The Ten Commandments (2007)

14% of critics liked it
(21 reviews)
64% of users liked it
(2,626 ratings)

One of the most fabled stories of the Old Testament gets a new interpretation in this CGI-animated feature. When the Pharaoh of Egypt sentences Hebrew children to their death, the mother of baby Moses floats the child down the River Nile in a basket, hoping he will be found by people who give him a… More One of the most fabled stories of the Old Testament gets a new interpretation in this CGI-animated feature. When the Pharaoh of Egypt sentences Hebrew children to their death, the mother of baby Moses floats the child down the River Nile in a basket, hoping he will be found by people who give him a chance at a better life. The baby is found by the Pharaoh's daughter, and is raised as an Egyptian prince. However, when the true heritage of Moses (voice of Christian Slater) is discovered, he is banished from Egypt. As Moses wanders through the desert, he encounters a burning bush, from which the voice of God (voice of Elliott Gould) can be heard. God tells Moses it is his destiny to lead the Hebrews from slavery to a new life in the Holy Land. With the power of God as his ally, Moses confronts the Pharaoh Ramses (voice of Alfred Molina) and demands freedom for his people. Ramses scoffs at Moses, and with the help of the Lord the Hebrew messenger brings a series of plagues down on the Egyptian people as he repeats his demand for freedom for the Jews. The first feature-length directorial credit for Bill Boyce and John Stronach, The Ten Commandments also features the voice talents of Ben Kingsley as the story's narrator. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Bill Boyce, John Stronach
Written By: Ed Naha
Genres: Animation, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Oct 19, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Feb 5, 2008
Studio: Rocky Mountain

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
It's like watching Max Headroom lead his people out of Egypt.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
Thou shalt not cast Christian Slater as Moses, no matter how much the Hollywood party boy wants to fulfill some form of karmic community service.
Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times
While the story is solid, the computer-generated animation, which lacks any flow and grace, is another matter. Actually, it's kind of creepy
Joe Leydon, Variety
A well-intentioned misfire featuring 3-D CGI animation that recalls lesser vidgames of the mid-1990s.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
A big-name voice cast doesn't cover for a script that may hit the Biblical high points but somehow misses the dramatic heart of the story.
Lou Carlozo, Chicago Tribune
There's an endearing, earnest quality to The Ten Commandments that transcends its star-studded cast and computer-generated animation.
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
Though it boasts a noteworthy cast, the film suffers from clunky computer animation that appears to be hinged on technology at least several years behind the curve.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Adults will squirm at the dialogue and wonder how actors of such fine calibre manage to squander some of their star credentials
Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
Here's an unusual but OK take on the story of Moses, the Exodus and, of course, "The Ten Commandments."
Steve Davis, Austin Chronicle
This is the inaugural film in a franchise of 12 feature films based on Bible stories, using a crude form of three-dimensional computer animation. One can only hope that the future entries in the series are better executed than this first one.
Peter T. Chattaway, Christianity Today
As a straightforward introducition to the biblical story, it is arguably better than some of the splashier or more sensational movies out there.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
The characters' skin looks like hard plastic, so it's as if a bunch of GI Joes are trying to escape the plague of locusts, and all of the human characters appear to be lit from within, like nightlights.
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
Ponderous but somewhat moving.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
...Exodus: The Video Game...
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide
Shamelessly rips off interpretive conceits and even specific dramatic beats from The Prince of Egypt.
Brian Orndorf, eFilmCritic.com
Unprofessional...this new Commandments is the work of the devil himself.
Sue Pierman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Likable enough without being extraordinary.
Andy Spletzer, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
This new version of the story of Moses is a huge step backward for theatrical CG animation, or any animation for that matter.
Keith Phipps, AV Club
A beyond-unimpressive computer-animated retelling of the story of Moses, The Ten Commandments seems to have been made using public-domain software, and targeted squarely at kids impressed by any brightly colored moving objects.
Cynthia Conlin, Orlando Weekly
Where the filmmakers may have aimed to create something comparable to Shrek, instead the quality falls somewhere between that and the movers in the 1985 Dire Straits' Money for Nothing video.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Bobby H

The story is obvious so let's look to other concerns about this movie: The voice over is great concerning Moses, but some of the other's are unconvincing. The animation is a little sketchy as sometimes it seems as if people are moving way to fast and sometimes do not move… More
The story is obvious so let's look to other concerns about this movie: The voice over is great concerning Moses, but some of the other's are unconvincing. The animation is a little sketchy as sometimes it seems as if people are moving way to fast and sometimes do not move as clean cut as some animation films I have seen. This is 2008 and that is unexcuseable for any film. However, the story was told well and down to the tee-in which that made it slightly enjoyable. I think it could of been more children related, as it is animated, however my little nephew that I sit down to watch it with was hardly engaged. The dialogue at time seemed a bit stale. Dont let this review stop you from watching this one though. It's not by all means a BAD movie, but for an animation film in todays age, it's lacking.