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| Pious, yet flat retelling |
There's little in "The Nativity Story" that would give even the most pious Christian the slightest case of reflux. Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is pouty, but generally obedient to her parents. Joseph is a hardworking young carpenter with his eye on the girl. The wise men -- portrayed here as Babylonian house astrologers -- include the traditional white and black man, though curiously, the one from the Orient is another white guy. They do provide a few of the lighthearted elements in this otherwise safe film as they bicker about whether the journey to Bethlehem should be a spiritual one or an arduous one. Otherwise, all the traditional elements are here -- the announcement by an angel, a visit to a older pregnant cousin, a difficult, wind-blown trek to be counted in a census, camels on sand dunes, etc.
What's missing is any of the humanity of other versions. Actors read their lines without much conviction and with no sense that events could transpire in any way but the scripted one. When 3 stars (actually, 2 planets and a mysterious heavenly body) combine into a blinding spotlight (accompanied by a Star Wars light saber sound effects) no one reacts, as though such celestial light shows were run of the mill in the first century.
Every movie version of the Jesus story bring its own special touch. In "The Nativity Story," village life is depicted with loving attention to detail. Entire families sleep together in the same room, roofs are painstakingly wrought of wattle and daub and women spend lots of time toting jugs of water. And I think this is one of the few movies to depict Mary as having a living mother *and* father. The people of Nazareth act in true peasant fashion, holding grudges and having dirty faces and hands. Too bad the movie's writers didn't imbue the plot and dialog with the same sense of gritty realism. And history buffs might grind their teeth at some of the confusions, the most egregious being the equation of Roman and Herodian soldiers.
As it stands, "The Nativity Story" is decent Sunday school fare, with nothing controversial and nothing illuminating. |
| A must see for everyone! |
| This movie shows how it all happened. In clear and meaningful way. Suitable for all ages. Not your typical movie about the Nativity. |
| The Natvity Story |
Over 20 of us spanning three generations went and saw this moving and most of us have since bought the DVD. We are in an audio and visual world,and this movie helps us to see, hear and feel in a new way the story we have grown up with. Katie, a 12 year old confirmation student, summed it up. I have grown up with the story and been in the Christmas play from the baby to Mary. This made it so real to me that I could take it in.
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| Thank you for this movie |
| Everyone's reviews are great. No need to add anything to them. Great film! And I am a pretty heavy critic of Christian films "getting it right." FINALLY we have an accurate picture of Exodus II. |
| Amazing movie! |
| This movie is absolutely wonderful. It has rapidly moved to the top of my Christmas movie list - because, of course, what could be better to watch than the actual story of Christmas? The film is very accurate, and also extremely moving. The characters are very real and likeable. It has funny moments, and ones that will bring tears to your eyes. What I love most about this movie is the glimpse into the incredible character of Joseph, which is often bypassed. Joseph really was an amazing man, and so important to the story of Jesus' birth. This movie is an essential one to watch at Christmas time, you will not be disappointed! |
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