User Reviews

I rather enjoyed all the episodes of this film. I have read the story of Moses many times. This version of Moses is based on interpretations from Islamic, Christian, and Jewish sources. Therefore, if you are familiar with only one of those interpretations you may find it somewhat off-putting.

They only cover the main story beats of Mose's life. For example, they don't talk about him striking the rock twice to get water which is found in the Bible. This was the event the kept him from the promised land according to Biblical sources.

In this film they never reveal why he is kept out of the promised land. They also don't talk about the snake on a pole, Miriam catching leprosy, or the earth swallowing up people who defy God.

They cover just enough to keep it short and sweet. I recommend this film to anyone.

I'm agnostic, and found this series to be a more grounded and realistic retelling of the Exodus than grandiose depictions like DeMille's Ten Commandments or The Bible series on History Channel. I might not entirely agree with the historicity of the story, but I liked how much humanity they gave the characters.

At the end of the day, Moses was just a guy who was trying to look after his family. He didn't ask to be pulled into God's big plan or be constantly visited upon by this annoyingly mysterious ball of light that keeps appearing on his wall.

The academics and religious figures were knowledgeable and I'm glad someone from each major Abrahamic religion was interviewed.

I think it's stupid to give series like these the label of "documentary" though, and it's obvious that this show was just Netflix's attempt at bringing in a more right wing audience.

Lots of good things in this and interesting facts shared, in particular by the Christian and Jewish commentators. Also some errors, not limited to:

• Moses went up the mountain twice to get the 10 commandments, not once as is shown here.

• No need to show Moses' mum talking to him at the end as a spirit ghost.

• No partying shown around the golden calf as the bible recalls.

• No Tabernacle shown.

As with all these movies about Moses, so much is shown about the journey to the Red Sea and the crossing, that the end is always rushed.

But, let's not decry that this is on Netflix and many people will hear the story, who may not otherwise have done.

I came with reservations because of other comments, but apparently they didn't watch it until the end, because I did in fact find it very entertaining, insightful, touching and also very realistic.

I like how they show Moses for what he really was - a shy, reserved and troubled individual. They don't hide the fact that he lived most of his life as a fugitive. They also show accounts of his interactions with various local people from polytheistic tribes and other faiths, which most other shows about topics such as the bible omit. Reality is much more diverse and complex than just the mythical story, and they honor this fact historically.

If this would have been a show trying to "convert" you (Judaism is against conversion anyway), they would have painted Moses in a much better light and also focused only on the "mono" theistic part of that history, but they actually do the opposite.

What I'm trying to say is that this show is not religious in any way, it's pretty much objective and shows that everyone has good and bad sides, such as fitting real life. It even shows GOD as a multifaceted entity such as he is in the Hebrew bible and his complex relationship with Moses, and tackle grand philosophical questions such as "Why did god create evil in the first place?".

So in essence, they do bring this biblical story to life and the main actors in my point of you have very realistic relationships among themselves.

The only fault I have to say is that yes, it is a bit "cliche", but I think only because it's a story we are all familiar with. They did succeed in bringing in a fresh historical perspective. Even though it's in English, and obviously adapted to a modern crowd so that not every single detail is precisely accurate or sometimes dramatized, I applaud the fact that they made it feel so raw and intimate. Overall, I recommend.

For those folks upset it doesn't follow the Christians beliefs of Moses, but there are historians and theologians offering input. They took the moses feom the bible, torah, and quaran. It's more accurate than just the Bible's interpretation; than one interpretation. The expansiveness of the movie 'set' is stunning and impressive.

I loved the actors in the series and I love they use a lot of middle easterners. They did a great job portraying these characters. One thing I noted was a lot of them would go in an out of their accents but it didn't take away from the story.

It was lovely to have so many different religious experts offering their perspective.

Why the hell do you change the story. The quran has the detailed narration which is a delight to hear

The disclaimer says at the beg of the series that it's based on faith books! Wrong it has been changed to fit the feeling or wishes of the script writer.

Believe that I'm wrong or off the taste, see the other critics and the sales figures.

Humility sometimes is the best all!

Moses story is a beautiful tales that shows how god almighty fine tunes real life to meet its divine goal of protecting the feeblest and the needy and how to fight human greed and the machiavelli strategies of powerful people, kings and advisers. The story stretches beyond human understanding . Too bad it has been altered.

For instance it's narrated that Moses mother took an agonising decision to throw Moses on a basked on the Nile! Wrong ! God revealed to her to do this! Read rhe quran.

I guess I just don't understand. Is the Bible not good enough that you have to make up scriptures that were never written. I'm sure there are other things to be critical of, but I just can't get over the hole taking one of the most important scriptures in the Bible and completely altering it. God says " I am, but I am and what I will be"???? Really? My goodness. What nonsense is this? Someone please explain to me why we need to throw that in there. And no point in this rambling coherent thought did the Bible God saying "and what I will be" - It's It's arguably one of the most important verses in the Bible and you don't alter those words even if you don't believe it ever happened. If you have any understanding of theology, it's completely completely wrong. God does not change. Again, it's OK if you don't believe it, but don't alter the story. God is not who will be. In the Bible, it says "I Am that I Am" this cronyism is painful. Artistic liberties may have their limits, but this is too much.

This is a docudrama of the life of Moses, literally!

In between scenes pulled accurately from the Bible are historians and scholars giving us background and insight. It's the same story as the Cecil DeMille 10 Commandments with Charlton Heston as Moses, which was a more fictional telling of this tale. For instance the fact that Moses was not a great orator, and let Aaron his brother do the speaking for him to the slaves and then to pharaoh, can you imagine Charlton Heston, leaving all those great lines to any other character in that movie?

The casting is wonderful, a lot of unknown, talented actors in all the great parts, including the guy who plays Moses, who is excellent. I just finished watching part one and I had to write a review because I am enjoying it so much.

10 out of 10 stars, enjoy!

Beautifully created! Amazing acting. Wi drying if anything g was taken from the Talmud and Hebrew original scriptures. Set design and location couldn't be more amazing. Not one single detail was forgotten however, very physically disgusting looking actors except for Moses. Why do many ugly people in movies and tv??? I know we want to be inclusive and varied but it gets almost perturbing to continue watching! Enough!

In the first story, I interpreted the response, "Ask my Maker," as the person meaning, "How can you say I'm ugly, since I'm a child of G-d, and your reverence for G-d should cause you to respect me and my appearance no matter how unattractive you perceive me to be." I would not have thought of the person's ugliness being a spiritual paucity and that the comment led him to spirituality, so that gives me something to think about.

I also believe our reactions and standards of beauty can be problematic and deeply unfair but do see some efforts being made to stretch the definitions of what can be defined as attractive.

It was too boring for me to give it much of a chance. I'm not really crazy about this format which mixes interviews with experts with dramatization. It feels like it's neither here nor there.

I turned it off after the Sub-Saharan Arabs of Midian have a wedding for Moses that includes breaking a glass - a tradition that comes from a story in the Talmud, which was written around 400-500 CE. (Hundreds of years after the life of Jesus) Moses also gets married under a "chuppah" (canopy), a Jewish tradition that started in medieval Europe. Both of these traditions began long after the time period Exodus is set in.

If that's how this "documentary" begins, I think I've seen enough.

So whether you like this or not really depends on why you are watching. Are you watching just to be entertained or are you watching To learn something about the Bible? If you were watching for entertainment then I think most people will be entertained by this because it's a story that we all are familiar with. If you are someone who has studied the story, you may be slightly frustrated in certain parts. It's not that it's bad by any means but I find that one of the experts that speak on the subject, An older lady, really tries to romanticize the whole story and seems to add a lot of her own details. If you were one that studies the Bible, you would know that a lot of these details aren't even in the story, but she is adding them in which can be a little bit frustrating and can cause inaccuracies in the storytelling. Generally, the story is correct, but like most Netflix shows, they take artistic liberty. I really wish this lady would just speak about the scriptures the way they were written rather than give her interpretation. It's all right there.

With that said, I was entertained. The story and the show in itself is decent and I think it's worth a watch.

I am enjoying the story. So far I've just gotten through the first episode. I like the fact that they break in with people to explain some things. Watching this does not change how I feel about the Bible, but it makes some of the things a little more real, when they explain things, I think it was a fascinating time. I enjoy hearing about that era. I have watched the Hollywood movies about Moses, but the way this was done you can envision his life much better.

I am glad this is not a typical movie. You have the acting where you can envision the story and then the people explaining things. In reading some of the negative reviews, I would say watch this with an open mind. You're not gonna get a story directly out of the Bible. Hollywood never does that interesting series.

Testament: The Story of Moses aspires to be a captivating blend of historical drama and religious narrative. However, it falters on both fronts. The visuals fail to impress, appearing more like a mediocre TV movie than a high-budget miniseries. Moreover, the show's portrayal of the biblical tale strays from accuracy in ways that may frustrate viewers seeking a faithful adaptation.

But the most glaring misstep lies in Testament's attempt to reinterpret the classic story through a contemporary social justice lens. This forced approach feels entirely out of place within the ancient Egyptian setting. Instead of enriching the narrative, it justructs the story's emotional impact and undermines its timeless themes.

If you're looking for a visually stunning and faithful portrayal of the Moses story, Testament: The Story of Moses is a disappointment. It might hold some appeal for those seeking a heavily dramatized reimagining with a modern twist, but even for that audience, the execution falls short.

I came into this show skeptical. And rightfully so, making such an important TV show about Moses requires hard work and dedicated research, two things that a lot of filmmakers seem to forget makes a good film.

But, after watching the first episode, I was absolutely hooked. It's genuinely incredible, beautiful dramatic cinematography, acting is generally good (lacklustre from a few children but I'll give them a pass) and the locations are just stunning. Breathtaking mountains and huge valleys, there was nowhere better to shoot this than in the heart of Morocco.

The story? What can I say, it's perfect. I will say it's different to what I expected, they focus on different elements to the classic movies, but in no way is this bad, or even any worse for it. They keep incredible details that others have skipped over, and instead of giving Moses this perfect, completely morally righteous character, they show him for what he truly was: an incredibly troubled and flawed man, but with a shining heart.

The fact that this show has such a mid rating disgusts me. I genuinely smacked my head against the wall when I saw it's rating here on IMDB. People say the show spliced with shots of people talking about Moses bring you out of it. It's entirely the opposite, these learned people give you a deeper understanding of this character WHILST you're watching the show, when usually you would discover these views and ideas after watching. A risky idea, but one that was pulled off perfectly.

I had such low hopes for this TV show, and I was ready to slap it with a 1 star review and call it out for being poorly made, but after watching the entire show in just a couple days, and re-watching it, I can't give it any less than 10 stars. It's beautiful, the director has done an awesome job making such a superb show, I would love to see more by him. Netflix, get more of this guys work on your platform!!! Now!!!!

One can't properly discuss this 3-part series without discussing scriptural accuracy and Biblical concepts.

The story of Moses and the exodus from Egypt is one of the most basic, clear-cut, black and white accounts in the Bible. So one may rightly wonder how "learned" professors, religious leaders and "Bible scholars" can't get it right, can't answer the most basic questions, and that film makers seem mentally incompetent to get the account correct-- especially in a self-proclaimed "documentary".

This is supposedly a docu-drama, part presentation and part oration by educated authorities. So it's reasonable to wonder why one guy says, "Why did God kill innocents in Egypt? We don't have a good answer to that." Seriously?

While the documentary lightly touched on this, is this authority unaware that just 80 years prior the Egyptians showed no mercy in slaughtering babies of the Israelites for at least several months (perhaps years)? Is he unaware of the scriptural law of "An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, life for life"? So how is it that this "scholar" says we don't really have an answer for God's decisions in these things? The Israelite babies were "innocents" too. "Whatever you sow, this you will also reap." Universal judgement and consequence does not alter and deviate according to individual human whims, opinions and perceptions.

The Egyptians could have spread blood on their doorposts and been spared as well. They were surely aware of what the Israelites were doing. News travels fast; all of the Israelites knew these things-- and they vastly outnumbered the Egyptians. But the Egyptians showed no respect for God's authority (even after 9 plagues had already happened), and so paid the price of their stubborn arrogance.

How did that supposed Bible scholar not understand any of these things? Pharaoh and indeed all of Egypt were taught a lesson that would reverberate throughout history, even thousands of years later: don't mess with God.

That is just one fallacy of this "documentary"... and there are many similar issues.

This poorly-conceived series presents Moses as someone who is clueless, who is at times very haughty and who regularly "argues" with and denies God. That is not what the Bible presents. Yes, Moses is presented in scripture as having a temper and at times erred, even seriously, as we all do. It also states that he followed God's directions to the letter, that he was the greatest prophet in the history of Israel, and calls Jesus himself the "greater Moses". This is not a title that would be given if Moses were haughty, rebellious and clueless.

People can choose to agree with the Bible or not, believe it or not... but if one is going to make a supposed documentary of a prominent Bible figure, they should get it right, according to the Biblical account.

They state that Moses "never reached the Promised Land", which is true. But they left out what lay ahead for him in the resurrection that is spoken of all through the Bible. From Moses' standpoint, he closed his eyes in death and immediately reopens them in a "Promised Land" far superior to that of the ancient Israelites. Yet all those religious authorities and the documentary itself totally omitted that significantly important point. It made it look like Moses' life was useless, that his death was the end for him, and only his offspring benefited from his faithfulness. What a pitiful account.

They talk about the Egyptian Army and Pharaoh-- who were stupidly charging through the Red Sea, totally determined to wipe out the Israelites. Then someone's daughter asks, "Weren't they God's children too?" and her father says, "What an amazingly astute observation." His failure to reply and explain the matter to her was not so astute.

Were these "God's children too?" No! They were Israel's enemy, bent on genocide even after personally witnessing the ten plagues. They worshiped false gods and were intent on wiping out God's chosen people to the last man, woman and child. How more ungodly could that army have been? That is the answer he should have given his daughter.

It seems these authorities were too busy focusing on the meanings of Hebrew words to understand the basic principles of Biblical justice and the simple concepts of good and evil.

The filming of this was rather nice, and it was refreshing to see actual miracles for once (rather than attempted "scientific explanations"). But this 3-part series is just as inaccurate and senseless as any Hollywood presentation to date. Although claiming to be a documentary, it doesn't accurately stick to the Biblical account and seems quite oblivious to concepts of faith and divine justice. They present Moses as an unfaithful, incompetent bungler who was just stumbling along. In reality he was the person who God used to bring the Israelites out of bondage from the most powerful nation on Earth, and is considered Israel's most prominent prophet in history.

They just never get it right. Frankly, if all you want is a fictional rendition of this account, I'd stick with Charlton Heston. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS is shorter and more entertaining. ;D.

The trailers clearly establish this so only ignorants were unaware. Netflix has done several of these and all have been great. Caesar, Alexander, Mehmet and others. Well acted though I only recognize one Tipper ( Moses wife ) who was excellent in The Expanse. Good effects, strong storytelling and pacing. Some of this story is fiction as is the a lot of the Bible's so who caress if it's 100% accurate. Thoroughly entertaining. Ignore detractors with their ridiculous reasoning. I'd tend to more believe these scholars than some of these cellar dweller internet liars. Enjoy this show with great production values.

Thank you for all the team for making an excellent series. It is extremely difficult task to make a series based on 3 different religion and there may be variations but I am so pleased to watch this during Easter time when this has been released.

It's one think to read and hear but to watch this on TV..it appears as if the story has come to life. The whole time I could not stop but just praise the Lord for his intense power.

It was also great to learn the depictions of the story through the lens of each religion. I really hope we can see more of the various stories from the old testament take of series like this.

Thank you for all the people who involved in this series to give us a breath taking series.

Seriously? The information from the very beginning is off - not just off but incomplete - not only incomplete but ridiculous. The haircuts of the slaves, the stern faces of the Egyptians. It is a typical awful ridiculous badly created, badly carved almost funny, but Monty Python would have done more justice than this series. Oh dear! The acting is as bad as the script which is completely off course. Trying to be oh so politically correct, its a mixture of nonsense. Let's start at the very beginning of Moses - who is his mother? Who is the mother of not only Moses but Aaron and Miriam? Did you not remember the important of Jochebed and how the mother of Moses actually nursed him in the home of the Pharaoh? PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THIS!!!

Found this series highly realistic, informative and thoughtful, explaining in detail the story of Moses and adding context for that time in history. Almost like an "Inside the Episode." It really helped add meaning to some of the symbolism of the 10 plagues of Egypt, and how they were meant to refute the Egyptian gods to establish the supremecy of the Hebrew God. While some didn't care for it, I enjoyed the commentary from the various religious and historical scholars, and exploring their interpretations from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and feminist perspectives. They key takeaway for me is that Moses represented multiple peoples and beliefs, but his success was grounded in being the driving force in bringing people together and establishing a moral code that still exists to this day. A bit disappointed that it didn't delve into the Ark of the Covenant, as that is also a topic of interest that would have been great to get perspective on and is still a mystery today. Well worth the time IMHO.

The interesting thing is that the material is in the bible..the so called experts didn't seem to understand exactly what God was doing why He did it and how He accomplished it. The point God made is lost on these people they can't really interpret it and they don't understand what is LITERALLY right in front of them..the portrayal of Moses was very faulty he didn't show humility either and after all the miracles acted like a spoiled child like the rest they tried to portray him like they behave but God would have chosen him because he was a good man a good leader in fact the one time the bible records his petulance that they probably drove him to by their constant disobedience he didn't get to enter the Holy Land..because a leader for Gods people must set that example..no this was a poor rendition as the many biblical movies are as fallible people try to constantly bend GOD TO THEIR WILL..I prefer the Charleton Heston version its the closest to the truth..I personally ran through the doc because I couldn't stand to hear the experts flawed OPINIONS..

Wow!!! Let me first say I have not read exodus yet. I am just starting my journey through the Bible from the beginning. I AM a Christian. I cannot compare this film fairly yet. However, after watching this series I have fallen in love with the story of Moses!!!! I'm so excited to delve into my Bible and read exodus; and compare. I love that I will have a better visual representation once I start reading! I give this 10/10! Highly recommend to anybody with an open mind and those who are able to understand Hollywoods dramatic themes from the truth of what's written in the Bible. Highly recommend to atheists, agnostics, born again Christians or anyone who understands better with visual representation.

This show has made me wonder what Netflix thinks a historical documentary is. This show is the biblical story of Moses plus some folk stories. Which is fine, there are alot of fictional shows on netlfix and other platforms. But to categorize this as a historical documentary and bring some scholars and academics to present it as such is just appalling. As obvious this might sound but the Hebrew Bible itself is not archaeological evidence. There are no Egyptian records whatsoever mention slaves that known as Hebrews. Nothing was mentioned about israelite presence in Egypt or their enslavement nor subsequently their exodus. Ramses the 2nd the pharaoh lived until he was 90 and died of dental abscesses and his mummy still exists in a national museum in cairo and his mummy occasionally makes tours around the world.