The Exodus Decoded (2006)

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I thoroughly enjoy Simcha Jacobovici. He has passion, brains, a sense of humor and a great knowledge of his subject. I'll watch him on "Naked Archaeologist" any day. But that's not to say he might get things a little off base sometimes. (I think we all know James Cameron can get things screwed up.)His theories are interesting but they are just theories. There's a lot more that goes into proving something other than making a documentary. (Although people who absolutely refuse to open their minds to possibilities are worse than the ones asking questions.) For myself, I kept getting stuck on the plagues. I've been through a volcanic eruption and it didn't take six months for ash to darken the skies (the 9th plague) or for a tidal wave to occur. They were pretty much instantaneous. So either the timing is off or some poor scribe got it wrong. Frankly, I think Moses was a very savvy guy who, during his self exile wandered around and saw many, many things. A volcanic eruption and the stages leading up to it and following it could very well be in his purview. He was a well-educated man as well. He knew what he was doing. Not that what he did was bad. These were his people - ethnically - being treated badly as slaves. They needed a leader, something to rally around and believe in (the one true God) and a purpose. Moses was a charismatic leader who could do this for them. As for the small gold talisman that represents the Ark of the Covenant, that is all it is. There will be representations of it because people like holy objects. Heck, there's a pictograph in the Arizona desert that 's supposedly a 1,000 years old or so that looks like the Ark of the Covenant. What are we supposed to do with that?All in all, it's well told. Watch it with an open and appreciative mind. The best thing about Simcha is that he gets to artifacts other archeologists would prefer to ignore such as the Egyptian monument that called the Israelis "evil ones." Perspective is interesting. History is fascinating

Total blasphemy. If you are a Christian you know these events were not "perfectly timed" events. This was put together by non Christians looking for explanations for the bible because they do not have faith. The movie also claims the blood red water was a "gas leak" and the frogs can survive it and hop out and other "scientifical explanations" for the plagues. Completely forgetting Aaron made the waters red with his staff, not a "gas leak" and that the waters already in pots BECAME blood red Exodus 7:19. The people who took out the water would've seen it as blood red then. No one knows if it was real blood or not but they still butchered the biblical miracles as being "science" as atheists often do. I suppose they even tried to make the death of the firstborn son a "scientifical event" but I stopped past the blood red "gas leak" part. It takes God completely out of the Exodus story as a watered down science story. I understand water can turn blood red and other natural events can cause the bible events to happen like what the person in the movie said about frogs, but they do not happen 'on command' for people like what Aaron and Moses did and how they were perfectly timed and lasted a certain amount of days in succession. Making Moses into some fool declaring "natural events"!! To the Pharoah! These plant seeds of doubt in a believers mind to turn away from their bibles and turn to "science" instead of God. Stay clear of atheists making these movies. They aren't working for GodCouldn't watch it anymore

The Documentary was quite interesting and the ideas put forward were well constructed and both sides of the argument were in part considered. I think one should note early in the work Simcha Jacobovici refers to archaeological proof to back up the claim to Israel, and much is mentioned of divine intervention in the stories of the Israelite's escape from Egypt chased by Egyptian soldiers, perhaps they just wanted their gold back? It was well constructed with many Jewish Prof's and Academics to back up the pro Jewish ideals and stories being offered. He also mentions the Egyptians are restricting excavation of certain areas he feels to prevent evidence of Israelite's being found, thus proving their claim beyond doubt, sorry Palestine! I also found the site of Dr Chris Heard, "Higgaion" as mentioned by another review an interesting counter if one wants to consider both sides? The baby in the basket, The Parting of the red sea, Moses meeting God on the mountain and giving his sermon, David and Goliath one has to start to wonder if any of it is true, sadly one cannot just believe what is served up to them any longer. One must verify these potential attempts to corrupt your data and insult your intelligence by finding your own truths, seek and ye shall find! Beware the seen and unseen agenda, watch out for deception in plain sight and never be afraid to question that which you know is wrong.

Whether the exodus occurred or not, The Exodus Decoded is filled with lies. While I'm not an expect in any of the relevant subjects, I knew enough to be suspicious of its wild and bizarre claims. I checked up on it and found an extensive review that debunks, with reason and hard evidence, just about every aspect of this travesty of a "documentary"."The Exodus Decoded: An extended review by Christopher Heard" http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=60Here's a quick example of how this documentary lies and distorts evidence. Look at this original stela: http://www.romesburg.com/exodus/exodusgraphics/stela-3detail.jpgNow here's the cg "reconstruction" of that same stela, from Exodus Decoded: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/higpix/ED_emptystela2.pngSorry about the poor image quality, but the important details are sufficiently clear. Note how they change the animals in the middle from lions to horses by changing their tails from an upward curve (which in ancient art would indicate a lion) to a downward curve (which ancient art of this sort would never depict a horse as having). Don't believe me? Check it out here: http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=360Why is this detail significant? Because they claim that this stela is depicting the parting of the Red (or Reed) Sea, and those "Roman horses" are being engulfed in waves. But they are obviously lions, and not horses.On the wider issue, ask yourself this: What reason could a documentary EVER have to change a clear detail on a mural when doing a "reconstruction"? In this case, to create evidence for wild claims that have no support otherwise. This is a cold, hard example of a bold LIE by this documentary. Look into this for yourself (at the site above, or a simple google search) and see that the lies of Exodus Decoded are painfully obvious once you have the other side of the story. I am ashamed for everyone involved, especially James Cameron.