One Of The Greatest Historic Epics - 10/10

The title of "The Nativity Story" says it all: the tale of Jesus's birth, from Mary's early meetings with Joseph, through the angel's prophecies, and all the way to the Bethlehem manger. Boasting great production and one of the most authentic feels for a historic tale, "The Nativity Story" captures a lot of different moods of the time: a dark and desperate atmosphere for the depiction of life under a tyrant (in this case King Herod) to magic-feeling, inspirational moments, and a surprisingly large dose of playfulness and humor. A lot of the gentle humor comes from the depiction of the Three Kings following the Star Of Bethlehem. Handled wrong, inserting a lot of comedy into their voyage and dialogues could have come off tacky, but here it adds very nicely to the overall picture. The characters of Mary and Joseph are developed exceptionally well. Also of note is the superior cinematography, brilliantly capturing the rugged, magnificent beauty of the Middle East. Very nice musical score too, and a momentous finale that ranks high in the pantheon of movie climaxes.

A lot of people say this movie is too 'restrained' or subtle. I disagree. When filiming an epic, there's a time to go in with lots of bombast and big visuals, like with "Star Wars" or "Chronicles Of Narnia" or "Lord Of The Rings", but there's also a time to step back a bit and go slower, with a few less big dramatic impacts, and a bit more focus on capturing the day-to-day context in which the big events take place. The former approach worked smashingly on the other movies mentioned, and the latter works smashingly here. Fans of Keisha Castle-Hughes's performance as Mary will probably want to check out [[ASIN:B0000CABBW Whale Rider]], another great movie; and if you enjoy The Nativity Story I really recommend [[ASIN:1573629235 Jesus]], the 2000 tv mini-series, which has never gotten the full credit it's due.

A moving Hollywood version of the birth of Jesus

I was excited to hear that Hollywood and director Catherine Hardwick decided to make a movie celebrating the biggest moment in the history of Christianity, the birth of Jesus Christ. Lukewarm reviews kept me from rushing out to catch the movie in the theater. I was able to watch in in the comfort of my own home with my family and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Not being a biblical scholar, I can't tell you if this followed the gospels perfectly, but the story presented in the movie is quite faithful to the birth of Jesus presented in the Bible. The sets are realistic and the cast is solid, if a bit somber, Keisha Castle-Hughes is great as Mary. In the opening, she's a young teenager having fun with her friends. When Joseph chooses her hand in marriage, Mary is depressed. Joseph is a nice man and she respects him, but the prospects of an arranged marriage don't thrill her. Then Mary receives the vision of the angel telling her she will give birth to a child. From this point on, Mary looses the fun innocence she had and seems to carry the weight on the world on her shoulders the rest of the movie. The relationship between Mary and Joseph could have had a few lighter moments. I'm sure they weren't depressed all the time.

The somber mood of the movie was unable to hold the interest of my kids, but my wife and I were enthralled by the story. Everything is there, the trip to Bethlehem, the shepards, the wisemen, and King Herrod, who is threatened by the coming Messiah.

This movie is a really good movie portraying the birth of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it probably isn't good enough to become a Christmas tradition in my family. I recommend all Christians and others interested to check it out during this Christmas season.

Part the story from the Bible, part tradition, part made up. Still a very moving and beautiful movie.

I really liked this telling of the nativity. Here, Mary is a young girl in a very poor village in a very poor family. This is not the Mary of great nobility and dignity we see in the ancient paintings or statures. The story is very effective in getting across the Roman oppression, the reason tax collectors were hated, why Mary becoming pregnant was such a scandal, and the miraculous connection between Jesus and Mary with John and Elizabeth. We also get a sense of the pressure that Mary felt, the hurt and doubts that Joseph felt, and the way they came together to make the journey to Bethlehem. The scene of finding anyplace for Mary to give birth is very moving, as is the placing of the Savior in the manger (a feed box). Thinking of how difficult it was for my wife when our children were born in modern hospitals with modern medicine, and looking at how alone Mary and Joseph were in that stable far from home, with no one to help, I was deeply moved.

The movie does not shy away from using an angel to talk to Mary, Elizabeth, Zacharias, Joseph, and the shepherds. However, it is always the same angel. We don't see the sky open and choruses of angels singing to the shepherds. Still, given how so many movies work to exclude the miraculous, I was happy with what the movie did include.

The three wise men are not used as they are in the Bible, because their part could not be part of the nativity. They came later at some unspecified time to the house of Mary and Joseph, not to the stable. But their coming that night is a part of how everyone pictures the story and a part of every crèche, so the movie went with that. There are three of them, even though the number is unstated in the Bible. However, since there were three gifts three wise men makes sense. They are given the traditional names (again, not in the Bible). And they provide wonderful comic relief along the way.

Herod and his villainy is presented well and we can believe that this monster would order the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem. Again, the conversation with his son is extra Biblical as is the setting of the meeting with the wise men at a meal. However, they are both quite plausible and move the drama along. The point of the meeting with the wise men is exactly right. In this movie, the new star is really the alignment of three stars that come together for the first time in thousands of years and shine directly into the stable in Bethlehem. It makes for a nice dramatic effect. What really happened that night or whenever it was the wise men came the Bible doesn't say nor do I have a clue or a guess.

It is a beautifully done movie, very moving, and I will make viewing it a part of my holidays. It doesn't have to be perfect for me to say, "Strongly recommended".

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI