Movie Review: Journey to Bethlehem

Title: Journey to Bethlehem
Director: Adam Anders
Genre: Live-action Christmas Musical
Date Released: November 10, 2023
Date Watched: November 29, 2023
Rating (1-didn’t like; 5-excellent): 5

I went in watching this movie not knowing that it was a musical and was pleasantly surprised. I only figured out it was a musical when Mary began singing along with her sisters. The story is about the birth of Christ and follows the story in the bible pretty closely. It doesn’t follow it the way I grew up learning it but it’s general enough that anyone can enjoy it whether you’re a believer or not. It can be watched like any fantasy story. There are no messages to make anyone feel offended. It’s just a beautifully made movie.

What I liked the most about the movie was the singing. Everyone had amazing voices. I also really like the character, Antipater, played by Joel Smallbone who is the lead singer of the Christian band, King and Country. Antipater is the son of Herod and his duty was to find the pregnant woman and kill her. It’s more difficult than he thought, and his father isn’t happy with him. However, he came up with the idea that they should do a census count in order to track the pregnant woman. The ending was excellent. It’s not the ending I’ve learned but it was interpreted well, nonetheless. Also, this is a family friendly movie. There is talk about killing but no violence is shown or insinuated.

My favorite song scene was when Herod lectured Antipater and then left the room. Antipater then started singing, “In My Blood,” and man, I got chills. It was really amazing. Here’s the video of that scene. The little boy is himself. He’s reflecting. Also, the dance scene with the soldiers was just so fun. There is a bit of humor throughout the movie.