- Content: “The Book of Exodus Meets THE OFFICE”
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What You Need To Know:
The first three episodes of THE PROMISED LAND are fairly funny. They’re filmed like THE OFFICE TV series. They have high production values, including location scouting, cinematography, costume design, and a good use of the mockumentary style. The series has a strong biblical, moral worldview with positive references to God. Writer/Director Mitch Hudson stays faithful and respectful to the source material while incorporating the story’s more light-hearted side. The first three episodes of THE PROMISED LAND avoid blasphemy and parody. However, there’s a mention of men laying with their wives, women’s “time of bleeding” and some name calling. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.
Content:
Very strong biblical, moral worldview in a comedy about The Exodus that stays true and respectful to the source material and its players in God’s story while incorporating the more light-hearted side of the divine text without devolving into blasphemy or parody, including characters reference God, say Shalom, and practice Jewish traditions, people encourage each other to do God’s will and bad behavior gets rebuked, plus one mention of a character being a political revolutionary;
No obscenities or profanities, but one mention of idiot, stupid idiot, stupid, dumb, and stiff-necked wicked people;
No sex scenes, but there’s mention of laying with wives, a mention of engaging in no sex, mention of a woman’s time of bleeding, a mention of uncircumcision, and woman says it’s a shame they have to get consecrated tonight and hugs a man;
No actual nudity, but a man shows bare legs, and the camera is angled to see under his garments but nothing is shown, and a woman shows bare legs, but it’s not provocative;
No alcohol use;
No smoking or drugs; and,
More Detail:
In the first episode, “Pilot”, Aaron speaks to the interviewer about a battle between the Israelites and one of their enemies. God tasks Moses with lifting his staff above his head to guarantee the Israelites’ victory. Aaron and another Israelite help Moses. Later, Moses welcomes his father-in-law Jethro to the Israelite campsite. At the same time, Zipporah meets Miriam and Aaron for the first time, and Miriam immediately cannot stand her upbeat personality.
In the second episode, “Sinai”, Moses elects chiefs to oversee different groups. A man named Korah hopes to get the best men, but he’s in for a rude awakening. Meanwhile, Miriam and Zipporah recruit women to present their concerns so that they can have their voices heard. Moses instructs Joshua to guard Mount Sinai: a job he takes very seriously.
In the third episode, “Pitfalls”, Moses tells the people of Israel that God has commanded them not to make any idols. Moses and Joshua go up the mountain and leave Aaron in charge. Miriam and Zipporah request that a tent be built for the Israelite women, but come into conflict with Korah, who has a different idea of how to approach the project.
The first three episodes of THE PROMISED LAND are fairly funny. They also have high production values, which include location shooting, cinematography, costume design, and a comical mockumentary style similar to THE OFFICE. The series features beautiful cinematography, with a range of dynamic shots, including wide shots, close-upsand pans. One shot stands out when the camera reveals what Joshua has tied to a rope he holds.
The production team does an exquisite job with the costumes, from the colors to the patterns. Any viewer can tell that the filmmakers put time and effort into ensuring that the clothing worn has an authentic look of biblical times. The program’s main attraction lies in its mockumentary and interview format. The comedic timing that this style helps the series stand out from other biblical adaptations, such as THE CHOSEN and HOUSE OF DAVID.
The first three episodes of THE PROMISED LAND showcases the dramatic and comedic chops of different actors. Wasim No’mani and Brad Culver, who play Moses and Korah, respectively, switch gears from playing two members of the Sanhedrin in THE CHOSEN and play against type as two more likable characters. Sheeren Khan plays Miriam as someone who strongly dislikes people, and she and Tryphena Wade, who plays Zipporah, have beautiful chemistry that works like magic, because they have opposing personalities
Wade portrays Zipporah with excellence as Moses’s energetic wife. Finally, Majed Sayess delivers the goods as Aaron, who, unlike Moses, wants to please people and crack jokes to a fault, but also has extraordinary public speaking skills. Even though THE PROMISED LAND has much comedy, the show takes itself seriously when the dramatic moments happen.
The first three episodes have a strong biblical, moral worldview. Characters reference God, say “Shalom,” and practice Jewish traditions. People encourage one another to do God’s will and rebuke those who engage in bad behavior.
Writer/Director Mitch Hudson, stays faithful and respectful to the source material and its players in God’s story while incorporating the more lighthearted side of the divine text without devolving into blasphemy or parody. It helps that Hudson comes fresh off his assistant directing experience in THE CHOSEN.
The first three episodes of THE PROMISED LAND have no foul language, but there’s a mention of men laying with their wives and a woman’s “time of bleeding.” The episodes also have some instances of name calling. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children. Children would not understand some of the humor anyway.
