#REVIEW: “THE STAR”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

The Star brings the story of Jesus’ birth to young audiences.

The Film follows a donkey (Steven Yeun), who while breaking free from his captivity, ends up in pregnant Mary’s barn. When the donkey finds out that the current king’s guard is going to harm Mary in order to prevent the new King’s birth, he vows to protect her and her unborn child. This leads to him and his animal friends joining Mary (Gina Rodriguez) and Joseph (Zachary Levi) on the journey to the North Star. What he doesn’t know is that the baby is the Messiah.

The Star creates the Biblical story of Jesus’ birth in an entertaining way. The Script, written by Tom Sheridan, Carlos Kotkin and Simon Moore, unravels the story through the eyes of a donkey and his animal friends. Resulting in a unique turn for this re-telling of the well-known story as well as enthralling the younger audience it targets. Telling the story this way also leaves for room to create humour which translates its message fluently to its desired audience. That humour wouldn’t be effect if not for the voices behind the cute animals. Yeun, Levi, Rodriguez, and the supporting cast consisting of Oscar winner Christopher Plummer (seen also in this Holiday’s The Man Who Invented Christmas and now All the Money in the World), Keegan-Michael Key, Tyler Perry and more all do a great job working together to make audiences laugh and enjoy this familiar tale.

The visuals of The Star are colourful and vibrant. Resulting in a visually-compelling Film for people of all ages. The animation helps bring the story of Jesus’ birth to a visually compelling medium. Yet, the Film is a play-by-play of the biblical story is derives from bringing nothing new to viewers familiar with it. But for audiences who are unaware of the story or are being introduced to it, The Star is a fun way to learn about it.

Sony Pictures Canada release The Star Friday, November 17, 2017 across Canada.