Review of The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments (2006) Starring Dougray Scott, Paul Rhys, Omar Shariff, Richard O'Brien, Linus Roache, Padma Lakshmi, Lisa Jacobs, Louis Hilyer, Karim Salah, Mia Maestro, Susan Lynch, Director Robert Dornhelm A remake of Cecil B. De Mille's epic 1957 film was not necessary. Channel 7 ABC is known for its blend of thriller and soap-opera-ish series like Desperate Housewives and Alias yet every year around Easter, they make TV movie about Jesus or Moses. The annual tradition of airing De Mille's Ten Commandments starring Charlteon Heston is wholly suited for Easter. This film suffers from an attempt to be as grandiose as the original but with more humanity and more realism, though it fails miserably. Dougray Scott as Moses looks more like Jim Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ, thus implying the Christian idea that Moses was a Messianic figure, a Jesus figure. This film is evidently more Christian than Jewish in theme, though that's not at all bad either. Paul Rhys, who looks Arabic, plays the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, once a good friend and adopted brother to Moses turned enemies due to the difference in the gods they worship. Sometimes this film strays from the Biblical account, but for the sake of sensational drama, that's also OK. Mia Maestro plays Zephora, Moses'wife. She plays the role in an old-school manner, which means not very strongly. Veteran film actor Omar Shariff (Dr. Zhivago himself)plays Jethro, Zephora's father, the goat-herder/property owner in Midian. It's good to see an old face and to see such a versatile, talented actor doing all types of films. Generally, this film is fine but it lacks the magic of De Mille's timeless classic. The first part of the film which builds up to the Parting of the Red Sea, is good. The 10 Plagues, the chase between Egyptians and Hebrew slaves, etc is well-rendered. But the second part was bland, dull and talky. The Orgy scene, in which they worship the Golden Calf, and when Moses breaks the 10 original commandments, is almost a replica of the original and thus is no good. The rest of the movie dealt with the Hebrews' journey into the Promised Land, their continuous offenses against God and their war with local tribes. The music is neither dramatic or grand, even forgettable. So, you're better watching Charleton Heston become Moses as he should look like and not Dougray Scott.