The Book of Daniel dramatizes the Biblical record of the same name, and does so very well. Built primarily around the story of the Hebrew people's captivity in Babylon and under several different kings, the movie uses the narrative of its title character to portray how even when all seems lost, God is still with His own. The film is fundamentally quite well done, very well-written and refreshingly respectful of its Scriptural source, but as this is clearly a low budget production there are inevitably some cinematic weaknesses. There are no earth-shattering special effects and the overall sweep is somewhat limited. Quality of acting varies, though fortunately both of the actors portraying Daniel--Andrew Bongiorno as the "young" Daniel and Robert Miano as the "old" version of the same--are outstanding and capture the essence of the Biblical character excellently. Conversely, much of the rest of the cast seems a bit cobbled together, with a lot of bizarre American-English accents thrown into the supposedly Middle Eastern setting. Lance Henriksen is the most recognizable "name" actor in the cast, and while there's no doubt Henriksen is an outstanding performer it's questionable if he's the best choice to play the Persian King Cyrus, who holds a great respect for Daniel and fulfills Biblical prophecy by allowing the Hebrews to return to their homeland. It's also a bit disappointing the movie never explores the more Apocalyptic prophecies in the latter portions of the Biblical book, though including them would certainly have meant expanding the scope of the film considerably. But these are small criticisms, and overall The Book of Daniel is an inspiring and often moving cinematic portrayal of one of the most fascinating figures of the Old Testament. And the movie's overarching message--that God will always take care of His people, no matter how hostile or wicked the world around us seems to be-- remains a relevant one today and for all time.

This work certainly has a deep respect for the source material and holds true to the mythology of Daniel. Unfortunately, the acting falls flat and is at times downright laughable with the notable exception of the main actor who plays "Old Daniel". I would have liked to see more true to life human reactions to the rather momentous actions taking place along with some deep explorations of humanity in the face of the inevitable rather than the wooden one-dimensional characters presented. It is worth watching if you are looking to get a better feel for the characters in the biblical myth this movie is based on and may even invoke a numinous pondering on the deeper theological questions underlying the literal narrative but don't expect to be blown away. However, flat acting aside, this is still a deeper movie than most of what is coming out of Hollywood.

Weak plot and presentation. It emphasizes the primitive belief of the old testament, from the eating of properly prepared meat to rejection of meat, because of their ignorance on proper preparation.Many think of this as part of Christianity but it is fact the early stories of the Jews.The acting was similar to a 1950's or 60's high school production. I would not call this Christian preaching just a poor production of a book from the Bible. There is no personality in the characters. They are two dimensional, flat with few expressions and ability.One of the oddest and metaphysical books in the Bible filled with brazen images and predictions yet nothing was relayed beyond bland dialog.Very much like a stage play.

I really don't normally go in for promoting blind faith in any way, but as a piece of entertainment that tells a great story with exceptional special effects : I have to tell you this is a good movie. Fantastic special effects barely touches on how nice they have made this Babylon look, and feel. Nothing ever feels fake, just well told. The sound is excellent, and all channels are represented, you will be surprised more than once by a rustle, or the clink of a chain. From start to finish you get the feeling that a lot of effort went into this project, and very little of that was wasted. I don't know your faith, and I care even less, but as a strong well told story with a lot of good effects, and acting I think most people will Enjoy this movie. Also it is rare to get any English speaking stories that show Persians as anything this three dimensional.