Just what is the moviegoer to think, when right at the beginning of this pic there appears a big disclaimer saying that although artistic license was taken, the film remains true to the essence of the Bible story?

As Bill Clinton might have said, "It depends what you mean by "essence."

There are many things wrong with this feature, not the least of which is the setting up of a completely bogus dramatic tension. In Exodus, Moses is adopted by Pharaoh's daughter (not wife, as in the movie) but there is absolutely no hint of any youthful relationship between Moses and Rameses. Thus, the central theme in Prince, of Moses' conflict between fighting his brother and family, and leading his true people, the Hebrews, is a lie on its face.

Moreover, Exodus 2:11-14, which describes the killing of the Egyptian, heavily implies that Moses already knows his real origin. In Prince, Moses gets this revelation from his siblings Aaron and Miriam.

The appearance of Aaron and Miriam at this point is quite a departure from the source material. In Exodus, Aaron joins Moses only after the Burning Bush, and Miriam has no role until the very end, but, characteristically, the movie misses this.

Zipporah, the wife Moses takes in Midian, first appears in Prince as a captive brought to the royal palace. No doubt, the writers thought that she and Moses "meeting cute" would be a cool plot device, even though they also include the Ex. 2:16-21 flock watering sequence, where the meeting really took place.

The pic relates Moses before Pharaoh in a series of montages and songs, with the first nine of the ten plagues passing by in seconds. The death of the first-born and the Passover night are handled as well as a mass killing could be in animation, I suppose, but a genuine opportunity for dramatic tension is lost when Prince omits the striking exchange from Ex. 10:28-29, that occurs just before the killing--

"Leave my presence, "Pharaoh said to him, "and see to it that you do not appear before me again! The day you appear before me you shall die!" Moses replied, "Well said! I will never appear before you again.

The departure from Egypt and journey to the Red Sea occupy little screen time. This is a pity, because the confirmation of Moses' leadership role, the establishment of the Passover rites and feast days, and the tradition of the consecration of the first-born, all key moments in Jewish history, take place before the parting and crossing. Prince covers none of this.

Nor does the movie relate the faint-heartedness of the Israelites when they see the Egyptians on the march in pursuit of them. Only days out of slavery they complain to Moses, "Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians'? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians that to die in the desert." (Ex. 14:11-12)

Finally, after they cross the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's whole army is destroyed, Ex. 15:1-21 is devoted to the Israelites thanking God for their deliverance. Indeed, Miriam's only appearance occurs in verses 20 and 21--

The prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, while all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing, and she led them in the refrain: Sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

That none of this appears in the film is an outrage. God is effectively expunged from the Exodus story!!

If many non-Jewish religious leaders are praising Prince of Egypt, it might be because they are willing to accept a secular re-telling of an essentially religious tale, on the grounds that it at least speaks of grand spiritual themes. Even this is craven at best.

But for Messrs. Spielberg, Katzenberg, and Geffen, all at least nominally Jewish, to emasculate one of their sacred books, when they could have played it straight is stunning.

Tell me, Dreamworks gurus, what's the point of being on top, if you still have to sell out?