REVIEW: I really don’t want to go back to this ‘Shack’
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“The Shack” is an inspirational story about pain and forgiveness and one’s relationship with God. It’s a story about fathers and sons and guilt and grief. This movie will no doubt move many filmgoers and leave them thinking about their lives. So, what are people who aren’t religious or all that spiritual (like myself) supposed to make of this obviously Christian film?
I’ve decided that there’s no way I can write a regular review for “The Shack”. Instead, I want to break this movie down into three elements: the technical elements (the writing, direction, acting, etc.), the message of the movie and how it affected me personally. Hopefully I can pull this off in a way that allows me to honestly express how I felt about “The Shack” without ruffling too many feathers.
The Technical
This movie is a pretty sturdy construction. Not flawless, but very solidly made. The direction gets the story told. The writing isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s far from embarrassing. The acting, for the most part, is skilled without being overly flashy.
The movie looks gorgeous. I was especially struck by the use of color to visually illustrate the emotional state of the main character, Max (played by Sam Worthington). The movie has a number of stunningly beautiful settings.
That said, there are a few flaws. The biggest flaw is Sam Worthington. The role of Mack calls for an actor capable of emoting powerfully in front of a camera, but Worthington is not that guy. There are multiple emotional moments that are played with Worthington’s face obscured, and I have to believe it’s because Worthington couldn’t pull off those moments.
It’s also a very talky movie, especially for something that clocks in at over two hours. A lot of the story is carried in the dialogue, so there are many scenes of people talking in a two-shot. And the movie drags because of this.
The Message
“The Shack” unspools a story replete with themes about forgiveness, guilt and family. Unfortunately, it presents this message through lazy, manipulative storytelling and unsubtle metaphors. There’s one visual analogy involving a garden that’s so obvious, it actually made me mad.
The movie goes for low-hanging fruit like family tragedy to gather its emotional content. That’s pretty lazy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective. It even managed to get tears out of me, and my heart’s made out of gravel, dryer lint and old guitar strings.
How “The Shack” Affected Me
This may be hard to articulate …
“The Shack” made me sad and made me think, but it also made me feel somewhat exploited. It’s not because it’s a Christian movie. It’s not the message. It’s the fact that this is a big Hollywood movie, with big name actors, like Worthington and Octavia Spencer. It feels like an exploitation of the audience’s emotional state to make money.
Now, I know that all movies are exploitational to a certain point. All movies are made to make money. But most films don’t hide behind their message or try to trick their audience into thinking they’re anything other than a cash grab. “The Shack” felt disingenuous enough to make me uncomfortable.
“The Shack” left me conflicted. It’s not a bad movie, but it also left me feeling victimized in a way very few movies ever have. The best recommendation I can give is that this movie will mean something to a lot of people, and those will get something profound out of it. But for me, this isn’t a journey I feel willing to take ever again.