x1 gaming ‘Mary’ Review: An Epic Biopic for the Mother of God
Horses gallop across a desert. Christianity’s most famous couple meet cute at a river. Swords clatter. A villain emerges from flames. Insect buzz accompanies the come-ons of a devil. (OK, the Devil.) No genre gesture goes untapped in the deliberately hagiographic “Mary,” a coming-of-age saga about the mother of Jesus. Directed by D.J. Caruso and written by Timothy Michael Hayes, the film aims to draw multitudes.
“I was chosen to deliver a gift to the world, the greatest gift it has ever known,” Mary (Noa Cohen) says in voice-over, as she stands in an arid landscape holding a newborn in her arms with Joseph (Ido Tako) nearby.
The film covers the prophesied pregnancy of Mary’s mother, Anne (Hilla Vidor), Mary’s time studying in Jerusalem and King Herod’s obsession with the foretold savior. The angel Gabriel, his blue robes fluttering, appears often. So does Lucifer.
King Herod, a transfixing Anthony Hopkins, struts and frets his waning hours and appears to be dysregulating as he tries to upstage and upend God’s promise.
Vidor brings a humane yet grounded aura to Anne, one that feels lived. The same can’t be said of Cohen’s character. The filmmakers have Mary address the viewers: “You may think you know my story. Trust me, you don’t.” It’s a bold and humanizing move. But their portrait doesn’t live up to the bravado or promise of Mary’s declaration.
MaryNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes. Watch on Netflix.x1 gaming
