It’s a musical! That was my first reaction when the screening started. I went without looking into the movie and was happily surprised. I love musicals and while past experience has shown me how cheesy and badly produced some Christian musicals were, Journey To Bethlehem was not one of them. While they took artistic liberties (more on this below), this movie musical about the birth of Jesus was a great watch and one that the family can enjoy.
Artistic liberties. Let’s get this out of the way. In most retelling of the birth of Jesus, artistic liberties are taken. The biggest is the appearance of the wise men at the manger. According to Scripture, Jesus was a child when they appeared, not a baby. But most of us overlook this and don’t even consider it an issue in order to creatively and succinctly tell the story.
Aside from the wise men’s appearance at the manger, Journey To Bethlehem took a lot of artistic liberties, but only one truly bothered me. SPOILER ALERT right now: Herod’s (Antonio Banderas) son and soldier (general?), Antipater (Joel Smallbone), appeared at the manger and made an important decision that saved the life of Jesus. That’s a no-no to me because it was God’s divine intervention that protected the newborn Jesus and His family.
From a storytelling point of view, I understood Antipater’s character arc, and I could see how people who are struggling with identity, decisions, and faith can relate to him.
Other artistic liberties taken include set and costume design (they were not all historically accurate, but still well done), characters, their inward struggles, their backstories (did Mary have siblings? We don’t know for sure, but she did in this movie), the relationship between characters (the humor in their interactions, the courtship of Mary and Joseph, etc), and what I call plot possibilities (when a great hosts of angels appeared to the shepherds and sang, how great was the extent of their reach and how many more people aside from the shepherds heard them?).
These artistic liberties added a fresh perspective to the story of the birth of Jesus. It’s usually told in such a somber tone, but I love the humor and lightheartedness in this musical. They were added in the right moments without detracting from the rightfully somber moments. It made the people more real and less one-dimensional, instead of just characters in a long-told story.
Let’s talk music because Journey To Bethlehem is a musical. The music was amazing. One stood out to me the most. A TINY SPOILER ALERT, but one that could help you appreciate the music more. There’s an old hymn or sang Scripture text (from the Lord’s Prayer) that goes Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen. In a brilliant move, Herod sings a remixed version of this hymn that replaced thine (referring to God) to mine (referring to himself). It conveyed the depth of his darkness, thirst for power, and why he would go to the length of killing newborn baby boys in Bethlehem. Don’t worry, though, the right lyrics of the hymn was later sang, making a complete circle back to the power and glory of God.
The choreography was beautifully executed and integrated with the set. How we want to see the dances in movie musicals done is what Journey To Bethlehem did. It added to the story, moving it forward, conveying tone, or expressing the characters’ emotions or inner struggles. But yes, there is a level of cheesiness and cringe mostly from Herod’s soldiers. But I honestly loved it. It made me giggle.
Overall, Journey To Bethlehem is one to add on your watch list and Christmas movie playlist. I wouldn’t use it as an accurate Biblical retelling of the birth of Jesus, especially for children and new believers. That said, the source material is pretty easy to read so combine the two together. Open your Bible then have a fun Christmas movie night.
