HTF REVIEW: The Nativity Story (1 Viewer)

[Matt Stone]

The Nativity Story
Directed By: Catherine Hardwicke

Studio: New Line
Year: 2007
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic)
Running Time: 101 Mins.
Rating: PG (Some Violent Content)
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital (English), 2.0 Dolby Digital (English)
Subtitles: English and Spanish
MSRP: $28.98
Street Date: 20 March, 2007

Review Date: 16 March, 2007
(Ratings are out of five stars)

Summary
From New Line’s Press Kit…
In Nazareth, a town oppressed by the devastating taxation practices of King Herod, a teenage girl Mary, is told by her parents that they have arranged for her to marry Joseph. Distraught by the idea of marrying a man she hardly knows, Mary takes refuge in a grove to collect her thoughts. There, she is visited by an angel, who tells her that she has been chosen by God to bear his son. Despite the public scorn from an unwed pregnancy, together, Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem for a census mandated by the King. It is here, with a great celestial event revealing his prophecy, in a history-defining event, that Jesus is born.

Film Rating: :star::star:

Video
I’m usually a huge fan of New Line’s excellent transfers, but we’re left with something lacking from this one. Certain outdoors scenes appeared very grainy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the high overall level of contrast accentuated this. There was also a good deal of edge enhancement (visible both on my projector and a PC) that was also increased by the high contrast level. The transfer is very detailed and while the color palette is decidedly subdued, it works well for the film. The video is available in Widescreen and Pan & Scan flavors. Not a great effort, but far from bad.

Video Rating: :star::star::star:

Audio
What New Line lacked on the transfer, they made up for with the audio track. Dialog was obviously well recorded, as it comes across crisp and clear without any his from the boom mic. What sound effects existed were presented well across the front sound stage as well as the rear effects channels and LFE. The score was the predominant sound throughout the film, and was presented beautifully. Definitely a top notch effort from the fine folks at New Line.

Audio Rating: :star::star::star::star:

Extras
Very, very sparse extras here. As I mentioned in the Video portion of the review, there are both Widescreen and Fullscreen versions of the movie, but that’s about it. Aside from various trailers, the disc is a wasteland. Ho-hum.

Extras Rating:

In Closing…
Some of the films release was mired in controversy, but I didn’t see it. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a great film either. The Nativity Story was slow, boring, and obvious to anyone with a remote understanding of Christianity. The Passion; this ain’t. For existing fans of the film, you won’t find too much here. The DVD presentation of the film is relatively strong, but with the lacking extras and so-so video transfer, you might want to wait until this hits the Walmart discount bin.

Overall Rating: :star::star:

Matt Stone
16 March, 2007