Review: Mary
Her Grace Change The World. Her Courage Lit The Way.
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Mary. Keep in mind this is but one of the many movies I watch every year, and that whatever initial grade I come up for this film could change for better or worse with time. To better keep up to date with both my thoughts on other movies and if my feelings on this film changed, follow me on Letterboxd.
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THE PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Mary conceives a child miraculously, angering King Herod who seeks to kill the newborn fearing he’ll threaten his power. Mary is forced into hiding with her infant son.
QUICK REVIEW
As a person of faith who grew up inspired by cinematic masterpieces like King Of Kings (1927), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), and The Prince of Egypt (1998), it’s disheartening to see the direction faith-based films have taken. Once bold and ambitious, they now seem increasingly insular, catering to a narrow evangelical audience that encourages believers to disengage from secular culture. This shift has created a bubble where faith-based art exists only to affirm preexisting beliefs, often at the expense of storytelling and depth.
The grandeur and complexity that once defined these films have given way to preachy narratives aimed at audiences content with reinforcing their churches’ increasingly conservative messages. The artistry has taken a backseat to sermons, resulting in films that lack substance and seem designed to "preach to the choir." They avoid self-reflection or challenge, instead existing in an echo chamber that insulates viewers from meaningful cultural engagement.
Netflix’s Mary initially appeared to buck this trend, offering some promising choices that set it apart from the usual fare. The film doesn’t shy away from violence, attempts to infuse its characters with nuance, and even acknowledges the harsh, inequitable realities women faced in the era of Christ’s birth. These moments suggest the potential for a thoughtful and daring retelling of the Nativity story.
Unfortunately, those glimmers of promise are fleeting. Despite its aspirations for grit and realism, Mary is one of the dullest films I’ve seen this year. Not even Anthony Hopkins, delivering an intense performance as King Herod, could salvage it. The acting overall isn’t bad, but good performances can only do so much when weighed down by a bland screenplay. Even the film’s well-executed cinematography, costumes, and production design can’t mask the uninspired storytelling at its core.
While the film focuses on Mary’s perspective, it fails to delve into the rich, nuanced exploration one might expect. There are hints of intriguing themes, her role as a “vessel” and how others perceive and treat her, but these ideas are left underdeveloped. Instead, the film falls back on the same predictable narrative seen in many faith-based productions - a woman portrayed with unwavering obedience, offering little in the way of complexity or agency.
At the very least, Mary could have been an entertaining nativity tale. Last year, I watched the faith-based musical Journey to Bethlehem with my mother on Thanksgiving. While that film shared many of the genre’s shortcomings, it was lively enough to keep me engaged. In contrast, Mary felt like a slog, I found myself checking the runtime and struggling to stay awake. With so many other versions of the Nativity story available, this one doesn’t bring enough to the table to justify your time.
If you’re in the mood for a biblical film this holiday season, there are far better options. It gives me no pleasure to grade Mary a disappointing C-. This could have been a much-needed return to form for faith-based cinema, but once again, the genre’s creators seem unwilling to push boundaries or tell stories that resonate beyond their core audience.
And by the way, word is this just the first in a “Jesus Cinematic Universe” this production company and Netflix have planned. If so, I really hope future offerings are much more engaging than this way.
INITIAL GRADING
