Journey to Bethlehem

I thought but was pretty good. Some violence and references to virgins

Hollywood got it wrong once again! (go figure) This film IS NOT something you want to go see, let alone take children to, please don’t! Warning: It’s a musical….nuff said! 🙄 Oh, and it tries to come across as a comedy as well! I personally didn’t think any of it was funny! Borderline Blasphemy in my opinion. We should of walked out in the beginning (We actually thought about it) but wanted to get a clear picture as to warn others. Hollywood portrays Mary as a defiant, head strong, whiney, rebellious and disrespectful little girl who doesn’t want to get married. The Bible portrays her as the opposite. Hollywood portrays Joseph as a young, out of work dreamer who is a bit of a womanizer even though he was betrothed to Mary, but the Bible calls him an older and just man. Joseph calls himself an inventor but the Bible says he’s a Carpenter. Hollywood portrayed Joseph as the weaker one of the two and Mary as the stronger one, Joseph even cooked a meal and Mary said he could do it all the time, Jewish tradition would never allow that. The Hollywood agenda of degrading men lives on! Hollywood portrayed them both as children ruled by their parents and when Mary was pregnant her father basically told her to leave. The Bible says Mary went to her Cousin Elizabeth and returned to Joseph 3 months later. Hollywood had a confused Joseph come running to Mary begging for her forgiveness for not coming with her and believing her in the first place that she was with child yet still a virgin. Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel according to the Bible but Hollywood made Gabriel a bumbling, clumsy fool with glowing green eyes that talks to himself. The Bible says Gabriel visited Joseph to tell him to go to Mary but Hollywood had Joseph fighting his self with a good guy (dressed In white) and a bad guy (dressed in black) routine, singing a song dancing around with Roman soldiers! Hollywood had the wise men portrayed by fools constantly arguing with themselves instead of Wise Kings. Hollywood had the 3 wise men on a journey to find Mary, Joseph and Jesus and had them with Jesus the night of his birth. The Bible clearly states that the wise men showed up when Jesus was approximately 2 years of age. (Yes, every single manger scene with wise men in them is wrong) The Bible says an angel appeared to the Shepards to announce the arrival of Jesus birth, but Hollywood decided to toss in the 3 wise men as well! 🙄 Hollywood portrayed Herod as a bumbling fool that was seemingly worried his son would take his crown. The Bible doesn’t mention a son in the 4 Gospels. Hollywood had Herod’s son looking for Jesus and actually finding him, only to let him go in an act of defiance against his father King Herod and also the fact that Mary insisted he let them go. It was implied that Herod’s son might of turned into a believer, but that’s doubtful. Also: they had Herod’s son warn Joseph and Mary about Herod when the Bible clearly says it was an Angel that warned them. The Bible says that Herod had all infants 2 years and younger killed in hopes one of them would be Jesus. Hollywood had Herod’s son try to stop him. There are numerous more things that Hollywood got wrong but that’s typical of these types of movies. My fear is that some people will accept this as truth without ever really knowing the truth. Every single song in the movie were new scores that if you actually looked at the words I’m sure you could pick apart the “theology” (for lack of a better word) in them. This movie IS NOT about the Greatest Story Ever Told, it’s about Hollywood pushing the Hollywood agenda and making money in doing so. God is not glorified in this movie at all. Bottom line: Biblical Truth - 0 out of 5 popcorn bags. Comedic Relief - 0 out of 5 popcorn bags. Musical Score - 0 out of 5 popcorn bags. Value - 0 out of 5 popcorn bags.

There has been some negative feedback regarding this movie but I saw it and LOVED it. I would feel comfortable watching this show with my kids, but really young kids might be slightly scared at a few parts if they are sensitive and aren't used to "mean people" on the big screen. Some say Mary was too rebellious and Joseph was a womanizer, but that didn't come across much at all, and this is a good encouragement and reminder to adults and teens that God can use anyone for His good, and no one is or was perfect except for Jesus himself. (and it also should be noted that Mary in "The Nativity Story" was just as rebellious and unhappy with her decision to be married to Joseph when she was first told, as well.) I do think parents need to be available to talk with kids and each other after this movie is over, just to see their perceptions and compare it to what is in the Bible vs. what we have been taught in church and Bible classes. There is nothing that would conflict with the Bible, in my opinion, and nothing that would deter anyone from believing in the story of Jesus' birth. The soundtrack is amazing and I really loved that Christian artists such as Joel Smallbone, Lecrae, and Möriah were all actors in the movie, as well. They did a a phenomenal job. It definitely didn't give me the "cheesy Christian movie" vibes that so often happens in movies such as these. This is a movie I would watch again and again, whether it is Christmas or not. This is truly a great movie and a story that needs to be told over and over again. The director and everyone involved did an amazing job at taking an old story and adding life to it again without distorting the story.

My husband & I enjoyed the movie very much! It’s a beautiful story of truth with a modernized touch to it. We enjoyed the music too! We would definitely see it again and bring our young adult children with us.

I had absolutely no complaints about this movie. It was a genuine wholesome movie that told a story we all need to see and hear. I had tears in my eyes during the last 20 minutes it was that good.

I didn't really want to see this movie initially - mostly because of the marketing and how cheesy the scenes looked in the advertisements. However, this movie surprised me with a light-heartedness that works well with the seriousness of the topic. From the silliness of the wise men, to Antonio Banderas' over-the-top villain, this movie is chockfull of delightful surprises and music!

Powerful, Entertaining, Great Cast and Fun for the whole family. This will be 2023 movie of the season. I applaud 👏🏼 everyone involved in the creation of the masterpiece.

This was a great movie. We are always looking for wholesome movies with no swearing or underlying inappropriate messages, innuendos and such. This fit all that. There was nothing to worry about, no bad language or inappropriate jokes to try and explain. Musical and fun with some comedy in it. Followed the story of the time leading up to the birth of Jesus but with some more modern and relatable characteristics of the characters added. Saw this with 8 year old kids who loved it. The singing and songs were perfectly placed but didn't overwhelm. No bad language, one quick reference to a donkey being an a** but the word wasn't said and it was so quick I don't even think my kids noticed. Mary and Joseph were depicted as equals, with Mary pointing out to him at one point that she wasn't the only one chosen. At that point joseph's character is emboldened to become more active in helping Mary as she is about to give birth. Throughout the movie Mary has a strong desire to be a teacher and is unsure about this role she has been given. She has a strong and independent spirit, but not like some characters in other movies where they become disrespectful, angry and rebellious which bothers me a lot when showing my kids movies. Those kinds of movies demonstrate that emotional outbursts as the only way to get a point across. This movie does not do that, thankfully. Mary is intelligent but led by faith and grace and openly discusses and debates certain things with her father, but only in conversation and not a fight or rebellion. Her mother is a good voice of balance, understanding both Mary and the father. Definitely a great family movie.