As said in my reviews for the previous two 'Nativity!' films, found the first 'Nativity!' film enjoyable for what it was. It was nothing mind-blowing, but achieved what it set out to do well and didn't try to be any more than it was. The same goes with its inferior but not that bad sequel 'Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger'.
This is sadly not true for this sorry second follow up 'Nativity 3: Where's My Donkey?' It is an embarrassment for not just the talented cast involved but also for the viewer. Whatever one's stance on the second film is (which was met with a lot of criticism and defence), it is a masterpiece compared to 'Nativity 3: Where's My Donkey?' The wonderfully natural children and the cheerful soundtrack are the only things that save 'Nativity 3: Where's My Donkey?' from being a bottom of the stocking lump of coal.
Unfortunately the adult cast struggle...badly. Martin Clunes has a character that should have perfect for him and played to his strengths, but he doesn't look that interested and sleepwalks through his roles. Marc Wooton overplays wildly even more than he did in the second film and the film brings the worst out of Catherine Tate, made to be irritating in an on paper tailor made role. Not even a wasted Celia Imrie can save this, and the film was crying out for Pam Ferris.
'Nativity 3: Where's My Donkey's' story has all the ridiculousness and predictability of the second film but is multiplied by a thousand. Sadly, it also suffers from being erratically paced (often dull thanks to a lot of padding and scenes that easily could have been trimmed or left out) and being far too long by at least half an hour.
A weak script is another big problem. The improvisatory nature of it is stilted and clunky, the jokes are juvenile even by younger viewer standards and it does descend into schmaltz. It doesn't have the warmth, charm and heart of the previous two films which means the script and story flaws are far more noticeable.
It looks drab. Didn't mind the un-flashy look of the previous two films, seeing as it didn't call for big-budget quality, but simplicity is taken too far here that it's instead borderline-amateurish.
Overall, weak, very weak. 2/10 Bethany Cox
