Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 1, 2016

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet may, at first glance, give the impression of a traditional animated kid's movie. Indeed, it shares many of the same basic qualities -- colorful animation, funny gags, and plenty of heart -- but that's not telling the full story. The film is, more to its point, an unorthodox animated retelling of Lebanese-American Poet Kahlil Gibran's 1923 philosophical work The Prophet that artfully -- visually and aurally alike -- recreates his words of wisdom woven into a narrative centered on a young girl who has gone mute since her father's death. The movie tackles life philosophies with not so much heady, but certainly wise and well versed, prose. It's eloquently written and lovingly performed in interludes that share ideas that may not necessarily be greatly enhanced by the added animations and musics but that are opened up to a new generation of audience. The movie may frustrate the youngest of viewers who may not fully understand the reasoning behind the sudden, and artistically varied, interludes, but more socially aware and mature audiences may find the film a satisfying endeavor, whether for its words of wisdom or, if for no other reason, its rather unique approach to animation and enlightenment.

Mother and daughter.

The film follows a young girl named Almitra (voiced by Quvenzhané Wallis) who has been mute ever since her father passed. Her mother Kamila (voiced by Salma Hayek) does her best to raise her right, but Almitra is rather disliked around town, not because she doesn't speak but because she's perceived as a pest who steals from merchants and always seems to be in the middle of trouble. Even the other children are mean to her. Her only friends are the local seagulls, with whom she seems to share a special bond. Kamila works in the care of Mustafa (voiced by Liam Neeson), a political activist under house arrest. One day he receives word that he's been freed and is to journey by foot to a boat that will return him to his home land. Along the way, with Almitra, Kamila, and others by his side, he pauses to reflect on life's most outwardly basic yet most inwardly dense and complex ideas.

The main storyline serves as little more than a connective frame to hold the artists' renditions of Gibran's words. Pointed and detailed philosophical discussions of freedom, the cycle of life and a person's place in the world, marriage, work, food consumption, good and evil, dreams, and death dot the movie's quickly paced runtime. Certainly, audience reaction to Gibran's words will vary; Liam Neeson gives them a knowing gravitas, but there's a tendency to drift from pointed philosophy to whimsical musings to longwinded ramblings, though the more thoughtful prose dominates. Nevertheless, Gibran's words, now nearly a century old, hold relevant as, at least, one of many possible core foundational doctrines in a world that's increasingly in need of direction. The film weaves his words gently, though rather abruptly, into the narrative. Each one enjoys its own uniquely beautiful artistic style and approach from the hand of a number of creative talents. Surprisingly, the diverse support elements don't interfere with the core concepts or their delivery; the constant that is Neeson's voice work carries each scene as the art and music creatively support, not supplant, the central context.

Outside of Gibran's ideas is a movie that's visually simple but dramatically robust. Yet with its ideas centered on death, imprisonment, freedom, the free flow of ideas and opposition to that flow, little about the movie beyond little Almitra's more comical endeavors may please younger viewers or satisfy their demands for more easily digestible entertainment. For adults or children with enough life experience and understanding to appreciate what the movie is trying to do, it should yield positive dividends and play well, though perhaps better on two viewings, one to absorb the core narrative and animation and another to better contextualize Gibran's words both within the movie's broader story arc and as standalone philosophical insight into many of the world's would-be simplest of concepts and endeavors.

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet features a gorgeous 1080p transfer that's rich with simplicity in its most basic appearance but complex and varied in its more organic stylings. The animation that accompanies the core narrative enjoys rich colors, particularly as clothes, fruits in a marketplace, lush natural greens, and other random examples of more cheerful colors contrast against the earthen tan and brown backdrops that predominantly dot the landscape. Details are excellent. The 1080p transfer captures finer environmental and character details with ease, all the while featuring firm lines and excellent clarity. The more avant-garde bits that accompany the excursions into life philosophy are likewise rich and pleasing as the transfer opens up many new areas of visual exploration and reproduces all of the styles with strict adherence to the colors and details within each style's unique constraints and canvases. The movie is worth watching for these unique segments alone, and Universal's transfer does right by them every time.

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet arrives on Blu-ray with a tried-and-true, and here very effective, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is the highlight and, with dialogue, the key component. Music is elegantly enveloping, wrapping around the rear but remaining focused and featured across the front. Clarity is excellent; beyond spacial awareness is rich instrumental detail and a firm and balanced low end support. The stage further widens with various environmental effects that are equally immersive and precise. Nowhere is that better exemplified than in the film's first act. The marketplace springs to life with tangible details surrounding the listener, and a ruckus elevates the volume and produces a more scattered, but firm, sense of chaotic immersion. Lighter exterior ambient effects linger for a nice full stage envelopment and in-movie sonic definition. Dialogue is firmly planted in the center, well prioritized, and clear, whether dialogue in-story or Neeson's narration over the philosophical sidebars.

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet contains a featurette, interviews, and animatics. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Animating Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet (1080i, 15:07): Many of the film's artists discuss their work on the movie and how the animation came together. There's a fair bit of deep technical detail in the piece.
• An Interview with the Filmmakers (1080i, 12:29): Writer/Director Roger Allers and Producer Salma Hayek-Pinault share the film's production history, the story and the poems, animation, inspirations, and more.
• Animatic (1080p, 1:23:47): The film in an early stage of development.

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Animation" doesn't always translate to "appropriate for all audiences." Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet isn't necessarily unfit for the youngest of viewers, but its potential to leave them frustrated is high. For more advanced youthful audiences and adults alike there's something to see, and hear, in the film, a film that offers an oftentimes breathtaking artistry mixed with almost century-old writings that still hold relevant today. The movie isn't so much about agreeing or disagreeing, loving or understanding, or even praising or dismissing Gibran's work as it is appreciating the artful assemblage of classic prose skillfully read and supported by gorgeous visuals and pleasing music. Universal's Blu-ray release of Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet features wonderful video, rich audio, and a few quality supplements. Recommended.