At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a fine portrayal based on early existence of Mary (Keisha Castle Hughes), and Joseph(Oscar Isaac). A story well known and sacred that starts when birth of Jesus is announced to Mary by Angel Gabriel (Alexander Siddig). Meanwhile is also announced future birth of John the Baptist from the old couple Elizabeth (Shoreh) and Zechariah (Townsend). Mary learns from the angel Gabriel that she will conceive and bear a child called Jesus. When she asks how this can be, since she is a virgin, he tells her that the Holy Spirit would "come upon her" and that "nothing will be impossible with God". She responds: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word".At the beginning Joseph is suspicious when Mary announces the blessed news but later is informed by an Angel.At the time that Mary is due to give birth, she and her husband Joseph travel from their home in Nazareth about 150 kilometres (90 miles) south to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census ordered by Herodes the Great (Ciaran Hinds). Meanwhile three Magician Kings Melchior(Nadim), Gaspar (Kalipha) and Bathasar (Eriq) are looking for Jesus, Son of God. Having found no place for themselves in the inn, Joseph and Mary meet a man who gives the couple a place in his stable. Mary gives birth to Jesus she places the newborn in a manger .Meantime an angel of the Lord visits the shepherds guarding their flocks in nearby fields and brings them "good news of great joy": "to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord." The angel tells them they will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. The angel is joined by a "heavenly host" who say "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!".The shepherds hurry to the manger in Bethlehem where they find Jesus with Mary and Joseph. They repeat what they have been told by the angel, and then return to their flocks.This agreeable film focuses the Nativity story in a realist style but also accompanied with beautiful images, as there are shafts of lights, wonderful clouds and extraordinary landscapes. It packs marvelous cinematography by Elliot Davis who reflects splendidly the ancient scenarios filmed at Italy and Morocco. Atmospheric and emotive musical score adding oriental sounds by Mychael Danna. The motion picture is well directed Catherine Hardwicke who formerly directed 'Thirteen' and 'Lords of Dogtown' and subsequently would achieved a lot of success with 'Twilight'.

Keisha Castle-Hughes is without question one of the best actresses of her generation, and here she plays Mary, mother of Jesus, with an almost eerie authenticity. Though Castle-Hughes is in fact Maori, she definitely looks like the real Mary likely would have looked: small, olive-complected, with dark curly hair. I've seen many a portrait of or movie about Mary in which she was improbably tall, blond, and blue-eyed.The physical accuracy of the central characters is across the board. All first-century Jews are portrayed by actors who look like first-century Jews probably looked.The movie itself is a painstakingly accurate adaptation of Jesus' conception and birth as told in the first four gospels of the New Testament, but beyond that, it is actually a very sweet, if indirect, love story. Mary is betrothed to Joseph before she conceives Jesus, and she questions why she has been promised to a man she does not love and in fact barely knows.But after she reveals her pregnancy and gets to know Joseph, she sees that he is a good, kind, and unselfish man. During their trek to Bethlehem, she realizes (when gently wiping down his feet, bloodied from their long trek, as he sleeps) how strong and stoic he is, not to mention how fiercely protective he is of her and her unborn child, even in the face of the humiliating fact that the child is not his. And when the baby is born -- in a truly dazzling sequence which involves the Star of Bethlehem shining on the precise spot of the birth -- Joseph holds up the baby, laughing with joy as if it were his own son.This is not the most exciting movie ever made, but it is definitely worth watching.

It's probably fair to say that knowledge of the nativity story for most of us who are not regular churchgoers is limited to hazy memories of childhood Sunday School or of watching excited but largely untalented six-year-olds parading around a stage at Christmas with tea-towels on their heads. While Catherine Hardwicke's version obviously goes a lot further than the local primary school's traditional Christmas nativity play (itself becoming a thing of the past in these politically correct days), it remains stubbornly un-involving. Even those of us with the sketchiest knowledge know that Mary and Joseph make it to Bethlehem, no room at the inn, manger, etc. This film relates the events faithfully, and while it focuses on Mary – and portrays her as a level-headed and sensible girl at a time when many around her are flapping a bit – to good effect, it struggles to develop her as a living, breathing person rather than a biblical character. Writer Mike Rich uses the three wise men for gently comic effect in an attempt to lighten the earnest atmosphere, but such humorous moments seem sorely out of place.In summary, this film won't disappoint those looking for a straightforward account of the birth of Jesus but will probably fail to engage the casual viewer.

I thought this was a wonderful film, being a different angle on the birth of Jesus. There were some inaccuracies, but they were very minor in light of what the film accomplished in portraying the faith and obedience to God that Mary and Joseph needed and had at that time, which I believe, are so important to this story. I truly enjoy it when writers strive to be Biblically accurate. I understand that the movie contains words and scenes which are not portrayed in the Scriptures, but are added to flesh out the facts given in the Bible, and seem very, very realistic to those times and situations. The film explored the thoughts which very well could have gone through the minds of Mary and Joseph, and I thought were done excellently. I know that the Spirit of God is calming and had to be all around Mary at that time, so I appreciate her quiet reflecting, as the Scriptures said that she kept many things in her heart in her life. Joseph's reactions were very well done, and certainly gave more dimension to what I had thought of before. I loved the scene where the angel spoke to the shepherds, and wished to see the Heavenly choir singing, and there were other things that could have been elaborated on more. But a film can only have so much, and I am content with this. I appreciate that Herod's character was not overly-dwelled on, but included as needed. I would like to see more from these writers and directors in this same vein.