The Shack
IMDB Rating : 6.6
Date Released : 3 - 83- 2017
Movie Genre : Drama, Fantasy
Movie Stars : Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Tim McGraw
After the abduction and presumed death of Mackenzie Allen Phillips' youngest daughter, Missy, Mack receives a letter and suspects it is from God, asking him to return to The Shack where Missy may have been murdered. After contemplating it, he leaves his home to go to The Shack for the first time since Missy's abduction and an encounter that will change his life forever.
What would have been a fun weekend of camping for a man and three of his children turns into a horrid nightmare that will forever change them all. Some time later he receives a note inviting him to a same shack where the nightmare began. This invitation will bring him face to face with God where God's manifestation will in the most of the untraditional forms.
Oh man, where to start with this one. I went in to the movie not
knowing anything about it, aside from that it is about a missing girl
and her father who sees her in another world. The first 20 minutes or
so were okay to me, interesting, scene- setting, and at times
emotional. The family was actually nice to see all together and the
initial panic of their missing child felt real.
Then things went downhill, and very quickly. Once Mack enters the shack and travels to the other world, I quickly lost interest. Let me start by saying I have no issue with Christianity or any other religion for that matter, so long as it doesn't harm others. That being said, the entire remaining film length felt like one big "God is great and always loves you" chore to sit through. Another reviewer here said it felt like a big long advertisement and I couldn't agree more. The excuse of having evil be its own force that god can't interfere with felt lazy, and meant only to reaffirm ones belief that god can do no wrong. Every single lesson the film tried to teach felt WAY too ham-fisted and forced. An example that springs to mind is when Mack is made to judge others. He ends up having to choose one of his two children to send to heaven, while the other is sent to hell. He is made to pick between two people who have done no real wrong and told that one must burn. This is supposed to make the viewer see how difficult it must be for God to judge any of his children (who he loves very much), nevermind how many little girls they murder. The whole God world portion of the film felt like it was just there so people could stroke each other off to the idea that they are loved by God, he heals all, and that we must trust in him that everything happens as it should. Watching this movie made me feel like I was sitting in class on a bright sunny day, wanting to be anywhere except in my seat, but instead of learning anything, I was just preached at for nearly 2 hours.
There were a few moments in "The Shack" that felt as though they could have been truly moving and emotional, but came across as stale and forced. One particular interaction is between Mack and his father. I was ready to feel real pain at their meeting, but a vast majority of it was squashed in part by poor acting on the father's part, and again, ham fisted shoehorning of the re-occurring themes. As such, the times I felt emotion could have been real tear jerkers, but came across as flat and unconvincing
All that being said, the movie was visually quite gorgeous. I loved the whole camping, forest, lake, snow and mountain visuals. They were pleasant and beautiful, but not forced upon the viewer in an overbearing way. The weather was a bit too emphasized in my opinion, but fitting in their themes. There were also some good quotes and humour sprinkled throughout the length of the film.
I would strongly advise against watching this film as it's the only one I've ever seen in theaters that made me so badly want to leave. If it wasn't for my girlfriend beside me, and the two elderly ladies blocking us in, I would have been out of there with an hour left on screen. At least it was on half price movie night.
Then things went downhill, and very quickly. Once Mack enters the shack and travels to the other world, I quickly lost interest. Let me start by saying I have no issue with Christianity or any other religion for that matter, so long as it doesn't harm others. That being said, the entire remaining film length felt like one big "God is great and always loves you" chore to sit through. Another reviewer here said it felt like a big long advertisement and I couldn't agree more. The excuse of having evil be its own force that god can't interfere with felt lazy, and meant only to reaffirm ones belief that god can do no wrong. Every single lesson the film tried to teach felt WAY too ham-fisted and forced. An example that springs to mind is when Mack is made to judge others. He ends up having to choose one of his two children to send to heaven, while the other is sent to hell. He is made to pick between two people who have done no real wrong and told that one must burn. This is supposed to make the viewer see how difficult it must be for God to judge any of his children (who he loves very much), nevermind how many little girls they murder. The whole God world portion of the film felt like it was just there so people could stroke each other off to the idea that they are loved by God, he heals all, and that we must trust in him that everything happens as it should. Watching this movie made me feel like I was sitting in class on a bright sunny day, wanting to be anywhere except in my seat, but instead of learning anything, I was just preached at for nearly 2 hours.
There were a few moments in "The Shack" that felt as though they could have been truly moving and emotional, but came across as stale and forced. One particular interaction is between Mack and his father. I was ready to feel real pain at their meeting, but a vast majority of it was squashed in part by poor acting on the father's part, and again, ham fisted shoehorning of the re-occurring themes. As such, the times I felt emotion could have been real tear jerkers, but came across as flat and unconvincing
All that being said, the movie was visually quite gorgeous. I loved the whole camping, forest, lake, snow and mountain visuals. They were pleasant and beautiful, but not forced upon the viewer in an overbearing way. The weather was a bit too emphasized in my opinion, but fitting in their themes. There were also some good quotes and humour sprinkled throughout the length of the film.
I would strongly advise against watching this film as it's the only one I've ever seen in theaters that made me so badly want to leave. If it wasn't for my girlfriend beside me, and the two elderly ladies blocking us in, I would have been out of there with an hour left on screen. At least it was on half price movie night.
"The Shack" is a beautiful, profound, and moving film. I'm a lifelong
movie fan and I always look at reviews before I go to see movies. Of
course I went to Rotten Tomatoes and saw that "The Shack" had received
uniformly bad reviews. There is something wrong with the critics who
panned this movie. They probably have a problem with Christianity. I
think if a similar film had been made in Iran, about Islam, with
English subtitles, it would receive an Academy Award nomination. Don't
let these bitter, twisted souls keep you from seeing "The Shack."
The plot is simple. Mack, (Sam Worthington), an American husband and father, suffers an unbearable loss. He and other family members sink into depression. One day, Mack receives an invitation to return to the shack, the site of the worst moment of Mack's life. He does return, and there he meets spiritual guides played by Octavia Spencer, Aviv Alush, Sumire Matsubara, Graham Greene, and Alice Braga (niece of Sonya Braga). Mack engages in conversation with these spiritual entities. He eventually returns to normal life with a changed outlook.
The film gets off to a rocky start. There is an unnecessary and amateurish voice-over narration by country music star Tim McGraw, who stars as Mack's friend. Otherwise, though, McGraw is excellent on screen, displaying an understated charisma and authenticity that are totally beyond the film's actual star, Sam Worthington. In fact I wish Tim McGraw had played Mack and Sam Worthington had played the best friend.
Too, there are many shifts in time in the opening scenes. There are flashbacks on top of flashbacks and a shocking crime that the movie never makes much use of. Once the movie gets started, about fifteen minutes in, it gets good.
Sam Worthington is okay as Mack. The thing is, his Australian accent is evident in virtually every word he speaks. Again, I wish the filmmakers had made McGraw the star.
Radha Mitchell is good looking but chilly as Mack's wife. She looks like a movie star, not like a wife, and that took away from the film for me.
The rest of the cast is excellent. Octavia Spencer is assigned to play an almost impossible part, and she handles it with great professionalism and depth. Aviv Alush is especially good. Moviegoers have waited a long time for a star like this to play this part, and he knocks it out of the park.
The production values are high. The scenery is lush. I was especially moved by how this family-friendly film handles the tragedy at the center of Mack's depression and alienation from God. The exact words are never used. Graphic images are never shown. Yet we know exactly what happened, and it breaks our hearts and causes us to ask the same questions that Mack asks.
Either you want to see a movie where an average man works out how to deal with unbearable tragedy or you don't. Me, I loved sitting there watching Mack wrestle with his pain and his faith. Many self- identified Christians hate this movie with a white hot hatred. Big name Christian leaders have denounced it as heretical. One man told me that seeing the movie would be the equivalent of shooting heroin.
It think these folks are wearing their shorts much too tight. The film is an allegory. Any thinking person who has been through pain has had the same questions as Mack, and anyone who has read the Bible or other spiritual literature has pondered the same potential answers. I sincerely doubt that any film-goer is going to leave the theater thinking that he or she has actually seen God on screen, or heard God's thoughts about human tragedy. Rather, like any good allegory, the film sets us on our own path of spiritual exploration. That's a very good thing.
The plot is simple. Mack, (Sam Worthington), an American husband and father, suffers an unbearable loss. He and other family members sink into depression. One day, Mack receives an invitation to return to the shack, the site of the worst moment of Mack's life. He does return, and there he meets spiritual guides played by Octavia Spencer, Aviv Alush, Sumire Matsubara, Graham Greene, and Alice Braga (niece of Sonya Braga). Mack engages in conversation with these spiritual entities. He eventually returns to normal life with a changed outlook.
The film gets off to a rocky start. There is an unnecessary and amateurish voice-over narration by country music star Tim McGraw, who stars as Mack's friend. Otherwise, though, McGraw is excellent on screen, displaying an understated charisma and authenticity that are totally beyond the film's actual star, Sam Worthington. In fact I wish Tim McGraw had played Mack and Sam Worthington had played the best friend.
Too, there are many shifts in time in the opening scenes. There are flashbacks on top of flashbacks and a shocking crime that the movie never makes much use of. Once the movie gets started, about fifteen minutes in, it gets good.
Sam Worthington is okay as Mack. The thing is, his Australian accent is evident in virtually every word he speaks. Again, I wish the filmmakers had made McGraw the star.
Radha Mitchell is good looking but chilly as Mack's wife. She looks like a movie star, not like a wife, and that took away from the film for me.
The rest of the cast is excellent. Octavia Spencer is assigned to play an almost impossible part, and she handles it with great professionalism and depth. Aviv Alush is especially good. Moviegoers have waited a long time for a star like this to play this part, and he knocks it out of the park.
The production values are high. The scenery is lush. I was especially moved by how this family-friendly film handles the tragedy at the center of Mack's depression and alienation from God. The exact words are never used. Graphic images are never shown. Yet we know exactly what happened, and it breaks our hearts and causes us to ask the same questions that Mack asks.
Either you want to see a movie where an average man works out how to deal with unbearable tragedy or you don't. Me, I loved sitting there watching Mack wrestle with his pain and his faith. Many self- identified Christians hate this movie with a white hot hatred. Big name Christian leaders have denounced it as heretical. One man told me that seeing the movie would be the equivalent of shooting heroin.
It think these folks are wearing their shorts much too tight. The film is an allegory. Any thinking person who has been through pain has had the same questions as Mack, and anyone who has read the Bible or other spiritual literature has pondered the same potential answers. I sincerely doubt that any film-goer is going to leave the theater thinking that he or she has actually seen God on screen, or heard God's thoughts about human tragedy. Rather, like any good allegory, the film sets us on our own path of spiritual exploration. That's a very good thing.
Title: Watch The Shack Full Movie
Rating: 10 out of 10 based on 97,865 ratings. 97,865 user reviews.
Rating: 10 out of 10 based on 97,865 ratings. 97,865 user reviews.
