Netflix viewers slam ‘offensive’ new movie about Mary with Bible inaccuracies-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro

A new Netflix movie about Mary has been slammed (Picture: Netflix)

Netflix viewers have condemned a new movie that tells the ‘story of the Nativity from a fresh perspective’.

In the lead up to Christmas, the streaming service has released the epic biblical film Mary, which follows the mother of Jesus from her childhood in Nazareth to the birth of the prophet.

The titular character is played by Noa Cohen, with her husband Joseph played by Ido Tako as they ‘flee the relentless pursuit’ of King Herod, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Speaking ahead of the release, director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) explained wanting to create a film that ‘presents Mary in her most human and relatable form’.

‘Mary is the most extraordinary woman ever to walk this earth, yet her story remains largely unknown beyond a few passages in the Bible,’ he said.

However, after tuning in, many viewers have made their thoughts on the film clear – and they are not impressed.

It stars Noa Cohen as the mother of Jesus (Picture: Netflix)

The biblical epic, which currently has a rating of 30% on review site Rotten Tomatoes, has been slammed for taking creative liberties.

‘Not accurate at all according to the Bible. I’m offended by it. Don’t watch this piece of trash,’ one posted.

‘Awful. Brutal. In almost no way followed the original source material about Mary,’ Laurie shared.

‘If Hollywood really wants to produce a movie about the mother of Jesus, then it should at least adhere to the factual history as recorded by the Gospels,’ Auston added.

One of the criticisms came from Carol, who explained: ‘While I expected some artistic license- there were far too many unrealistic liberties taken, especially with Mary’s story. The script strays farther than necessary from the Biblical narrative and leaves out some of the more important dialogues found in scripture.’

Others called it ‘awful’, ‘offensive’ and ‘disrespectful’.

Some critics have said the film has a lack of Arab and Palestinian representation and questioned the casting of an Israeli actress in the lead role.

Meanwhile Meredith Warren, a Senior Lecturer in Biblical and Religious Studies at the University of Sheffield shared a lengthy opinion piece about her issues with the film.

In her piece, published by The Conversation, Warren said her critique centred around how it ‘perpetuates conservative ideals around women and gender and its misrepresentations of Jews and Judaism.

‘The story of a Palestinian mother who gave birth in a ruined building, on the run from murderous soldiers, could have been timely and important,’ she wrote.

Sir Anthony Hopkins plays Herod (Picture: Netflix)

‘Instead, [the film] reinforces many dangerous stereotypes that have historically led to violence against Jews, while avoiding showing the holy family’s embrace of Jewish practices.’

‘For Netflix to have so clearly missed the mark is disappointing,’ she concluded.

She also questioned an ‘especially problematic scene’ showing a pregnant Mary being chased through the streets by a Jewish mob, which she said was a ‘dangerous trope with a long history in Christian antisemitism’.

In its review The Daily Telegraph called it ‘the worst film of the year’ while Collider said it was ‘surface-level and uninspiring’.

It’s been called ‘offensive’ and criticised for presenting inaccuracies (Picture: Netflix)

The National Catholic Register also said the film ‘portrays the Blessed Mother with reverence but takes troubling liberties with Catholic doctrine’.

Netflix has said the filmmakers ‘consulted with a wide range of religious scholars and leaders to capture the story’s historical elements’.

It also said the film ‘offers a fresh approach to telling this timeless story’ and explained how they wanted to make it ‘more accessible to a broader audience’.

Producer Mary Aloe said their hope was that people would ‘want to learn more about faith from Mary’s journey, what her family gave up, and what she endured to follow her calling to bring us Jesus’.

Mary is streaming on Netflix.

Metro has contacted Netflix for comment.

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