems as if Aladdin the movie 1992 is a stereotypical love story, it's far from it. It's somewhat complex. Jafar intends to steal jewelry from the cave of wonders and overthrow the sultan for power. Aladdin also seeks power but for the purpose of winning Jasmine's hand in marriage. Aladdin's other goal is to survive. I love how Aladdin makes the characters' end goals ambiguous even if it's not apparent on the surface. Did Aladdin really love Jasmine or was he just using her to escape poverty? If he lied before, why wouldn't he lie again?
I loved how Aladdin outsmarted Jafar at the end of the movie. He used Jafar's own ego against him. I feel there's too much emphasis on physically empowering villains to gain victories in cinema and not enough on outsmarting them.
The Aladdin animated movie 1992 had clever humor. I laughed at several points of the film.
In summary, Aladdin the movie 1992 is a must-watch film. I felt highly recommend buying Aladdin the movie 1992 on DVD!
In this article, I'll give 5 good reasons why you should stop going to theaters and build your own personal home theater system!
People can ruin your viewing experience - Sadly, people in theaters can ruin your viewing experience by talking. Nothing is worse than paying to see a movie only for someone to ruin your concentration by talking. With your personal home theater, you don't have those problems if you live alone.
Better value - Unfortunately, theaters have bad quality projectors. The picture quality can have white lines, dark areas, etc. When I saw Joker in theaters, the picture quality looked dark and faded. You're getting better value building your personal home theater system.
More customizable - With home theater systems, you can adjust the volume, screen brightness, sound system, picture quality, etc. You can add subtitles, rewind, skip scenes, etc. You can't in movie theaters. If you want to get more food or use the bathroom, you have to sacrifice movie time and money.
Saves more money - Home theater systems save a ton of money long term. When you go to the movie theater, you have to pay for tickets, gas, and maybe other expenses each time. Once you set up your home theater system, you pay much less for watching movies at home than in theaters.
Immersive experience - The best reason to build your home theater system is the experience. Watching high-definition amazing picture quality can leave you speechless! Having a great sound system with booming bass can make movies more intense. You get decent quality watching movies on your laptop, computer, phone, TV, etc. at best. Overall, the experience is not that great especially if your speakers are weak. You might have to really struggle to hear sound.
If you're convinced home theaters are the best choice, here are a few tips to build your personal home theater system!
Buy a dumb TV - If you've read my blog post, you'll better understand why you want a nonsmart TV. Smart TVs are more optimized for streaming than watching on DVD. Smart TVs are very expensive and a waste of money. The internet security is poor compared to computers.
You need a TV with the highest resolution, refresh rate, and screen size for the best results. I highly recommend buying this TV.
Tips for building an audio system - You don't need a ton of sound from your speakers if you and/or a few people are watching. You only need speakers that can make around 70 DB. Floor standing speakers and a subwoofer are perfect for your sound system.
Get an AV receiver - To get high-quality surround sound, it's best to buy an AV receiver. I'd be cautious about buying cheap ones.
Buy a DVD player or use your TV as a projector - You can either use a DVD player or your TV as a projector. An HDMI or VGA cable should help you connect your TV to a laptop or PC.
In conclusion, building your own home theater system is better than going to the movie theater.
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!
The three extremes film is one of the best horror movies of all time. It's an anthology horror masterpiece. Three extremes film took me on a journey full of disgust, shock, horror, dread, etc.! I was on the edge of my seat for the whole movie! In this review, I'll try my best not to spoil too much because this is a must-watch horror movie!
Stories:
Three extremes had a strong and gross opening story! Three extremes wasn't afraid to include very dark and violent content that might've crossed boundaries!
Three extremes' dialogue was bone-chilling and electrifying! It made the film tenser! In fact, the dialogue is what made the Three extremes film so scary!
The second story "cut" reminded me much of the horror movie "Saw" but it was drastically different. Saw unfortunately became a boring horror franchise full of nothing but torture. The characters in "Cut" are forced to make very hard choices and reveal who they really are under pressure. "Cut" was psychologically brutal and far better than almost all of the Saw movies.
The last story was more dramatic than scary. If I had to list one flaw from the Three extremes film, it would have to be this. Nevertheless, it was still horrifying! When Shoko emerges from the box, that was one of the scariest scenes of the movie! There's no gore in this scene. No one's trying to kill each other. There's just pure psychological torture and torment from Kyoko's guilt over what she did! This is what I love about Asian horror movies!
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack in the Three extremes film made the film scarier and helped us understand the characters! The soundtrack mostly consisted of noise but it was effective! In "Dumplings", the noise emphasized tension and disgust while the beautiful music symbolized the main character's hopes.
The last story made great use of silence to build horror!
Cinematography:
The camera shots (namely moving camera ones) made the Three extremes film more uneasy! The close up shots of the main character staring at the camera made three extremes more disturbing! I loved the use of color in each story of the Three extremes film!
Acting:
The actors were mind-blowing! The acting felt so real especially in cut and dumplings!
Themes:
The opening story "dumplings" gave a scary commentary on Chinese culture that might just become reality. In traditional Chinese culture, people will do extreme things to attain beauty and excellent health. People eat certain foods westerners find disgusting because they believe it will give them certain benefits. China is one of the rare countries that doesn't have dietary restrictions. I wouldn't be surprised if the next step in the quest for beauty for the Chinese is cannibalism.
The second story "cut" had a profound message on the rich and powerful abusing their power. Those of high social status treat those of lower status horribly. What made it scary was how the characters profoundly affected each other. What made this story so scary was the philosophy that good people can become horrible given the circumstances.
The theme of envy was prevalent in all three movies. The Three extremes film warns of the danger of envy and how it can cause people to do horrible things because of a distortion of reality. It's not uncommon in some parts of the world for jealous men to kill their girlfriends simply because they suspected infidelity. This is what made the Three extremes film terrifying!
In conclusion, the three extremes film for all of those reasons is a real horror masterpiece! It had straight raw energy from beginning to end! That's why I recommend you buy the three extremes 2-disk special edition DVD! How would you benefit from buying this DVD?
DVDs are cheaper than streaming - Streaming sites are a waste of money. When you compare the time you're not using your monthly subscription to the time you are, you'll see you're not getting your money's worth. It's worse if your internet is poor to where your movies buffer. You're wasting money paying monthly fees. If you pay more for better internet, that's even worse. With DVDs, you only make one-time buys which save you a ton of money long-term.
DVDs have tangible ownership, streams don't - When you buy DVDs, you technically own them. With streams, you only pay for permission to watch them. If a company no longer wants to have its content in say Netflix's library, the company can request Netflix to remove it. You won't be able to stream it anymore. If a company stops selling a movie on DVD, that's the worst thing they can do. The company won't bother to confiscate your DVD.
DVDs have exclusive content, streams don't - DVDs (namely special editions) have much more content than streaming services such as extended editions, unrated editions, deleted scenes, interviews, "making of" documentaries, etc. Movie streams don't. Typically, streaming services play only standard editions of movies. This DVD set has a making of documentary and full version of "Dumplings."
You can resell DVDs but not streams - You can resell DVDs since you have tangible ownership of them. With streams, you don't own them so you can't. Once again, you save a ton more money buying DVDs than streaming.
DVDs have better quality than streams - Quality is determined by bitrate. Higher bitrate means higher quality video and audio. Quality can also be affected by codec encoding and compression techniques. Regular DVDs run at 6-8 megabits per second. Streams usually play movies at lower rates. Netflix for example plays movies at around 5 megabits with a standard connection. This DVD set has 5.1 Dolby Digital.
DVDs don't require Internet, streams do - If your internet connection or streaming service fails, you won't be able to finish watching your favorite movies and shows. Nothing is worse than watching one of the most critical and intense scenes in a movie only to be interrupted by say internet lag. It ruins the viewing experience. With DVDs, you don't have those problems.
DVDs look fantastic on display! - DVDs will make your room look much more alive with its stunning physical artwork! There's nothing like holding a DVD of your favorite film in your hands! With streaming, everything belongs to the streaming service. It can feel like you're just renting your favorite films.
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