From Deseret News archives:

The Nativity Story

Nativity Story, The

Published: Friday, Dec. 1, 2006 9:14 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
THE NATIVITY STORY — ** 1/2 — Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Ciaran Hinds; rated PG (violence).

"The Nativity Story" is certainly not the greatest movie ever made. If anything, it's a competent but only sporadically interesting biblical tale.

And while you can appreciate the efforts that the filmmakers put into making this period piece as historically accurate — or at least as convincing — as possible, it's just not terribly thrilling or enthralling. And it definitely lacks the pomp and circumstance that made arguable classics out of such films as the 1956 version of "The Ten Commandments."

This more realistic biblical drama ends just as it starts getting good; the film climaxes with the birth of Jesus.

That choice also seems to tease a more involving follow-up film that isn't coming ... at least it's not currently scheduled.

"Nativity" is told mostly from the perspective of Mary, played here by "Whale Rider's" Keisha Castle-Hughes. Her father (Shaun Toub) has betrothed her to the hard-working and well-thought-of Joseph (Oscar Isaac), though the strong-willed teen girl isn't too thrilled by that development.

Story continues below
However, the kind-hearted Joseph gives Mary time to think. And that's when she receives a visitation from the angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig), who tells the teen that she will give birth to the Son of God.

Prophecies about the virgin childbirth have also come to the attention of tyrannical King Herod (Ciaran Hinds), who believes the Son of God will end his reign, which he would like to prevent from happening.

In the film, there's never as much threat in Herod's actions as there should be, though director Catherine Hardwicke ("Lords of Dogtown") and screenwriter Mike Rich ("The Rookie") do try to lighten the overwhelmingly dark mood — by having the Three Wise Men (Nadim Sawalha, Eriq Ebouaney and Stefan Kalipha) serve as welcome comic relief.

Hardwicke does get some pretty decent performances from her cast, particularly newcomer Isaac, and Castle-Hughes, who's maturing into a good little actress.

On the downside, Irish character actor Hinds ("Munich") doesn't look that convincing with fake facial hair.

"The Nativity Story" is rated PG for some brief but disturbing violent imagery (a scene depicting a crucifixion), as well as some thematic elements (including a pair of childbirth scenes). Running time: 101 minutes


E-mail: jeff@desnews.com

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Movie Info
Rated PG for violence.

Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Oscar Isaac, Ciaran Hinds, Shaun Toub
FIND LOCAL MOVIE SHOWTIMES
Image
Jaimie Trueblood, Newline Cinema

Oscar Isaac and Keisha Castle-Hughes star in "The Nativity Story."

previousnext

Latest comments

Show of adultery challenges values

Its always a possibility its his fault, or it may be her fault. Or it may be...

Letters: Divorce hurts children

Anonymous | 1:52 p.m. What the heck does divorce OR kids have to do with...

Anything can happen in Magna,and probably will.

D-Will is player-of-the-week

Plainly the wings should shoot and make the 3s and the bigs should rebound...

Letters: Explaining Palin

There's NO NEED for Mrs. Sarah Palin and George W Bush bashing, they both are...

Same look on the face (in more than one sense), and same goatee - - - Only...

@Miles I agree that CJ could run circles around Korver, because of his...

@mark 3:01 p.m. Funny how, when it's 39 degrees, the leftists call it...

It's like the Scott Peterson all over again. Sure we don't have all the...

I knew Rene as a little girl when she and her family lived in Massachusetts....

Advertisements