This live-action Christmas musical adventure for the entire family, weaves classic Christmas melodies with humor, faith and new pop songs in a retelling of the greatest story ever told, the story o...
So Gabby had me thoroughly introduced to “Journey To Bethlehem”, a musical take on the Nativity story where Mary and Joseph’s 75-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem is recounted; one of the most important biblical stories and stories in general told in human history. I wasn’t exactly sure what to think of it….until I heard the soundtrack.
And so I had to see what the fuss was about.
As soon as I saw “Inspired by a true story…..the greatest one ever told”, I immediately knew not to take this movie’s narrative too seriously and my instincts were rewarded almost immediately. This is a decent modern retelling but a formulaic one in an attempt to repackage a well-known story and showcase it again to modern audiences; struggling to completely break from the limitations of the genre. It is mostly faithful to the Gospel story and avoids painting any drastic extremes that alienate the truth of the events but they, at least, allow themselves to astutely have some fun with it and allow the cast and audience to do the same.
That being said, I can’t get away from the reality of how weirdly reminiscent this feels of a discount Disney Channel Christian musical.
Given his history with musical shows as a four-time Grammy nominee, Adam Anders was a competent enough choice to helm the chair. It’s clear how much he respects the importance of the source material and there’s a careful balance between the contemporary elements and remaining true to the biblical inspiration.
And for what it’s worth, the acting is fine all things considered with one noticeable exception: Antonio Banderas’ chilling authenticity steals the show as a unmistakably menacing charisma-magnetic, although the donkey Fig came very close to dethroning him.
While not outstanding, the cinematography makes sure to not waste any one shot, in a way in which the rustic charm and pleasant atmosphere of these locations give us a sense of comfort. Sabrina Plisco’s editing has enough solid transitions to not impede the runtime, said runtime has a brisk but firm tone that wonderfully juggles earnestness and mood and its pacing only just maintains a respectable tempo and rhythm.
And of course, the music itself is…..interesting. While the score I have no recollection of, the songs themselves are the best part of the film. Obviously they’re not Hamilton levels of god-tier but they’re all surprisingly catchy, they all fit a distinctive purpose into each characters journey or arc and motifs are spread across and mirrored in each one for the sake of coherence. The choreography could’ve been much better.
Unfortunately, the gospels are hardly renowned for sharp characterization or satisfying individual arcs (with some exceptions) so the few narratives that do pop up peeter out quickly. The pacing and coherence can sometimes be hampered by some abrupt transitions, the dialogue is shallow all the way through and unfortunately, the chemistry between Mary and Joesph is not there. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t buy it; it comes across as forced when they share the screen together and any natural development to engross me into this journey was null and void.
My overall impression just feels like because of the lack of characterization or arcs, many opportunities to bring out the drama, tension, fear and joy in the story aren’t really taken advantage of.
Thankfully, the overall experience is just a light-hearted piece of musical theatre even if it doesn’t do much to stand out from the giant deluge of remakes. Just wordy, cheesy but joyous seasonal stuff.
