POSITIVES…
As far as Christmas Musicals go, this was entertaining enough for what it’s going for.
The premise is comfortably familiar to watch through.
Thematically, the message of this story is perfectly inspirational.
Stand-out stars of this movie are the absolutely delightful Madalen Mills as “Journey,” and the always talented Forest Whitaker as “Jeronicus Jangle.”
The rest of the cast is great too, from Lisa Davina Phillip, Anika Noni Rose, Kieron L. Dyer, Keegan-Michael Key, Ricky Martin, and Phylicia Rashad.
I’ve got to say, the final act was absolutely wonderful, and hits the landing in such a satisfying way. That final 30 minutes elevates this into a much better movie that made me like it a lot more than I thought I would.
The set and costume design was really good.
Being that this is a musical, there are some fantastic songs in this. From “Miles and Miles,” “Square Root of Possible,” “Over and Over,” to “Make it Work.”
NEGATIVES…
Plot-wise, expect the usual expected cliches, tropes, and necessary moments to suspend your disbelief.
It can be a little too precious, cheesy at times, and overly-whimsical, like it’s trying much too hard to entertain.
Turns out, with the character of Don Juan Diego, there is such a thing as being too animated. Ugh. Show some restraint animators.
For a musical, it bothered me that for several of the songs, the lip synching with the dubbing seemed off.
Also need to criticize and say that a lot of the musical numbers could have been more ambitious and imaginative in it’s presentation. It was as if the production budget limited what could be possible for those huge ensemble scenes.
loveditenjoyedit LIKED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible
