The Ten Commandments

A classic epic. Cecil B. DeMille set out to create the definite film adaptation of the story of Moses. With a huge cast (and even more extras), state of the art special effects and a runtime of nearly 4 hours, he certainly made a real effort. And yet, the result is utterly dull and boring. What a slog this was.

If you're Christian, the plot doesn't hold many surprises. My religious days are well in the past, but I'm still pretty familiar with the ins and outs of Moses trials and journey. DeMille walks through it rather slowly and remains close (enough) to the source, but it's hardly riveting material.

The performances are pretty weak and terribly overstated, there's way too much dialogue for a 4-hour film that relies on spectacle, and the effects didn't really hold up. Fans of classic epics might get something out of it, I'm just glad I somehow got through it and never have to look at this again.