Journey to Bethlehem Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Journey to Bethlehem Blu-ray Movie Review

My son assures me his generation has changed the proper spelling of "ooph" to "oof"...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 17, 2024

I'm not wont to using the terminology of Gen Z. But the kids today have a word -- overused but, when deployed properly, wonderfully precise -- that describes filmmaker Adam Anders's faith-based comedy/musical, Journey to Bethlehem. The word? "Cringe". Could I get a definition, please? Certainly. "Cringe (adjective): the quality of a person, behavior or presentation that elicits a strong, negative response, generally associated with causing an observing individual to withdraw in discomfort, awkwardness, embarrassment or horror; the observer's face literally cringing at the sight of whatever is being observed." Could you use it in a sentence, please? Of course. "Cringe. Journey to Bethlehem was so *cringe* that I could barely continue watching. It did not slay. It does not slap. It sent me. Pluh." And if all of that made you think, "facts, fam", then I actually pulled off a coherent Gen Z sentence. Whew. Anyway, if you're looking for a Bible-based good time, a holiday treat (released nearly a month after Christmas) or a fun musical spin on the nativity story, um, "this ain't it, chief."

Am I being too hard on Journey to Bethlehem? Probably.

Official Synopsis: A young woman, Mary (Fiona Palomo), carrying an unimaginable responsibility. A young man, Joseph (the Disney Channel's Milo Manheim) torn between love and honor. A jealous king, Herod (the film's biggest catch, Antonio Banderas), who will stop at nothing to keep his crown. This live-action Christmas musical celebration for the entire family weaves classic Christmas melodies into new pop songs for a music-infused retelling of the timeless story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. A unique new entry into the collection of holiday classic movies, this epic Christmas musical is unlike any before it. Written by Adam Anders and Peter Barsocchini and helmed by Anders in his directorial debut, the film also stars Christian rapper Lecrae as the Angel Gabriel, For King & Country's Joel Smallbone as Herod's son Antipater, Antonio Cantos as Mary's father Joachim, Moriah Peters as Deborah, Stephanie Gil as Rebekah, and the three wisemen: Rizwan Manji as Caspar, Geno Segers as Balthazar and Omid Djalili as Melchior.

Non-Christians will have very little, if any, interest in Journey to Bethlehem. Meaning the majority of you reading this are believers. And to you I can honestly say I have zero idea who this film was made for. It's not for Sunday School newcomers or people just starting to visit churches. It's not for causal Christians because it draaaags. (Not to mention how rough the songs are.) And it's definitely not for those who've been raised in church and know the story of Jesus's birth backwards and forwards. If you value the letter of scripture in the least and respect the simple power of Luke's succinct two-chapter telling of Jesus's birth (and its surrounding events), then you need to know: this is not that story.

Am I about to be too critical of Journey to Bethlehem? It's possible.

A nice blurb appears before the credits roll explaining that the filmmakers "strived to remain true to the message of the greatest story ever told." A fine sentiment. But Journey to Bethlehem doesn't hold to the message at all, much less the text. In fact, it makes broad-stroke -- I'd even argue thoughtless -- changes to key elements of the tale. One example? The heavenly host that appear to the "shepherds watching over their flock by night"? Here the shepherds are standing shoulder to shoulder with the three central Maji, an adjustment that, granted, won't really offend many people. (Other than folks like my mom, who's made it clear since I was four that 1) we have no clue how many wise men there were, and 2) the wise men actually didn't visit Jesus until he was a toddler.) No, the jaw-dropping change that made my eyes go wide; perhaps imagining my mother's reaction, or perhaps realizing just how much of a fundamental quake the change represented? The heavenly host are seen by everyone in the entire region. And I mean everyone. Yep, King Herod included. Meaning the shepherds not only don't receive a private message in the fields and don't visit the manger alone, they, more crucially, don't become the first witnesses to Jesus's birth, nor do they carry the story to others. That's a profound and significant shift in the message, not to mention the purpose of the message as a proto-gospel event.

Am I being too picky when it comes to Journey to Bethlehem? Maybe.

But you needn't dig out a Bible and compare to the text to realize how rapidly Journey to Bethlehem is crashing and burning. The acting is over the top of over the top. Antonio Banderas may be having a blast, God love 'im. But you can only stomach so much cheese. Then there's the tone, which swings erratically from song to song, unsure of what exactly the film wants to be. Drama? Comedy? Dramedy? Melodrama? Slapstick? "Sight and Sound"-esque stage production? The music is bargain bin animated-musical dreck as well, and very little emerges as catchy or, more to the point, meaningful. There are a handful of more somber selections that allow a bit of insight into the struggles of Mary and Joseph, but then it's right back to the yuk yuk, isn't the wiseman in red so funny!? (Sure, if you enjoy unintentionally but slightly racist caricatures from your Canadian actors of color.) And the production design? Oh man, the church I went to growing up pulled off more convincing Roman and Jewish props. (An exaggeration but not as much as you might think.) Which again brings me back to the question I continued to ask myself from start to finish: who is Journey to Bethlehem for? I honestly don't know. If you find yourself clapping, singing and laughing, please let me know. Genuinely. I have an overwhelming desire to understand.

Am I being too harsh? I'm going to pass this one to my mom and let her tell me...

Journey to Bethlehem Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer is... fine. Granted, any shortcomings are solely the result of the musical's original photography, so let's not get too harsh. But that doesn't help the film look any less cheap than it does. Colors are oversaturated on most occasions, leaving skin tones wandering somewhere between Sunkist oranges and sun-kissed yellows. In those rare moments where the palette doesn't come on strong, it retreats too much, draining the image of life in the white-hot light of the desert. Black levels are hit or miss as well, and detail is... yep, fine. Edges are crisp and clean, but I was surprised how often I found myself thinking fine textures just weren't as refined as they should be. Again, chalk it up to the style, aesthetic and budget of Bethlehem, or the rookie standing of its director or the choices of experienced cinematographer Xavi Giménez (whose leap-out-and-smack-ya IMDB credit is for The Machinist). Otherwise, there's nothing of particular note to gripe about. It's all as it's intended, there aren't any significant instances of banding, blocking or noise to point to, and those who enjoy the film will find little of anything amounts to a distraction.

Journey to Bethlehem Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I already complained about Journey to Bethlehem's production design, so it should come as little shock that I found the sound design to be lacking. Still, Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track does well with everything tossed its way, making for a solid mix that only lacks ambition. Dialogue is intelligible and nicely centered, and singing voices break through the relative calm of the soundscape with welcome tenacity. Dynamics are fairly good, as is LFE output, which lays down a solid beat every time the music kicks in. The rear speakers aren't as involving as I hoped. The songs, again, sound great, but the scenes between are rather front-heavy and two-dimensional. It's all par for the course as low budget holiday musicals go, I suppose, but it would have been nice had the comedy and drama rose to the occasion as energetically as the songs.

Journey to Bethlehem Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The back cover of Journey to Bethlehem reads as if the Blu-ray release has a good bit of supplemental content. But it's a fib. Included are three short deleted scenes -- "A Great Navigator", "Travel Montage" and "Joseph's Catapult" -- alongside a quick, studio-promo-style EPK called "The Heart of Journey to Bethlehem" and four 2-3 minute "Meet" featurettes that provide surface level introductions to Mary and Joseph, Fig (the donkey... sigh), Mary's Sisters, and Antipater. You'll finish off the whole shebang in well under 20 minutes. At least it's all presented in HD.

Journey to Bethlehem Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Have I been too hard on Journey to Bethlehem? Based on audience scores and a bizarre critical kindness shown to the film, I've been too tough. But this one grated my nerves on every level, from musical to film to faith-based production. Sony's Blu-ray release is much better, thanks to a solid, faithful AV presentation. Alas, a shallow selection of special features doesn't help matters. I'd recommend watching before buying but maybe I'm just out of touch. The Hallmark Movies crowd will probably eat this one up.