Am Anfang

This is another of those well-intentioned Biblical TV-movies that comes across as a mixture of a Sunday School lesson and Cliff Notes for the Bible. A decent cast is wasted in superficial summaries, and the FX are simply cheesy. Instead of trying to tell everything from Creation to the Chosen People arriving in the Promised Land in two two-hour segments (with a total story time of less than three hours), it might have been better to focus more on one or two stories at most.

I enjoyed this though I found the disclaimer at the beginning amusing. I didn't look in my Bible to see how close to the text it was but found the stories involving and the effects passable (I'm usually concerned with reverent truthful approaches to the subject matter). Dramatic license? Sure...but better than most efforts. Joseph's reunion with his father was particularly touching. Enjoy this film...I did!

My Take: An all-star cast and a few glorious visuals make a rather interesting TV movie.

Martin Landau as Abraham? Jacqueline Bisset as his wife Sarah? Christopher Lee in gratuitous cameo as Rameses I? Only TV's Hallmark Entertainment could make this possible. The producer back at Hallmark who might nearly have enough money to make a macho Hollywood blockbuster spend it yet again on a another 3-hour two-part miniseries meant to set ratings on fire. Well not really, but they do come up with a rather interesting and marginally entertaining TV special with an agreeable cast and a modest budget. The movie is basically a 3-hour long adaptation of the most important events of the Old Testament. From Adam and Eve (with cut-for-TV nudity), Abraham and how he became "the Father of All Nations", Joesph and his multicolored dreamcoat and the grand story of Moses and the Exodus, the movie has it all and has time to spare. It's a bit long when watched on DVD rather than the two-part miniseries on TV, but it's an adequate and actually well-crafted effort. Just don't expect it to be anything grand ala Cecil B. Demille, or at least something that would make a cinch to get ratings.

Rating: ***1/2 out of 5.

I found this a delightful movie. It is pretty accurate to what the Bible reads, and extremely entertaining. I do think that some of the special effects and make-up were a little to "Cheesy", but other than that, I was very satisfied. I see this as a good choice of a family movie, since there is only "Implied" nudity during the Adam and Eve segment. There is some violence, but this is only because these events had violence. I found that Martin Landau played a very good Abraham, and Christopher Lee was perfect as Ramesis the first. As I mentioned, I would recommend this movie for anyone looking for just entertainment and those seeking a truthful account of these events in history. Good job Kevin Conner.

"In the Beginning" is a movie(mini) that takes us through the five first books in the Bible. You can expect some visual effects, and average acting.

I did not enjoy the movie, but I didn't either hate it, so watch it once, and let go with that. I rate it 5/10.