New Line Cinema's The Nativity Story has been called the best movie about the birth of Jesus since nativity movies were first produced in the 1890s.

"With the release of The Nativity Story, Hollywood is finally putting Jesus Christ back into Christmas," Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission noted recently.

The film heads to more than 3,000 of the nation's movie theatres on 1 December.

"Hollywood has recognised there's a gigantic part of the population that goes to church each week," Baehr said. "Go see The Nativity Story, and tell your family and friends to do the same."

The movie tells the story of the birth of Jesus "in a compelling, captivating, entertaining and inspiring matter that shatters expectations," according to Baehr, who has reviewed the film. "The Nativity Story is refreshingly dramatic, so much so that the movie will elicit tears at points," he wrote.

Baehr, a renowned critic, educator, lecturer and media pundit, is the founder and publisher of Movieguide.