Reviewed By Jason LockardEver since the first movie was made film producers were taking from the bible to make films. Probably the most iconic was Cecil B. Demille's The 10 Commandments or The Robe.
Well, with Easter Season right around the corner the good folks at Mill Creek Entertainment have released a double feature of Biblical Mini-series events for the whole family to enjoy. These two have been released on DVD.
Our Rating System:
****=Don’t Miss it!
***=Worth a look.
**=An Ok way to spend some time.
*=You haven’t missed anything.
In the beginning (2000) This over 3 hour mini-series follows the stories of the beginning of the world starting with Adam and Eve and moving through to Moses and telling the story of Abraham and his beloved son Joseph who was sold into slavery in Egypt. ***
Noah's Ark (1999) In this 3 hour mini-series event follows the life of the meek but brave follower of Jehovah God named Noah who is told by his God to build a huge boat to protect his family from the threat of a great flood. **
These two mini-series events boast of an amazing cast of TV and film stars including; Martin Landau, Jon Voight, Jacqueline Bisset, Billy Campbell, Christopher Lee, F. Murray Abraham, Carol Kane, Emily Mortimer, James Coburn and Diana Rigg just to name some of the fine actors and actresses.
The stories are timeless! Now, these are not direct retellings. There is a lot of poetic license exorcised in these mini-series. But not so much that takes away from the spirit of the story. Also the direction is masterful and the special effect are very well done. Especially with Noah's Ark. I think it's something that would have made DeMille proud.
As for the DVD release. Mill Creek Entertainment gives each miniseries a DVD disc all it's own. Allowing each mini-series to have the most space possible for the bet possible bit rate. Both films are presented in their original full screen format in 1.33:1 aspect ratio and in Dobly digital 2.0 audio. Both film transfers look and sound great.
A new trend going around is stretching full-screen pictures for widescreen TV. I am so glad Mill Creek left these in their original aspect ratio. I would much rather see black bars on the side of the TV screen than a stretched picture. It is so amazing to have these two mini-series on DVD.
I enjoyed these mini-series. In the Beginning, was much better of the two. Noah's Ark felt like the writer was trying for satire a bit, but otherwise OK. Now while these films may not be Demille's 10 Commandments or The Robe. I found these to be decent biblical tales.
So if you love those biblical epics as much as I do I highly recommend this DVD set. Head over to MillCreekEnt.com for more details or go to Amazon.com and order your copy today.
Offensive Material: Mild violence Adult situations
Audience: Teens and adults
Genre: Drama / Faith
Length: Over 6 hours
DVD Value Rating: A
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