Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet (2014) User Reviews

Great animation

[cguldal · 8/10 · 23 March 2015]

It's difficult to simply judge the film without passing some judgment on the content of Gibran's poetry, which, in the context of the film, sounds even more like self-help advice. So those who like spiritualism, practical philosophy, and one man's interesting (then and still now) take on the world will probably find the content pretty awesome. For the rest of us, as I said, at times, it sounds a bit like self-help stuff, or new age stuff that is not new at all. Interestingly, a lot of the stuff about labor and work sounded very much like the stuff the Soviets would love (don't know if he was popular in the USSR).

The film attempts to tell the story of Mustafa, who is been on house arrest for seven years and is finally being released (deported back to his own country). The details of how he came to be in this other country are fuzzy, but it is clear that he is a poet, painter, and philosopher, and his ideologies have landed him in this bind. Mustafa befriends Almitra, who has stopped speaking since her father died a year ago. Almitra's mom does the housework for Mustafa under the (clumsy) watch of Halim (or Halil?) Everyone loves Mustafa. Townsfolk loves him. The cleaning lady and the kid love him. Even the guard loves him. There is a very clear distinction between good and evil here, which will appeal to younger children, and maybe not so much to the older crowd. So Mustafa is taken through the town (mistake!) to the boat that is supposed to take him back, but needless to say, things don't turn out that way at all. There is some strong imagery here (complete with a firing squad, but we only hear them fire).

I think most of the content is out of reach of most younger children. The stuff about love and life, about how parents do not own their children got through to the kids who were watching around me in the theater. I was surprised that even the youngest did not fall asleep, as some parts were just Mustafa speaking about stuff. I believe this s due to the amazing animation work by many great artists.

If Gibran's work does not interest you at all, I still would say this is a must see, if you like animation art. There's great stuff here. I dare say something for every taste and preference in terms of animation art.

All in all, it was a great film to see on the big screen. Animation was top notch and engaging (as the kids around me proved it). The story involving Almitra also appealed to the children, i think, though not to me as much. Mustafa's story is a classic case of denial of and persecution of freedom of speech; it is good to see something like this being made.

Artistic Philosophy

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 19 August 2015]

Greetings again from the darkness. An animated, artistic, philosophical parable based on a 1923 book from a Lebanese poet … it's as if the filmmakers went out of their way to make sure most everyone would be turned off by some aspect. Instead, director Roger Allers delivers a beautiful and thoughtful representation of nine of the 26 stories from Kahlil Gibran's influential best-seller.

The story revolves around Mustafa, an artist and poet who was exiled seven years earlier when his words were deemed harmful to the local regime. Mustafa is informed that he will be granted his freedom to return home, and as he is escorted through town, Mustafa periodically delivers his insightful and inspiring words to the people of the land. These make up the 9 segments (Freedom, Children, Marriage, Work, Love, etc) within the movie, and each of these segments is the unique work of a different renowned artist/director. The artistic style and presentation varies between each segment, and some employ the use of music (Damien Rice, Glen Hansard).

As Mustafa recites the words of Gibran, the individual segments unfold with the artistry of each director. These blend well with the overall story which also features Mustafa's housekeeper and her young daughter (who initially doesn't speak). The voice acting is top notch thanks to Liam Neeson (Mustafa), Salma Hayek (the housekeeper), Quvenzhane Wallis (Almitra), John Krasinski (a lovesick guard), Alfred Molina (Sergeant), and Frank Langella (regime leader). Mr. Neeson is especially effective as the soothing voice of Gibran's words.

This was evidently a pet project of Salma Hayek, who also is Producer of the film. She wisely enlisted director Roger Allers, who has ties to Disney and the hugely popular The Lion King. The film is Disney-esque in its approach, but is certainly not aimed at kids. It's really a blend of the segmented structure of Fantasia, the adult-themed style of Watership Down, and the philosophical meanderings of Gandhi.

Gibran writes that "all work is noble", and the work of these filmmakers certainly is. As with any poetry or philosophy, one must be receptive to the message and willing to be inspired. If not, it's merely "love and flowers".

Doesn't entirely work

[cherold · 6/10 · 5 April 2021]

Kahlil Gibran's book The Prophet was an engaging mix of poetry, spirituality and philosophy musing upon subjects including love, food, and death. It's quite lovely.

While the book has no story or characters, someone decided to try and turn it into a movie. The basic premise is a young, mute girl and her mother meet an imprisoned philosopher the state is afraid of and travel a little with him. Along the way, he muses on subjects like love and food and death.

The framing story, done by the folks behind is very engaging, with likable characters and a simple but appealing story. The problem is the musings, each a Gibran poems animated by a different animator and either read by Liam Neeson (perfect voice for it) or turned into a pop song.

I hated most of these. The animation is rarely interesting enough to stand on its own, and because there are tons of pauses to let the animation breath, Gibran's words are unfocussed and lack their melodic rhythms. Also the songs are pretty dreadful.

The end result is an hour of entertaining drama broken up by tedious little animation of poems that stand better on their own.

Some people seem to have really enjoyed this, but I can't recommend it. Or at least, not unless you fast forward through all the poetry.

Gibran by way of Disney

[goobers28 · 9/10 · 7 September 2014]

I've never written a review on IMDb, but saw this film's world premiere at TIFF and have been annoyed that nobody else has written about it, so I'm starting the conversation.

The two questions you need to ask yourself if you're wondering whether you'll like Kahlil Gibran's the Prophet are: Have you enjoyed Disney movies (traditionally animated, not the studio's modern Pixar-lite offerings), and do you like Gibran's poetry?

(If the answer to one or both is yes and you actually have an opportunity to see the Prophet, please stop reading and watch it so you can add to the discussion.)

If even Beauty and the Beast, every segment in Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, or the Lion King (whose co-director Roger Allers wrote and directed this) left you cold, the Prophet isn't likely to convert you. None of the key staff except Allers, storyboard artist Will Finn and segment directors Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi have connections to the Mouse House, but the Prophet's main story looks and, for the most part, feels like a Disney movie: a simple, effective parable about the power of ideas focusing on a girl (Quvenzhané Wallis)'s relationship with a poet (Liam Neeson) whose words nearly led to a Middle Eastern dictator (Frank Langhella) being overthrown years before the movie starts. (The setting resembles 1920s Algeria, but is wisely fictional, its name drawn from Gibran's book.)

After an introduction that echoes Aladdin and a lecture from her mother (producer Salma Hayek) that resembles every Disney film with a living parent, Wallis's Almitra winds up at poet Mustafa's shack, where he's been living under house arrest for seven years. But today the dictator's sergeant (Alfred Molina) arrives to inform Mustafa he's free to go - provided he leaves his adopted home forever and renounces those dangerous words.

During the long trek from Mustafa's home at one end of the capital to the dock where his ship awaits on the other, admiring townsfolk stop and ask for his advice about a variety of subjects, which Mustafa dispenses in the form of Gibran's words.

Which brings me to that second question. When Mustafa begins sharing his wisdom by discussing freedom, Liam Neeson - as he will throughout the movie - reads the original poem verbatim:

"At the city gate and by your fireside I have seen you prostrate yourself and worship your own freedom,/Even as slaves humble themselves before a tyrant and praise him though he slays them./Ay, in the grove of the temple and in the shadow of the citadel I have seen the freest among you wear their freedom as a yoke and a handcuff./And my heart bled within me; for you can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfilment."

(You can read the rest here: http://www.katsandogz.com/onfreedom.html)

For my money, if you want to illustrate the power of poetry you can't do much better than Gibran, a Lebanese poet whose seminal work has touched millions around the world (including me) with its articulate, spiritual, multi-faith wisdom on 26 subjects ranging from freedom and work to marriage and children (the poems for which are all included here). I believe Gibran rivals Dr. Seuss and Shakespeare, but have also read that he's less well-known in North America than elsewhere, and that academics have a low opinion of his work. (Perhaps more importantly, none of my friends seem to have heard of him.)

So if you find Gibran's thoughts trite, you might find the movie off-putting as well.

That said, if you can approach it with an open mind anyway, you might still be carried away by the film's most artistic flourish: each of the eight poems used is illustrated by a segment designed and directed by a different international animator, including Bill Plympton, Sita Sings the Blues' Nina Paley, Secret of Kells director Tomm Moore, the aforementioned Brizzi brothers (who were assistant directors on Disney's the Hunchback of Notre Dame), and Mohammed Saeed Harib, creator of a Middle Eastern TV series. Two are even set to music composed by Damien Rice and Once's Glen Hansard.

Unfortunately, as of this writing the film lacks North American distribution - which, I am equally sorry to say, isn't surprising because it's a difficult sell. While the Prophet looks and - again, for the most part - feels like a Disney movie, it differs in one key respect: it knows that in real life you can't simply throw a dictator off a building and suddenly bring peace to a country. Animation is still synonymous with kid's entertainment in too many moviegoers' minds, and while suitable for children, the Prophet isn't aimed at them: little ones are advised to watch it with a parent who can answer the questions they'll inevitably have once the end credits start rolling.

The film isn't perfect - I personally didn't like the music used for the "Children" poem (Paley's segment), and have read grumbling online about Plympton's illustration of "Work" (which I thought was great). Some of the main story's action is poorly timed, and its characters aren't always as expressive as they could be (a consequence of the cel-shaded 3D animation used to bring them to life). But the voice cast (including John Krasinski as a friendly guard) is terrific - Neeson especially is the perfect narrator - and if not everyone will love every segment, each ones' artistry is undeniable. Besides, if you don't like a given sequence, another comes along within a few minutes.

Bottom line: I'm thrilled this movie exists and amazed at what Hayek, who spearheaded the project, was able to pull off with a $12- million budget. It deserves a wider audience.

simple tale

[Kirpianuscus · 1 February 2016]

beautiful.delicate. not surprising but precious as support of memories. touching. nice. a well known book who obtains a decent animation who translates, with grace, an universe. fascinating for its simplicity, it is a poem in image, a small drama, definition of emotions, hope, the things who defines each life, becoming its purpose. not great. but useful. for the not complicated story who preserves its universal message. for the basic drawing. for the splendid remember of truth in lovely manner. a portrait of life. a tale about freedom and dreams. and about the source of happiness. a film far to be special. but interesting. for the status of window to yourself.

Beautiful Visuals, Poetry Not So Much

[alisonc-1 · 6/10 · 2 August 2015]

Kamila (Salma Hayek) works cleaning house for Mustafa (Liam Neeson) while worrying about her mute daughter Almitra (Quvenzhane Wallis), who has not spoken since her father died two years ago and who is always stealing and causing problems in the market. Almitra comes to Mustafa's house and on meeting him, finds a gentle soul who speaks to her in poetry without demanding her response; when guard Halim (John Krasinski) is told by the Sergeant (Alfred Molina) that Mustafa is to be freed and taken to a ship that will take him to his own country, Almitra follows them and learns that freedom may not be where Mustafa is being taken at all....

This is an animated film, with each segment directed by a different animator, as a result of which it is an absolute feast for the eyes; there's something new and wondrous on the screen practically every minute. The story is really meant to just frame the poetry of the famous author, which is recited by Liam Neeson, who probably has the best voice in the world for such words. The poetry itself, well, that depends on your tolerance for such metaphysical musings; me, I have not much tolerance for it, but even so I thought the film was beautiful to look at, which can be enough in itself for some films.

A masterpiece of art

[norma-80464 · 10/10 · 29 April 2015]

I have seen this film twice now. The first time was in Vancouver when most of the adults in the audience were silently weeping. The second time was at it's premiere in Lebanon; the author's birth country, where the reaction was the same. This film is not just about the insightful poetry nor is it about the stunning animation only. It is about how beautifully they compliment each other and how moving the result is. This is a film that touches the soul and the grief we bury so deep, yet somehow does so in a joyful way. Children and young adults will also enjoy the film as it is a movie that offers different things to different ages and different people. Congratulations to Salma Hayek, Roger Allers and the rest of the team for creating a movie which is unique.

While it lacks a flowing pace, The Prophet makes up with glorious artistic expression

[RforFilm · 7/10 · 1 September 2015]

In terms of film, there is a difference between an anthology and a collective set of work. Trick r Treat and The Twilight Zone: The Movie are anthology movies as each have a story is somewhat connected to the next and have reoccurring characters that might meet up. Fantasia is the prime example of a series of collected works. The same team may have been behind all the shorts, but they weren't meant to be published as a flowing set. Nothing about Fantasia's stories would confuse people into thinking that "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "The Nutcracker Suite" would be connected. Each story of Fantasia is it's own thing and is simply within the film because the filmmaker has chosen to put it in there.

One reason we don't see a lot of collective works set to one film is that a lot of people come to a movie to escape into one long story. That's not to say that there are people that like a set of short stories, but it's been proved by the studio system that a mainstream audience wants to see safer content. While you might find short film series' in a film festival, The Prophet is a collected work of artistic expression.

In a village within an unnamed middle eastern country, young speechless Almitra (played by Quvenzhané Wallis) is considered a trouble maker by her village as she is a compulsive thief and can make bird noises that allow her to communicate with seagulls. Her mother Kamila (played by Salma Hayek) tries to keep her under control now that she is a single mother (the fathers death is said to be the cause of Almitra loosing her speech) and working at a political prison. Finding school uninteresting, Almitra follows her mother to work and finds someone special behind a gate.

She finds an older but kind man Mustafa (played by Liam Neeson) who is an artist and a writer who has spent seven years under political arrest for writing controversial content that detest's the government. Mustafa and Almitra bond as the latter expresses his thoughts on life, love and freedom, as shown by segmented shorts that are usually just artsy expression of his essays. Two guardsmen (played by Alfred Molina and john Krasinski) are responsible for taking him to a ship that can return the artist to his home country, but the people may not be ready for him to leave.

Part of me really wanted to love The Prophet as it's rare to see a hand drawn animated movie and it really has passion for the essays as written by Lebenon artist Kahlil Gibran. The shorts are well done and look beautiful. It almost felt like that I was watching Fantasia again. But there's a problem; the movie tries to put them into a narrative.

I have nothing against this idea, but the movie's perspective is through the child and not the artist. This means that the story is simple and has been created as an attempt to be family entertainment. The content is tame, but I would think that most kids would find much of the artistic expression really boring.

What's weird is that I have nothing wrong with the actual story of a girl bonding with the artist and a village coming together as one. The voice acting is great and the animation looks nice. When the main narrative and the shorts are separated, their both magnificent. But when put together, it's tone is inconsistent, never finding a ground that can attract both children and adults.

Given I'm conflicted, I'll give this four collected works of Kahlil Gibran out of five purely on an artistic level. As inconsistent as the setting is, I still recommend the movie simple for it's animation. I'd say only see this if you really want to see another rare hand drawn movie.

awesome film to watch

[msvarnyk · 9/10 · 10 September 2014]

I agree with the first reviewer, in that, while I did not like all segments of the film, and some of them I would fast-forward or skip if I could, but in totality it was a very touching, inspiring and beautiful experience.

I did love the section on work and did appreciate the artist being there at the screening and sharing how it was done. Also the section on love, and one or two others. I did quite enjoy how the main story was composed (and changed from the book's story) and animated.

I think though that one of the main treasures of this film is precisely the difference in animation styles of each segment, which managed to bring together the difference and multiplicity, but at the same time to cross-reference to each other and weave in the images/symbolism from other segments of the book.

So while I did not like the style and manner of some of the segments, I do appreciate them being there for the purpose of incorporating difference and multitude.

I rarely go to see the film in the theatre twice, never mind at the festival prices, but I'm going to see it again within a week from the first time - to enjoy those parts that I did like, and also to pick up on the things I might have missed the first time around.

Unlike the previous reviewer, I actually do believe it will be quite popular in North America once it comes out, if not for any other reason, then because many people could find a favorite section or two in it, even if they don't like the rest of it, it is sort of like a treasure box, which you could open to enjoy those couple pieces meaningful to you at that particular time.

Impulsive kids and predictable happy endings is not my thing

[Aleta_Nook · 6/10 · 10 September 2015]

The story is about Mufasa, who tells about the in-depth philosophy and spiritualism and a little girl named Almatria, voiced by Quvenzhané Wallis from the Annie film. She did okay voice acting there when she talks but the third act just became predictable after the excitement and suspense the movie presented.

Let me tell you that I do not think the animation isn't very much like Disney but rather maybe closer to Ralph Bakshi's films, though, really, it has its own unique style. I mean, it was very creative and smooth with some 2D animation; especially to its drawing style. The animation did have its rough moments considering the segment where the man and the woman dance outside at a leisure setting and it also just didn't seem to blend in with the scenery.

It had a pretty decent and eccentric look into philosophy but sometimes, it might get too silly and eccentric. Almatria is a little bit too impulsive, I know she's like seven but no kid should be running away from their parents, climbing across rooftops to watch over somebody. So, yes it didn't start off well, she's a thief and people don't seem to really care, they just think that she's sweet as honey!

I know nothing about the book, so I don't know if the eccentricities it presents are too eccentric or were actually in the book. But I'll probably give it a 6, it's a very mature and complex movie with little childishness to it but had a predictable surprise and happy ending.

Almost criminal

[thomascharlespowell · 1/10 · 2 February 2016]

Simply... Almustafa (the chosen and the beloved) was not a prisoner. He was a free man; no politics in the original.

Everyone in Orphalese honored and revered Almustafa -he was never in jail. When he climbed the hill and sights his ship entering the harbor he reflects on his time in Orphalese and decides "...I cannot tarry longer." -he was in Orphalese of his own free will.

This is a pathetic Socio-wash with a bone-headed screenwriter pasting his personal ideology onto a timeless classic.

This nonsense is not new. Read the original Captains Courageous by Kipling -and then watch the movie. In Kipling's book the main character (a boy spoiled in his youth) is lost at sea and rescued by fishermen. In the novel the boy's father is a good and successful man who worked his way up from yard-hand to owner of the railroad. In the film (with Spencer Tracy) his father is converted into a rich wastrel. When the boy is returned to his father by the fishermen there are two diametrically opposed endings: Novel -the father is glad that his son has matured, he thanks the fishermen sincerely and becomes a benefactor to the fishing village. In the film the father is angry at his son and pays no heed to the fishermen.

This production of The Prophet is false, misleading and tawdry.

Everyone involved in the production of this travesty should be ashamed of themselves.

READ THE BOOK.

A Unique Movie not to be missed!

[wiseman513 · 9/10 · 27 May 2015]

I bought the ticket for this movie with very low expectations, but God was I wrong!

Soon after the opening scene, I realized that this was no ordinary movie. It's different from any other I've seen... and in so many ways: the mind-blowing messages; the brilliant blending of poetry, music, painting, and animation; and the way it propels one's imagination up to an entirely new level, all the time staying true to the soul of Khalil Gibran's artistic genius.

I highly recommend this exceptional movie to everyone who loves life and appreciates art in all its forms. Being a sensual mind opener, this masterpiece succeeds at making the viewer not only enjoy it, but enjoy existence as a whole too.

Hats off to Salma Hayek, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Yared, and of course Roger Allers.

If you are tired of all the pretentious movies out there, don't miss out on this simple one. After all, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, right?

9/10 (being the 'stingy with the grades' reviewer that I am)

Pretty good movie.

[invisibleunicornninja · 7/10 · 19 December 2018]

This movie has nice animation and nice messages, but its not really much of a story. I won't blame you if you think that this movie is great, but for me its a bit boring. Not dull, just a bit boring.

A feast or a snooze fest

[nancyldraper · 5/10 · 4 November 2019]

You have to be in the right mood for this film. It is more about poetry than plot. So, if you are in a reflective mood, the images, music and words may weave a magic. I was not, so I struggled with staying awake, and filed it away for another time. Great voice cast. Clever visual presentation of the poetry. My experience of this film was a 5 (meh) out of 10. I couldn't stay awake to finish it. {Animated Poetry}

Phenomenal Project

[CharbelRahme · 10/10 · 2 May 2015]

The man who inspired my first lines, brought me to tears yesterday! My spirit was flying. I enjoyed every single moment. The Prophet, my favorite book, has also become my favorite movie of all time. Thank you Salma Hayek Pinault.

I read the book many times and I am sure that I will watch the movie over and over again. It is very hard to accomplish such a project in the way it was done, but Salma, Roger, Liam and all the crew made it to history.

I loved all scenes especially the "children" chapter. I loved the costumes, dances, churches, cities, characters ... this ambiance reflects the Lebanese identity.

The music was a masterpiece... No words can ever describe it.

Here in Bsharri, we all love Gibran, He is a phenomena. We are very proud of him.

Watch it if you got time for wisdom

[vijaythepro · 7/10 · 29 July 2019]

A revolutionary artist who cares for the well being of people has a very spiritual approach to freedom, while being imprisoned by the authority of a fascist country. A policeman arrives at his doorstep one day to escort him to a ship back to his country. On the way he's stopped by people after people to whom he sings songs of wisdom.. songs on love,marriage,evil&good,death. Meanwhile a little girl finds peace in her unresolved heart because of him. Each song is animated by different artists who bring their own uniqueness. I loved the animation. The film looks like an independent effort of someone who just wanted to bring khalil ghibrans sweet words to more attention. My favourite song was the one about freedom, with crows tied to a tree.

A revelation!

[carolestephan · 10/10 · 30 May 2015]

How many times have you read an excellent book and been so disappointed when you watch it as a movie?

I was afraid to watch The Prophet. I was so afraid to spoil all the imagination I have had every time I have read The Prophet or even a small part of it from time to time. And The Prophet isn't just an excellent book. For me it is a philosophy of life, a reference, an anchor. So yes, I was really afraid to watch the movie, but I did, because I have to.

The colors, the sounds, the settings, the music, the voices, everything about this movie woke up Gibran inside me. It is like he came to life, or maybe I just want to believe that?

The movie looks like the paintings and drawings in Gibran's museum in Becharre (Lebanon), it feels like the makers knew Gibran, it feels like they understood him... there is his touch in the movie... or is it just me?

The movie is a must, especially if you're a Gibran addict (because you cannot just "like" Gibran Kahlil Gibran).

It is an artistic masterpiece, thank you!

A strange viewing experience

[sildarmillion · 7/10 · 22 April 2018]

While this movie follows a main plot, the plot is really a framing device for Kahlil Gibran's work. I recognized some of the poetry from when my father shared them with me. I usually have trouble with poetry, but I like Gibran's poetry. And the poetry in the movie was beautiful to watch with beautiful animation. I imagine the animation that went with the poetry was based on Gibran's work as well, but I am not familiar with his art. There may have been some metaphorical meaning in the animation, but I didn't completely catch it. It would be good to have a director's voice over that can educate me on stuff like that. This movie makes me think I would love to learn more about Gibran's work.

A great film with visually astounding animation

[ja_kitty_71 · 10/10 · 21 January 2017]

I was curious about this film, after I had watched the trailer online, and I was fortunate to find it on Netflix. I thought it was a visually astounding movie, and I was glad that there was a chance for 2D animation in 2014, when it comes to animated movies.

The film's story is about an exiled poet/artist named Mustafa and his relationship with a struggling widow (and his housekeeper) Kamila and her mute daughter Almitra. The film is also about the impact Mustafa's words had on the townspeople, but the town's militant government thinks those words are seditious...stupid!

I thought the casting was excellent with Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek and Frank Langella. I don't have any particular scene I like, because I love it from beginning to end. So like I had said this film visually astounding with great animation.

Uneven, but with some beautiful moments

[Rectangular_businessman · 7/10 · 28 May 2023]

Lots of love and passion were put on this movie, so I wish I have enjoyed it more than I did.

The main problem for me was the animation style used in the main storyline: While the designs themselves are good, the characters in motion look a bit awkward, and in a couple of moments, frankly ugly.

No matter how much I try, I will never get used to that weird mixture of CGI and 2D animation. (That was probably the main reason I could never get into RWBY)

As for the segments done by other animators, they are the actual highlight of the film: The Michal Socha is easily the best one, featuring some rather gorgeous, poetical visuals, followed closely by the equally beautiful segment by Joan C. Gratz. The Paul and Gaetan Brizzi segment ("On Death") was the third best one, featuring a pretty gorgeous atmosphere.

The Joann Sfar segment was nicely animated, but for some reason it felt a bit longer than it should have been. The Mohammed Saeed Harib segment was okay, the same goes for the Tomm Moore segment.

The Bill Plympton segment was a little disappointing, far from the best level this talented animator is able to show in his shorts and movies, and honestly the visuals doesn't seem to match very well with the poetical audio. As for the Nina Paley segment, the song was nice, but I'm kinda thorn about the visuals, which once again are not on par with the text by Khalil Gibram.

With its ups and lows, I still appreciate a more intelligent family film was being in this time and age, where mindless fluff seems to dominate culture non-stop. True family films (And I mean, aimed at the whole family, not just kids) are becoming a rarity this days, and it is such a shame people simply doesn't seem to care anymore what type of contents are shown to children, promoting banality, consummerism and a materialistic view of life.

For all its flaws, "The Prophet" at least aims much higher than that.

Never think that kids are "too young" to understand complex stuff, looking down at children will only serve to make them grown into easily manipulable adults that only follow trends without ever thinking for themselves.

Overprotective parents that never want their kids ever think about stuff like death or the meaning of life are actually doing more harm than good, without even knowing.

A children's movie (is the book like that?)

[ArthurDental · 4/10 · 6 September 2015]

I have a feeling, although this movie is more philosophical and only mentions God a little, that religious people may find this film revelatory, despite the extremely simple messages that you've heard many times elsewhere.

The poetry's nice, the songs melodic, the animation's pleasurable, and the voice-over is very well done. So it's worth a view on TV or something, and maybe the book (which obviously don't have the songs) is worth a read.

But the movie itself really has only enough materials for children or the simple-minded.

The Perfect Visualisation of Truth

[shankarfinancecbe · 9/10 · 11 May 2016]

The movie is made as an impression of Ghibran... and when you talk about truth, its hard to find any person who gets acquainted with it. Now instead when u start visualizing truth it finds itself in a difficult position to present itself in a understandable format and this film does it perfectly ...

Oh my .. i couldn't control my tears in the end of the film not that its emotional but the expression of truth always gets answered without the senses ... thanks to the director who felt in his heart to make Ghibran on the screen and i am debt to him my lifetime for just this...

The best presentation of Ghibran till date..

Truth is always ONE... it just takes our time to realize it, coz its always there and we just don't see it ...

A Wreck

[SentientCrab · 4/10 · 27 February 2016]

The movie is an adaptation, so it must be judged as an adaptation meaning separate Gibran's work and judge the movie on its ability to complement the original text.

Plot 0/10: The original book had a very loose plot that exists solely to allow Almustafa to switch from topic to topic. It's usually something like "And so-and-so said, 'Speak to us of blank.'" and then Almustafa talks about whatever. So the movie chose to make those segments longer, throw in some conflicts, romance, jokes, and standard archetypes. I'm guessing it was an effort to make the movie appealing to a wider audience, but it failed miserably. Nearly every plot item that was thrown into this movie was complete garbage, even Almitra's arc made me annoyed because it felt lifted from GKIDS's Song of the Sea (which really deserved an Oschar). The humor feels like something taken out of a really crappy children's movie. I've seen people calling this movie 'Art Film', but it's not. Fantasia is art film and this movie could have been but it tried to reach an audience that would never appreciate this movie and alienated the real audience. I somewhat agree with the people who call this a kids movie, because it was seriously dumbed down. I know 0/10 seems harsh but there is seriously nothing positive to say about the plot, excluding the source.

Animation 6/10: There's been a trend to use 3D with toon shaders to create a traditional animation look and it's something that still doesn't quite work. The backdrops on this movie are fantastic, but there's something revolting about 3D motion and shadows that can't be fixed without a Disney scale budget, and toon shaders only make shadows worse. The 3D is painful there were several instances where I had to look away because it was so darn awful. I also saw quite a few animation errors particularly involving clipping and eye motion. The shorts that are actually based on The Prophet tend to be better and they are all very different from each other which is nice, but this also causes varying levels of quality. Fortunately for every bad short there's a really amazing short and overall it's decent. If the movie was just the shorts I would recommend it.

Acting 5/10: I'm usually really impressed with the actors GKIDS can pull. Their Ghibli work is fantastic and Song of the Sea had some really strong actors, but this movie was just disappointing. Liam Neeson did a fantastic job, but was held back by the animation, the secondary character were pretty standard for an animation movie especially the government workers, but the biggest disappointment was Quvenzhané Wallis who is one the few decent child actors but doesn't quite live up here. Her first line was pretty decent (but that's largely due to the buildup), but after that she's just another child actor who doesn't quite know how to act in an animated movie.

Avery mediocre main Story but Amazing illustrations of the excerpts/poems

[ebrahim_karam · 8/10 · 25 March 2019]

If you are really in a rush and I want to get the most of this movie. Skip everything until you see the animations for the poems.

The script itself isn't that great. The story and characters are quite simple and the animation isn't really that great for the main story line and apparently this was done on purpose so it wouldn't draw to much attention away from the poems. The poems are done by different animation studios and they had complete creative freedom on how to interpret the poem they were assigned and were given a budget.

The way these poems were interpreted and brought to life is just amazing and are honestly the true gems of this movie.

My favourite was "On Love" directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, sang by Lisa Hannigan & Glen Hansard

Thought provoking, moving masterpiece

[pdking77 · 10/10 · 29 October 2017]

I'm not one to write reviews very often but I couldn't leave this be. I was hesitant to watch The Prophet because I loved the book so much and have still been moved by it years later, but curiosity got the best of me. Because of the impact of the book, it's impossible to write a critical, objective review. With that in mind... To begin with, the animation is phenomenal. Each topic is done with different styles and all are eye catching and artistic in their own way. The framework story animation is fluid with no repetitive frames. Colors are vivid without being distracting; voice acting is first rate and natural. Liam Neeson initially wouldn't have been my first choice for Mustafa, but after watching, I couldn't imagine anyone else could have had a finer, more moving performance. Selma Hayek did a beautiful job as Kamila. But the entire package together is an extremely moving, emotional, thought provoking and unforgettable. Very rarely have I ever been moved by anything on the screen, large or small, but this did in a huge way. Realizing that putting Kahlil Gibran's masterwork on a screen would be nearly impossible because the book affects everyone in their individual way, this production was able to remain true to the core of the work. Granted, there were some omissions and alternations, but the essence of Gibran's jewel is still very much on display. Unlike just about every other movie or performance I've ever seen, The Prophet has occupied my mind long after watching it.