| Overall Grade: |
A |
|
| Story: |
A+ |
|
|
| Acting: |
A |
|
|
| Direction: |
A |
|
|
| Visuals: |
B+ |
|
|
A beautiful depiction
by Amy (movies profile)
Apr 18, 2007
475
of
499 people found this review helpful
The Nativity Story surprised me in positive ways. Being very familiar with the Biblical narrative in the first two chapters of the Gospel according to Matthew, I was first surprised by the faithfulness of the movie to the text. The only point that was noticably out of synch was the presence of the star-gazing "Wise Men" at the birth of the Son of God. (Their visit most likely took place later, sometime between when He was 41 days and 2 years old.)
Visually, there were some goofy impressions, much like some in the Passion of the Christ where Satan was depicted. In particular, the visions seen by both Joseph and Mary could have been more creatively depicted. But all in all I found the scenery to be breathtaking.
I was impressed by the faithfulness of the movie to the cultural setting of the text. The opening scene of the film comfortably sets the viewers back in time. Care must have been taken to replicate such scenes. The details of daily life and the overall feel of the political tensions of the day were accurately portrayed.
Each of the characters were fully deveoloped - the dynamic characters of young Mary and Joseph, the skeptical wise man, and old Zachariah came to life against the backdrop of the more static, yet also richly developed characters of Mary's parents, and my personal favorite, the insanely egotistical King Herod. The acting was first-rate.
But what about the story? Though treading on "holy ground," I will attempt to objectively evaluate the story. It is wholly other. In the realm of the impossible, yet as the character Elizabeth confesses, "Nothing is impossible with God." The holy books of both Christians and Muslims attest that Jesus Christ, Isa Al Masih, was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life. The very thought that God would send His Son, wrapped in human flesh, to be raised by peasants, is something no human mind would conceive (no pun intended!). It is a staggering concept filled with hope, mercy, and redemption for all people. |
My Public Profile 
