movie review the shack

Having sold upwards of ten million copies since making its debut in 2007, William P. Young ’s Christian-themed novel The Shack  has been one of the biggest publishing phenomena of the last decade. With figures like that, it was inevitable that a screen version would one day tap into that already-existing fanbase, while hopefully also tapping into audiences who had never picked up the book before. Though the end result may indeed satisfy fans of the book, newcomers might find themselves wondering what all the fuss is about as they watch this awkwardly-constructed work. “The Shack” wants to be a sincere exploration of faith and forgiveness but somehow manages to be both too innocuous and too off-putting for its own good.

Mack Phillips ( Sam Worthington ) has managed to overcome a rough childhood marked by the cruelties of a drunken and abusive father (Derek Hamilton). He now has a happy life with wife Nan ( Radha Mitchell ) and three kids, teenagers Kate ( Megan Charpentier ) and Josh ( Gage Munroe ), and adorable moppet Missy (Amelie Eve). That all comes crashing down when Mack takes the three kids on a camping trip—Nan stays behind to do work stuff—and Missy disappears after being left alone by Mack while he rescues his other kids from drowning in a canoeing mishap. It turns out that someone out there has been abducting and killing little girls, and although the police are able to track the suspect’s whereabouts to a remote, dilapidated shack, all that is found inside is some blood and Missy’s torn dress.

Time passes, but Mack is unable to get past the tragedy. It affects his relationships with the rest of his family, in a period described as “The Great Sadness.” One day, a mysterious note turns up in his mailbox asking him to come to that very same shack the next weekend and signed “Papa,” which just happens to be Nan’s pet nickname for God. When he gets there, he initially finds nothing, but, as he is getting ready to leave, the surroundings change from frigid nothingness to a lush, lovely environment and the shack is now a spiffy domicile housing a version of the Holy Trinity in which God—sorry, Papa—is an African-American woman ( Octavia Spencer ), Jesus ( Avraham Aviv Alush ) is a carpenter of Middle-Eastern descent and the Holy Spirit is represented as an Asian woman named Sarayu ( Sumire Matsubara ). Over the next three days, Mack opens up to the three of them in ways that allow him to mend his relationships with them, learn to forgive and gain some closure regarding Missy’s death.

Since its publication, “The Shack” has engendered a good deal of controversy within the Christian community for interpreting both the Bible and the Holy Trinity in ways that some consider to be heretical. Based on a viewing of the movie, I would label those charges to be nonsense; to be truly heretical would require a more cogent level of thinking than the awkward plotting and empty-headed New Agey koans offered up here. Granted, trying to put words into the mouth(s) of God would challenge even the finest writers, but couldn’t the ones assembled here have come up with something a little better than the banalities being presented here as eye-opening spiritual truths? As near as I can figure from the somewhat murky thinking on display, God is responsible for all the things that are good, pure and beautiful in the world but always seems to have an excuse when it comes to the uglier aspects of life. If one has the temerity to press this particular issue, as Mack understandably does, all he gets in return is a bunch of straw man arguments that pretend to answer his questions without actually doing so. Just as off-putting are the little things that are tossed in to make God seem more relatable to us, such as the moment where, out of nowhere, Papa reveals that she is a Neil Young fan. I would have forgiven this if it had led to Mack asking why she would allow that hideous album featuring all the songs about his car to exist.

For all of the pontificating on display, there is precious little in the way of a coherent narrative for anyone who does not already buy into “The Shack'”s way of thinking. Oh sure, there are plenty of plot details on display but the screenplay is more interested in just mentioning them than in really dealing with them. We are told about the estrangement Mack has with his family following Missy’s murder but aside from one very brief scene, we get no real sense of it. Possibly because to do any more might further underline the fact that it is the older daughter, who caused the canoe accident and is wracked with guilt over it, who should really be meeting with Papa and Co. instead of him. The film opens with a chronicle of a young Mack and his mother being beaten by his father that culminates with the suggestion that he straight-up murders the old man, only to never refer to it again; not only does Papa fail to bring it up during their conversations, his own dad, in spirit form, never mentions it while he is begging his son for forgiveness.

As “The Shack” plodded on (it clocks in at over two hours and makes you feel every one of those minutes), I found myself thinking more and more about “ Silence ,” the recent religious drama from Martin Scorsese that came and went through theaters a few weeks ago. Like “The Shack,” that film dealt with the kind of spiritual crisis that can develop when someone devotes their life to praying to a God that seems more interested in letting you suffer endlessly rather than answering those prayers. But “Silence” took its questions about spirituality and the nature of God seriously, resulting in a spellbinding film that even those without any sort of strong religious background might still find thought-provoking. “The Shack,” on the other hand, is little more than pabulum that invokes all the right words but fails to invest them with any kind of meaning that might allow it to mean something to those not already pre-disposed to liking it. Of course, thanks to the book’s extensive fanbase, there is an excellent chance that “The Shack” will make more money in its first weekend than “Silence” did in its entire run—a thought depressing enough to inspire spiritual crises in any number of moviegoers.

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

• Sumire Matsubara as Sarayu
• Tim McGraw as Willie
• Octavia Spencer as Papa / Elouisa
• Avraham Aviv Alush as Jesus
• Gage Munroe as Jose Phillips
• Graham Greene as Male Papa
• Radha Mitchell as Nan
• Megan Charpentier as Kate Phillips
• Sam Worthington as Mac Phillips
• Aaron Zigman
• Andrew Lanham
• Destin Cretton

Writer (based on the book by) (in collaboration with)

• Brad Cummings
• Wayne Jacobsen

Cinematographer

• Declan Quinn
• Stuart Hazeldine

Writer (based on the book by)

• William P. Young
• William Steinkamp

Leave a comment

Now playing.

The Last of the Sea Women

The Wild Robot

We Live in Time

Look Into My Eyes

The Front Room

Matt and Mara

The Thicket

The Mother of All Lies

The Paragon

Latest articles.

TIFF 2024: Table of Contents

TIFF 2024: Paying For It, Viktor, Mr. K

Everything the Light Touches: James Earl Jones (1931-2024)

TIFF 2024: The Room Next Door, Hard Truths

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

Film Review: ‘The Shack’

Octavia Spencer gets to play God in a faith-based drama about a suffering man's weekend encounter session with the Holy Trinity.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

• Kamala Harris Did What She Needed to Do. She Displayed the Force of a President — and Goaded Trump Into Revealing His Inner Frothing Crackpot 6 hours ago
• ‘Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’ Review: A Soulful Celebration of the Live-in-Concert Bruce, Past and Present 1 day ago
• ‘Eden’ Review: Ron Howard’s Historical ‘Thriller’ Strands Us on an Island With Characters Who Grow More Dislikable by the Minute 2 days ago

In most faith-based movie drama, God is a presence — that’s sort of the whole point — but He’s a barely visible, off-center one. He’s a character who influences events, but that doesn’t mean we see a man in a robe and a white beard. In “ The Shack ,” though, we really do — or, more precisely, we see Octavia Spencer , aglow with impish insight and beatific grins, as if she was on hand to give a message to Morgan Freeman: There’s a new God in town . Some members of the American Evangelical community are already up in arms over the portrayal, for reasons that are pretending not to be racist. But there’s no defense of their attack: To have any human actor portray God — Freeman, Charlton Heston, Whoopi Goldberg, George Burns — is, by definition, to present a metaphor for the undepictable. So why not Octavia Spencer?

Related Stories

First Paramount, Now SiriusXM: Can Warren Buffett’s Media Investments Be Trusted?

Disney-Reliance Entertainment Merger Approved by Indian Regulator, Law Tribunal

“The Shack,” based on the self-published 2007 blockbuster Christian novel by Canadian author William P. Young, tells the story of a reverential and robust family man, Mack Phillips ( Sam Worthington ), who suffers an unendurable tragedy. On a camping trip with his three children, he plunges into the lake to rescue his son from drowning — and though he saves him, during those crucial moments, when everyone on the camp grounds is gathered around, Mack’s youngest daughter, Missy (Amélie Eve), disappears. It turns out that she’s been abducted by a man the police have been hunting for five years, and before long evidence turns up that she’s been murdered.

Popular on Variety

The site of the atrocity is a shack in the woods that looks like a cross between the “Amityville” house and some sordid cabin out of “Friday the 13th.” For a while, “The Shack” looks like it’s going to be a queasy piece of Christian disaster porn. It is, sort of, but it’s really a Hallmark-card therapy session, a kind of woodland weekend-retreat self-actualization seminar hosted by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Who come off, in this case, like the featured celebrity guests on a very special episode of “Oprah.”

Mack is no stranger to pain (his father was such a mean drunk that, as a 13-year-old boy, Mack poisoned him), yet he has never lost his faith. His daughter — the one who was killed — grew up calling God by the nickname “Papa.” So Mack is somewhere between skepticism and awe when he pulls a letter out of the mailbox that’s been delivered with no apparent footprints in the snow. (Almost as miraculously, it was written on a typewriter from the ’70s.) The note says that it’s been a while, and that he should drop by the shack. It’s signed “Papa.”

He drops by the shack, which looks like a wintry frozen death scene, but then, just when he’s on the verge of giving up hope, along comes Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush) — or, as he comes off in this movie, a really friendly down-to-earth 2017 dude in stylish cropped curls . The snow suddenly — literally — melts away, as Mack is led to the shack: a summery refurbished version, like the bed-and-breakfast of your dreams. (Thou shalt not commit tasteless rustic décor.) It’s here that he meets the deity formerly known as Papa, played by Spencer as an endlessly benevolent matriarch of the universe who bakes biscuits and listens to reggae on her iPod, and whose attention is focused entirely on Mack, even though she’s got a lot on her plate (and I don’t just mean the exquisite breakfasts she presides over). She wants to help Mack heal. But to do that, he’s going to have to leave aside his agony and his anger. He’s going to have to forgive.

The strangest thing about “The Shack,” and the reason it’s finally a so-so movie, is that all the rage and terror and dark-side vengeance that Mack has to learn to transcend is something we’re told about, but we never actually see him mired in it. Sam Worthington, frankly, doesn’t seem like the sort of actor who gives good death wish anyway. He’s a wholesome hunk of earnestness, with no curlicues of anything offbeat. That’s why his movie stardom never worked out, and why he now seems all too right to play the hero of a cautious and soft-edged and squarely photographed bare-bones Christian psychodrama. Evangelicals, of course, are as complicated as anyone else — but unless they’re being portrayed by Robert Duvall, they rarely come off that way in commercial faith-based cinema. They’re like the grown-up heroes of Sunday-school fables.

And that’s just what “The Shack” is: a close encounter with God that’s like an instruction manual for those who prefer their faith mixed with sentimental teardrops. There’s an image of conservative Christianity as living on the opposite shore from Freudian therapy, but “The Shack” demonstrates how the two have merged. Mack must take a journey into the past to heal his demons, and to forgive the original sinner: his father. And he does it with the support of his new trio of counselor peeps: Jesus, the Messiah-as-mensch who teaches him how to walk on water (the movie’s one token supernatural touch); Sarayu, the Holy Ghost, played by the Japanese actress and model Sumira, who seems to be on hand mostly to round out the ethnicity of the cast; and Spencer’s Papa/God, who’s so jolly and benign that she makes the embrace of faith seem like sunshine and lollipops. The movie’s message is, “Have no fear! God truly is right here with you.” All that’s missing is a weekend spa treatment.

“The Shack” has a real chance to connect commercially, because even though its drama is mushy, at heart it’s a bit of a theme-park ride: the movie in which you get to know what it’s like to hang out with God and make friends with Jesus. In life, religion isn’t nearly so reassuring. It’s daunting, and our culture is starved for films that portray religious feeling in a way that’s both reverent and truthful. “The Shack” isn’t one of them; it reduces faith to a kind of spiritual comfort food. But thanks, in part, to movies like this one, maybe that’s what faith is on its way to becoming.

Reviewed at Magno, New York, February 28, 2017. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 132 MIN.

• Production: A Summit Entertainment release of a Gil Netter, Windblown Media production. Producers: Gil Netter, Brad Cummings. Executive producer: Mike Drake.
• Crew: Director: Stuart Hazeldine. Screenplay: John Fusco, Andrew Lanham, Destin Cretton. Camera (color, widescreen): Declan Quinn. Editor: William Steinkamp.  
• With: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Avraham Aviv Alush, Radha Mitchell, Alice Braga, Graham Greene, Tim McGraw, Sumire, Amélie Eve, Megan Charpentier, Gage Munroe.

More from Variety

High-Resolution 8K Has Its Places, but TV Might Not Be One of Them

Summer Box Office Success Stories Weren’t Just Tentpoles

More from our brands, elon musk threatens taylor swift after harris endorsement: ‘i will give you a child’.

Rocker Ronnie Radke Has Rolled Into a $9 Million Modern Barnhouse in L.A.

U.S. Soccer Officially Hires Pochettino as Men’s Head Coach

The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists

Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris for President Following ABC News Debate, Calls Her a ‘Steady-Handed, Gifted Leader’ — Read Statement

Advertisement

Supported by

Review: A Crisis of Faith and a Trip to God’s B&B in ‘The Shack’

• Share full article

By Neil Genzlinger

• March 2, 2017

First things first: “The Shack,” a Christian-themed movie with laudable ambitions, will resonate with lots of people who feel Hollywood does not generally understand or care about their world. That said, a bit more editing to remove some of the airiness would have made for a better film.

The movie, based on William P. Young’s best seller and directed by Stuart Hazeldine, is about the spiritual journey of Mack (Sam Worthington), whose youngest child is abducted and murdered while he is watching over her and her two siblings on a camping trip.

Mack wallows in grief and survivor’s guilt, as well as anger, much of which is directed at God. Then a mysterious note from Papa — his wife’s pet name for the Almighty — invites him to revisit the remote shack where the police believe his child was killed. There he meets the divine trinity of some Christian faiths: Papa ( Octavia Spencer ), his son (Avraham Aviv Alush) and the Holy Spirit (Sumire).

Many faith-based films settle for a Jesus-loves-me climax without digging far into theological matters. This one at least asks the difficult questions. It’s at its best when Mack is grilling Papa on matters like why she allows children to be murdered.

“Stop talking in riddles,” he admonishes her after yet another vague answer.

She never really does. Not to be sacrilegious, but as a film character, Papa doesn’t have a lot of depth; for much of the movie it’s as if Mack has stumbled into a very nice bed-and-breakfast and God is the universe’s most benevolent innkeeper.

And so as the film passes the two-hour mark, it begins to feel as if it’s treading water. People of faith already know that there are no cut-and-dried answers to the kinds of questions Mack is asking. The intended audience here, though, will at least come away with plenty of fodder for postviewing discussion groups.

Not rated. Running time: 2 hours 12 minutes.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack." A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack." A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack."

• Stuart Hazeldine
• Andrew Lanham
• Destin Daniel Cretton
• Sam Worthington
• Octavia Spencer
• 481 User reviews
• 106 Critic reviews
• 32 Metascore
• 3 wins & 2 nominations

Top cast 44

• Mack Phillips

• Nan Phillips

• Kate Phillips

• Josh Phillips
• Missy Phillips
• (as Amelie Eve)

• Jesus Christ

• Holy Spirit (Sarayu)

• Emil Ducette

• Emily Ducette
• Amber Ducette

• Vicki Ducette

• Mack's Dad
• Mack's Mom

• Young Mack Phillips
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia In 2005, William P. Young was working three jobs and living in a 900-square-foot apartment with his wife and four of his six children after losing his home to bankruptcy. He started writing a novel during his daily 40-minute train commute, hoping to express his feelings about God to his children, since he couldn't afford to buy holiday gifts. He expected his family and maybe a few friends to read it. The book sold over 20 million copies.
• Goofs It's hard to imagine that FBI agents would invite a grieving parent to the scene where his abducted daughter was assaulted or killed, leaving behind her blood and dress.

Papa : Pain robs you of joy, and the capacity to love.

• Connections Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Octavia Spencer/John Lithgow/Luke Bryan (2017)
• Soundtracks Nothing But The Blood of Jesus Traditional Performed by the ScreenMusic Choir Courtesy of the Chicago Music Library

User reviews 481

• missrachelsch
• Mar 5, 2017
• How long is The Shack? Powered by Alexa
• March 3, 2017 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official Instagram
• Ngôi Lều Huyền Bí
• Cultus Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada
• Summit Entertainment
• Netter Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $20,000,000 (estimated)
• $57,386,418
• $16,172,119
• $96,942,115

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 12 minutes
• Dolby Digital

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 78% Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Link to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• 94% Rebel Ridge Link to Rebel Ridge
• 96% Red Rooms Link to Red Rooms

New TV Tonight

• 59% Emily in Paris: Season 4
• 20% Three Women: Season 1
• -- Universal Basic Guys: Season 1
• -- My Brilliant Friend: Story of the Lost Child: Season 4
• -- The Old Man: Season 2
• 83% How to Die Alone: Season 1
• -- Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Season 1
• -- The Circle: Season 7
• -- Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father: Season 1
• -- In Vogue: The 90s: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 59% The Perfect Couple: Season 1
• 77% Kaos: Season 1
• 84% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• 97% English Teacher: Season 1
• 100% Slow Horses: Season 4
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• 95% Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 95% Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Link to Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Toronto Film Festival 2024: Movie Scorecard

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Movie Re-Release Calendar 2024: Your Guide to Movies Back In Theaters

Weekend Box Office: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Scores Second-Highest September Opening Ever

• Trending on RT
• Best Horror Movies
• Top 10 Box Office
• Toronto Film Festival
• Free Movies on YouTube

The Shack Reviews

Essentially a parable at its core, like the book, the film challenges traditional Christian viewpoints, notably in the visual interpretation of God.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 30, 2019

The Shack is as graceless as its monosyllabic title.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Oct 5, 2019

The Shack is far from profound or thought provoking, but it's not as harmful or hurtful to outsiders as most doctrinally centered films tend to be.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 20, 2018

The Shack isn't going to change any minds or bring the unfaithful closer to God, but it'll preach to the choir in its sappy, inoffensive manner.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 31, 2018

A joyless cheesy Christian faith -based drama that might not even appeal to mice.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Aug 23, 2018

Playing like an afternoon TV movie made by a God channel, this has to be the strangest film of the year.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | Aug 23, 2018

Here is a new propaganda exhibition of pseudo-Christian cinema... [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/5 | Oct 6, 2017

... it seems that we are facing a perfect symptom of that supermarket spirituality that already has a large supply in the publishing market.

Full Review | Oct 6, 2017

The Shack does address the questions of a grieving and bitter father in need of healing through its theological references.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 20, 2017

Perhaps there are Christians who will appreciate The Shack's Oprahfied universal heaven, wherein no bad deed goes punished. But it made us pine for the Book of Job God to spitefully hurl leviathans and behemoths.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 28, 2017

The film deals in starkly spiritual terms with the issues of loss, hatred and forgiveness, and raises a lot of common questions about who's side God is on...In a brave performance, Worthington brings a salty edge to his character.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jun 27, 2017

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jun 12, 2017

A few of the discussions are quite knotty, but the whole thing is still too steeped in American mawkishness to have a chance with anyone unpersuaded by that form of worship.

Making a sincere film about religious faith is a tricky thing to pull off. And this folksy dose of misguided manipulation demonstrates many of the common pitfalls.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jun 11, 2017

Touchy-feely New Age therapy runs headlong into evangelical Christianity in The Shack.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 9, 2017

To approach spirituality on screen and maintain a sense of enchantment is a hurdle many a filmmaker have fallen over - and it's one that Stuart Hazeldine has struggled with.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jun 9, 2017

This is more of a sermon than a movie, so its appeal will very much depend on where you stand on that kind of thing.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 8, 2017

It's a film that asks the right questions, but the answers aren't really dramatically persuasive.

Good intentions, but far too earnest to appeal to anyone beyond those who believe you can fight a true crisis of the soul with a campfire and some Kumbaya.

Despite the coolest deity casting since Dogma's Alanis Morrisette, this faith-based fantasy won't win over many non-believers or cinematic admirers.

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘the shack’: film review.

A grieving man is counseled by the Holy Trinity in 'The Shack,' an allegorical drama starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer.

By Sheri Linden

Sheri Linden

Senior Copy Editor/Film Critic

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Send an Email
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

With The Shack , a numbingly earnest Easter-season offering, Octavia Spencer joins the ranks of performers who have played God. Hers is a Supreme Being with none of the winking, kvetching or bossiness we’ve seen in versions rendered by Morgan Freeman, George Burns, Ralph Richardson and Alanis Morissette , to name a few. The warm, maternal “Papa” portrayed by Spencer is all loving magnanimity — the movie is, like the publishing-phenomenon novel on which it’s based, essentially a theodicy , or defense of God’s goodness. 

And given that William Paul Young’s book has sold many millions of copies, Lionsgate can expect an eager flock in theaters; fans will want to see how the story of a grief-crippled man’s weekend-long encounter with the Almighty translates to the big screen. For those who come to the material not as devotees, that translation unfolds with a Bible-study-meets-Esalen awkwardness. It’s hard to imagine the feature generating the same word-of-mouth that turned a self-published story into an international best-seller. 

Release date: Mar 03, 2017

With its sparkly spin on the New Testament, the film will be too New Agey for those who hew closely to doctrine (some conservative Christians have criticized the novel as a work of misguided heresy). But beyond theological debates, the feature is a leaden, belabored affair. However universal the perennial questions and struggles that The Shack illuminates, under Stuart Hazeldine’s plodding direction, its faith-based brand of self-help feels like being trapped in someone else’s spiritual retreat — in real time. 

Related Stories

How mark burnett and roma downey will target faith-based audiences with mgm's light tv.

Hazeldine , whose only previous feature is the 2009 psychological thriller Exam , bungles crucial transitions, especially in the early sequences that shift between past and present to set up the story of Mackenzie Phillips ( Sam Worthington ). A married father of three in Oregon, Mack has succumbed to a “great sadness” when he receives a mysterious note inviting him to the mountain shack where his youngest daughter, Missy ( Amelie Eve), was murdered after being abducted during a camping trip. The note is signed “Papa,” as his wife, Nan ( Radha Mitchell), likes to call God. Nan, we’re told in the voiceover narration by Mack’s neighbor Willie ( Tim McGraw ), has a strong and abiding relationship with God — which presumably accounts for her preternatural calm in the direst of circumstances. 

In the depths of winter, the uninhabited shack still bears the stains of Missy’s blood. But before long the suicidal Mack finds himself welcomed into a sun-washed glen, the kind of place where brutality and suffering are unimaginable. Filled with ferns, spring flowers and chirping birds, it has a Disney-cartoon sheen and is occupied by the Holy Trinity: Spencer’s biscuit-baking, African-American “Papa” (“I have a lot of names”); the Middle Eastern carpenter Jesus ( Avraham Aviv Alush , an Israeli actor in his first English-language role); and Sarayu (Japanese pop star Sumire ), a spirit of creativity in the form of an Asian woman who gardens and collects tears in delicate little bottles. 

There’s a scented-candle, lifestyle aspect to the lessons that ensue. Determined to heal Mack and resolve his doubts about God’s love, the Trinity, in their flowy Eileen Fisher–ish neutrals and comfy Pottery Barn cottage, are infinitely kind and patient, and mostly insufferable for it. As Sophia, or wisdom personified, Alice Braga dispenses a slightly tougher form of love, but one that’s no less maddening in its sermon-y monotone. 

Hazeldine and his design team clearly wanted to cast these supernatural encounters in a super-relatable light, an approach that’s echoed in the screenplay. Credited to three screenwriters (John Fusco , Andrew Lanham and Destin Cretton ), the adaptation interweaves the homespun clichés of Willie’s narration around the main event: a series of colloquies that tackle timeless questions about the nature of evil, the power of forgiveness and humankind’s place in the universe. 

The view of a personal God as a gender-fluid shape-shifter ( Graham Greene appears as a male version of Papa) will be inspiring to some, anathema to others. The same goes for the multicultural Trinity. In its stereotype-trafficking way, The Shack challenges narrow conceptions of what a Christian (and perhaps, by extension, an American) looks or sounds like. It’s not the film’s ideas that are its problem, but the heavy-handed literalness with which they’re explored. 

There’s a little-boy openness to Worthington’s features that suits the role of Mack, a man understandably struggling with a lifetime’s worth of loss and guilt, but there’s only so much he can do with material so lacking in subtlety. Spencer, who can say more with a glance than most, radiates the requisite affection, however contrived the setup. She delivers a piercing moment of compassion in a flashback to Mack’s troubled childhood, and a priceless quip in one of the film’s rare instances of humor. 

Visually, Mack’s sacred encounters are pretty but never soul-stirring, even with ace cinematographer Declan Quinn on hand. (Among Quinn’s many credits are a couple of Jonathan Demme’s documentaries on Neil Young, which might explain why the musician gets an ain’t-I-hip shout-out from Papa.) Hazeldine leaves the potential dramatic power of the natural setting — shooting took place primarily in Vancouver — mostly unfulfilled. 

The movie’s only truly affecting encounter is a brief, direct and visually unadorned exchange between Mack and his older daughter, Kate (Megan Charpentier ), who has been at least as wracked by pain and self-reproach over Missy’s death as Mack. Otherwise, from Missy’s precociously discerning questions about God to the constant coaxing of Aaron Zigman’s score to a strained depiction of “closure” between Mack and his abusive father (Derek Hamilton), what should be deeply touching is merely forced. McGraw’s voiceover may assure us that “you’ll have to decide for yourself.” But room for contemplation is nowhere to be found in The Shack .

Production companies: Summit Entertainment, Gil Netter Productions, Windblown Media, TIK Films Distributor: Lionsgate /Summit Cast: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Avraham Aviv Alush , Radha Mitchell, Alice Braga , Graham Greene, Tim McGraw, Sumire , Amelie Eve, Megan Charpentier , Gage Munroe , Derek Hamilton Director: Stuart Hazeldine Screenwriters: John Fusco , Andrew Lanham , Destin Cretton Based on the book by William Paul Young, in collaboration with Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings Producers: Gil Netter, Brad Cummings Executive producers: Mike Drake, Qiuyun Long Director of photography: Declan Quinn Production designer: Joseph Nemec Costume designers: Stacy Caballero , Karin Nosella Editor: William Steinkamp Composer: Aaron Zigman Casting: Deborah Aquila , Tricia Wood  

Rated PG-13, 132 minutes

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Tiff: paul anka sings “my way” at toronto doc premiere dinner, tiff: peta activist disrupts pharrell williams biopic premiere in toronto, toronto: jude law shines as a haunted lawman in ‘the order,’ could land first oscar nom in 21 years, ‘heretic’ review: hugh grant’s chilling performance gives religious horror film some sinister edge, documentary ‘russians at war’ sparks protest, heated debate in toronto, toronto: brazilian pic ‘i’m still here’ pops at fest, could strongly contend for international feature oscar.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

The Shack : EW review

Even for an earnest, schmaltzy faith-based melodrama, Stuart Halzeldine’s The Shack is pretty shameless in its goal of wringing moviegoers’ tears out of the death of an innocent child. It’s one of those movies where you’ll either decide to give in right away and sob for two hours straight or opt to fight it while your resentment slowly simmers to a rolling boil. Based on William Paul Young’s bestselling novel, the film stars Avatar ’s Sam Worthington as Mack, a lapsed churchgoer, devoted husband, and doting father of three kids. During a camping trip with his children, Sam’s youngest is abducted and murdered. Afterwards, he’s a devastated shell of his former self, inconsolable and unreachable by his adoring wife (Radha Mitchell) and best friend (Tim McGraw)—both of whom find the spiritual balm they need in God. But Mack gave up looking for answers in the Bible long ago. He’s flying solo through life, white-knuckling it without a spiritual copilot.

Wrestling with survivor’s guilt and wallowing in grief, Mack receives a mysterious note in his mailbox from “Papa,” the name his wife gives to God. Papa is inviting him to the shack deep in the woods where his daughter was killed. Is this a prank from someone with a sick sense of humor? Or could it be the real deal? Mack is emotionally desperate enough to head up to the snowy woods and find out. Once there, he meets a trio of divine Christian figures who take him to a beautifully appointed lake house: There’s Papa (Octavia Spencer, all folksy sun tea and smiles); her son (Avraham Aviv Alush, apparently playing Jesus as a strapping Semitic outdoorsman); and the Holy Spirit (Japanese actress Sumire, who radiates beatific, soothing calm). They’ve summoned Mack to answer his questions, settle his doubts, and soothe his soul. But really, more than anything, to allow him to forgive himself.

As he walks the heavenly grounds of what looks like a Thomas Kinkade painting come to life, Mack cycles through emotions. He’s skeptical, he’s angry, he’s confused, he’s resigned, and ultimately, he’s at peace. He finally gets right with God, convinced that his dead child is happy in the next life. It’s hard to argue with spiritual movies that are as well-intentioned as The Shack is. There are a few moments that are genuinely touching and heartwarming enough to put a lump in even the most reluctant moviegoer’s throat. But there’s also something about the film that leaves a sour aftertaste. Its answers are offered up too easy. They’re too spoon-fed and trite. It makes light of the grueling process of grieving for a loved one. Just have faith, the movie says, and you too will be at peace. All that’s missing in the film’s bucolic spiritual way-station is a cornfield. Don’t worry, though, there’s more than enough corn elsewhere in the movie. C­­–

Related Articles

The Shack Review

09 Jun 2017

132 minutes

A theory: if God really is Octavia Spencer, then Christianity would be even more of a thing. In a time of crisis, Octavia Spencer kneading dough in the kitchen, wiping your tears and telling you everything is going to be fine is exactly what you want, if you really think about it. And it’s exactly what Mack (Worthington) gets after finding a note in his mailbox, from what he assumes is his daughter’s killer playing a cruel joke. Returning to the shack where she was killed in the hopes of a confrontation, he instead finds three mysterious strangers who want to help him out of his slump by smiling knowingly at him for 132 minutes.

The “crisis of faith” plot can produce some of the greatest movies there are, and they needn’t be religious: if they have heart you can suspend your own disbelief in God because a crisis of faith is a crisis of self. It’s a broken man on a bridge thinking the world is better off without him. But even when Mack has a gun in his mouth, even as a man reduced to talking like a sad Bane, The Shack never reaches a point where you feel something real.

Worthington gives us nothing to reveal the true internal horror of a man lost, and all we get is Hallmark approximations of healing. It’s like the Lifetime channel remade It’s a Wonderful Life using TV evangelist clichés and stock-image photos from Christian leaflets handed out in the street. If The Shack has anything to offer you it’s probably the relief you feel after walking out of two hours of this overly long film. It washes over you as if you were touched by God.

Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

• DVD & Streaming

Content Caution

In Theaters

• March 3, 2017
• Sam Worthington as Mack Phillips; Octavia Spencer as Papa; Radha Mitchell as Nan Phillips; Megan Charpentier as Kate Phillips; Gage Munroe as Josh Phillips; Amélie Eve as Missy Phillips; Tim McGraw as Willie; Avraham Aviv Alush as Jesus; Sumire Matsubara as Sarayu; Alice Braga as Sophia; Graham Greene as Male Papa

Home Release Date

• May 30, 2017
• Stuart Hazeldine

Distributor

Positive Elements   |   Spiritual Elements   |   Sexual & Romantic Content   |   Violent Content   |   Crude or Profane Language   |   Drug & Alcohol Content   |   Other Noteworthy Elements   | Conclusion

Movie Review

Mackenzie “Mack” Phillips is a normal guy. He’s married, has three children and lives in a middle-class house in the suburbs. He’s a devoted husband and a caring dad. What’s more, he’s a churchgoing man.

Now, Mack would be the first to tell you that his relationship with God is nowhere close to that of his wife, Nan’s. She has something special going with God that he can’t relate to. She calls Him Papa instead of God, for starters. And it’s not just Nan’s name for the Almighty that’s unusually intimate. She also talks “to God like an old friend.”

As for Mack, well, his relationship with God is decidedly more distant. Still, he occupies a pew on Sundays even if he doesn’t participate much. That oughta count for something, right? And his best friend, Willie, is a faithful follower of Christ, one who has a knack for helping Mack stay in the fight when he’s struggling spiritually.

For all that, though, Mack’s not really a “normal” guy at all, however we might understand that term. He’s got baggage. Lots of baggage.

Mack struggles with memories of his drunk, abusive father beating his mother. When Mack responds to an altar call at church one day as a youth, it’s not to accept Christ, but to tell the pastor how his father beats his mother. That revelation, however, leads to Mack’s dad tying him to a tree, brutally whipping him, and leaving him in a storm all night.

No wonder Mack’s got some father issues he’s still working through. Then comes the tragedy that rocks Mack’s world as an adult.

Mack and his kids are going camping. Nothing unusual about that. Just s’mores, campfire songs and a little canoeing. Until, that is, the two oldest Phillips children, Kate and Josh, have a life-threatening boating accident. And in those few precious minutes of rescue and resuscitation, the unthinkable happens: Mack and Nan’s youngest daughter, Missy, is abducted. Eventually, authorities find Missy’s blood-stained dress at a shack in the vicinity.

But they never find their littlest girl. And so the four remaining members of the Phillips family begin their grieving.

Then one winter day sometime later, Mack discovers an envelope in his mailbox. Strangely, there are no tracks leading to it through the snow. Stranger still is the message inside, inviting Mack to come up to “the shack” where Missy was killed, signed “Papa.”

Whose sick joke is this? Mack wonders. He tries to pin it on Willie, but his friend denies he had anything to do with it. But Willie is willing to go with his friend to the cabin. In fact, they can even use his four-wheel drive to bust through the drifts. And so, Willie faithfully shows up, his Bronco loaded with supplies.

But Mack has another idea: He’s going to the shack alone to solve this mystery—and perhaps deal with his debilitating guilt and his shipwrecked faith—once and for all.

Positive Elements

The Shack is about one man’s redemption, on a number of different levels: spiritual (more on that below), relational and familial. There’s not a single relationship in Mack’s life that’s not deeply impacted by what transpires when he reaches the shack.

After Missy’s abduction and murder, Mack retreats within to deal with the pain. But his wife lovingly, bravely confronts his self-focus, saying, “Don’t forget we love each other.” It’s a statement that underscores the importance of a husband and wife maintaining loving communication when going through difficult times.

After Mack’s encounter with God at the shack, he learns that Kate feels responsible for her sister’s kidnapping. Mack and Kate ultimately mourn together, with father reassuring daughter that she’s not to blame for what happened to her sister.

Spiritual Elements

Although it’s winter at the shack at first, eventually the season turns to summer. The snow is gone. Flowers bloom. Birds sing. And a cabin in this supernatural setting seems to be calling Mack’s name.

The cabin is tidy, fresh, warm and cozy. And it’s there Mack encounters the Trinity in human form. Papa (God) appears in the form of a middle-aged black woman. Papa tells Mack that the appearance is because the wounded man isn’t ready to deal with a fatherly God just yet, given what Mack endured with his earthly dad. (Later God appears as a male Inuit when Papa feels he might need more of a Father for a difficult task.)

Jesus, for His part, looks like a young Jewish man with a big beard and a bigger smile. He uses His carpentry skills to build something important for Mack’s healing. The Holy Spirit, meanwhile, who’s called Sarayu , appears as a tall, slender Asian female.

And thus begins Mack’s fantastical spiritual journey, with the members of the Trinity playing different roles in helping Mack process his grief, his doubt, his rage, his shaken faith. (Of course, some viewers will have concerns about the human, and also female, representations of the Trinity, pointing to the Second Commandment’s prohibition against making any image of God.)

Papa tells Mack, “It’s here you got stuck”—referring to his daughter’s death. And God is intent on getting Mack un stuck. Mack’s dialogue with Papa revolves around perennial questions of the faith: How can a benevolent God allow evil? Does God abandon His people in times of need? Should evildoers be forgiven? Should a man be judge and jury of those who have wronged him? Does God orchestrate tragedy? Does forgiveness of a great wrong happen instantly, or does it often occur over time?

Elsewhere, Jesus has Mack first walking, then running, on water. Jesus reminds Mack, as He did with Peter, to keep his eyes on Him. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit takes Mack to a rather unruly patch of garden. Although it’s beautiful to a point, this tangled collection of colorful plants needs pruning, tending and shaping. She tells Mack that the garden “is you.”

An entity who describes herself as Wisdom (referenced metaphorically in Proverbs as a woman) gives Mack a chance to see that Missy is alive in a heavenly place where Jesus dwells. This realization gives him the strength to move to his next challenges, both involving forgiveness. The first involves a reunion with his departed father, who apologizes for his treatment of Mack on earth. Later, Mack is invited to forgive his daughter’s killer.

Mack also finds a Gideon Bible. And it’s clear that Scripture is treated as the source of truth and revelation.

With so much theological ground covered in this film, it’s not surprising there are a few missteps. For instance, God’s loving, forgiving nature is emphasized and reemphasized. And that emphasis on God’s immanence —his intimate nearness, as theologians define that term—isn’t counterbalanced by that other aspect of God’s character as revealed in Scripture: His transcendence , a word that encompasses His holiness, and the fact that He is wholly other from His creation. Admittedly, it’s a difficult paradox to get our finite human heads around; but it’s a paradox that Scripture nonetheless gives us.

When Mack asks Papa whether those who sin will be punished, Papa replies, “Sin is its own punishment.” That response tends to psychologize sin and minimizes the reality that those who die without a relationship with Christ will face judgment and hell for their sinful choices, according to Scripture. So the film emphasizes God’s love and grace without dealing with the paradoxical reality of His holiness and wrath, the latter word being used 95 times in the New and Old Testaments. (Mack says at one point that he wishes his daughter’s killer would go to hell, but the film never really delves into why someone could or would end up in that place.)

Another theologically problematic moment comes when Papa tells Mack that He did not abandon Jesus on the cross, despite the fact that Jesus Himself said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Papa’s statement in the film fails to recognize that Jesus not only carried mankind’s sin, but, according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, Jesus actually became sin. Because God the Father is holy, when Jesus took on humanity’s sin at Calvary, the Father did forsake Christ (until redemption was accomplished soon thereafter).

Before his encounter with God, Mack tells his children (mostly his youngest daughter) a legend-like story of an Indian princess who jumped off a cliff to save her people. In it, Mack refers to God as the “Great Spirit.” That prompts Missy to ask, “Jesus dying is a legend?” to which dad replies, “It’s in the Bible, it must be true” even though he may not really believe that … yet. The daughter goes on to ask, “Is God mean?” explaining that her question is based upon the fact that “He asked Jesus to die.”

In addition to those two acknowledgments of Christ’s death, Papa’s wrists bear the scars of crucifixion. The Holy Spirit also bears similar wrist scars. Although perhaps it’s meant to show how the Father and Spirit identified with the Son’s torturous death, it could lead some filmgoers to incorrectly believe that the Father (and Spirit?) died when only Jesus, in fact, did.

Despite those theological missteps, however, there’s no doubt here that God: • Loves people, even deeply flawed people who aren’t yet in a relationship with Him; • Is Trinitarian by nature; • Is sovereign and cares deeply for those who’ve gone through severe tragedies; • Does not abandon His loved ones during difficult times; • Desires reconciliation with those who don’t know Him; • Offers hope even in the most hopeless of situations; • Offers forgiveness that can change a human heart; • Knows the future; • Is good (Papa tells Mack, “Your big [problem] is you don’t think I’m good”); • Is omnipresent; • And can do “incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies.”

By the time the credits roll, Mack is a different person. His encounter with God has changed him and birthed real faith in God.

Sexual & Romantic Content

None, though there’s the strong suggestion of a sexual assault of a young girl.

Violent Content

The story revolves around young Missy’s abduction, murder and presumed sexual assault. (Near film’s end, we see the young girl’s body being placed in a casket.)

In a moment of desperation, Mack points a revolver at his head before he’s (providentially) interrupted by a noisy deer. It’s also implied that Mack, as a teen, poisoned his father (killing him) before running away from home, a choice that’s haunted Mack his entire life.

Elsewhere, Mack hits his head; there’s a capsized canoe (and a moment of peril for Mack’s middle daughter); a car crashes (mostly off-camera).

Crude or Profane Language

Mack says, “Oh, my God,” only to apologize the Trinity.

Drug & Alcohol Content

Mack’s father is an abusive drunk, something the film depicts as evil and immoral, and yet also forgivable.

Other Noteworthy Elements

There’s never any suggestion that Mack plans to turn himself in to the authorities for poisoning his father as boy. He also lies to his wife and steals his friend’s truck (albeit only temporarily, of course).

Papa enjoys listening to songs by Neil Young and never offers any caveats for such troubling tunes as “Down by the River” (which involves a confession by a man that he apparently murdered his girlfriend: “I shot my baby/Down by the river/Dead, oh, shot her dead”).

Like the book it’s based upon, this cinematic story about a grieving man encountering God is almost certain to stir up controversy among Christians. Focus on the Family’s website Boundless published a review of the book in 2008 that illustrated how believers were responding quite differently to the story:

“Where Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver says [the book] ‘has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim Progress did for his,’ Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary says, ‘This book includes undiluted heresy.’ [And] singer songwriter Michael W. Smith says ‘ The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God.'”

Whether Peterson, Mohler and Smith will take similar views about the film remains to be seen. But there’s no doubt that mature believers on both sides of the aisle will have different perspectives regarding the theological merits and flaws of this film. Some will see its missteps as reason to steer clear. Others will see the things it gets right as an opportunity to challenge nonbelievers’ understanding about who God is. Still others, especially those who’ve grown up spiritually in harsh or legalistic environments, may be invited to view God in a more healing way—just as happened to Mack himself.

All that said, this film has a lot going for it. A man who loses one of his children understandably questions where God was during that tragedy. It’s a question that has been asked since the beginning of time. It’s the reason behind the book of Job. And yet, as in Job, the answer is more, “I am God; trust in me,” rather than, “I am God; I owe you an explanation.” What filmgoers do get is that God cares. He loves deeply and unconditionally. He wants to heal our woundedness. And He can do so when we let Him.

And who is this God according to The Shack? First, who He’s not: He’s not a cosmic force devoid of personality or power. He’s not a galactic killjoy who smirks when we feel pain. He’s not just our conscience either. No, in The Shack , God is the great “I Am” (actually stated in the film). He’s Trinitarian in nature (a hard concept to grasp and teach verbally, in print or on film). The second person of that Trinity was (and is) fully God and fully man. He can walk on water and controls the elements. The Holy Spirit sees our messy “garden” of a life and wants to bring order from the chaos.

The Shack delivers significant messages about God in a world desperately looking and longing for answers. Does this story provoke valid, even significant theological concerns? Clearly, it does. But just as Mack was led in the film to discover more about God in his Gideon Bible, hopefully movie goers will respond the same way to the big-screen adaptation of The Shack .

Bob Waliszewski

Latest reviews.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The Front Room

Weekly Reviews Straight to your Inbox!

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Help Kids Build Character Strengths with Quality Media

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 24 Reviews
• Kids Say 15 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Sentimental faith-based adaptation explores grief, healing.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Shack is based on author William P. Young's best-selling (but controversial) faith-based book. Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) doubts the existence of God after his daughter is kidnapped and killed, but he ends up having a life-changing experience: He spends the weekend with…

Why Age 12+?

A brother and sister end up overboard from their canoe; the boy gets stuck under

Ford Bronco, Ford Explorer, Toyota, Starcraft Starflyer Pop Up Camper, Coleman l

Married couple embraces, hold hands, kisses.

"What the heck," "idiots," "oh my god."

Any Positive Content?

Inspiring messages about asking for and seeking help and counsel and making sure

Despite his crisis of faith, Mack is a good man who cares about his family. Will

Violence & Scariness

A brother and sister end up overboard from their canoe; the boy gets stuck underneath it and is drowning -- he survives but requires CPR. Missy goes missing and is never found but is presumed dead when her bloody dress is found in a known kidnapper's hidden shack in the woods. Mack cries and sobs. A dead child's body is shown for the briefest of moments. Her body is shrouded and buried.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Ford Bronco, Ford Explorer, Toyota, Starcraft Starflyer Pop Up Camper, Coleman lantern.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Inspiring messages about asking for and seeking help and counsel and making sure to process grief in a healthy way instead of allowing it to consume you. Also messages about the power of forgiveness and redemption and the corrosive nature of judgment, anger, fear, and blame. For people of faith, there are messages about God always being with you, even during the hardest times and even when you don't think God is there. Also the comforting message that God is good and a power of love and that even when the unthinkable happens, it's not because God wanted or orchestrated those horrors/evils upon humans.

Positive Role Models

Despite his crisis of faith, Mack is a good man who cares about his family. Willie is a kind and selfless neighbor. The Holy Trinity is, of course, portrayed positively, seeing as they are God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit -- all wanting to show Mack how much they love him and helping him reflect and make necessary steps to heal and be the father and husband he wants to be. Nan is a supportive and loving mother and wife.

Parents need to know that The Shack is based on author William P. Young's best-selling (but controversial) faith-based book. Mack Phillips ( Sam Worthington ) doubts the existence of God after his daughter is kidnapped and killed, but he ends up having a life-changing experience: He spends the weekend with the Holy Trinity, as personified by three people (including Octavia Spencer ). There's no iffy language, drinking/smoking, or sex, but there are some disturbing scenes. Two children nearly drown while camping -- one requires CPR -- and a young girl goes missing and is presumed dead. The movie has inspiring messages about everything from seeking help/counsel to processing grief in a healthy way to the power of forgiveness. That said, the ideas related to God's role in people's lives will particularly resonate with Christians/those open to faith-based questions. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (24)
• Kids say (15)

Based on 24 parent reviews

Trigger Warning child harm and violence

I was skeptical..., what's the story.

Based on William P. Young's best-selling but controversial faith-based novel, THE SHACK tells the story of grieving father Mack Phillips ( Sam Worthington ). During a camping trip with his three children, Mack's youngest daughter, Missy, is abducted during a terrifying moment when his older children go overboard from their canoe. Missy is later presumed dead when her bloody dress is found in a backwoods shack. Months later, Sam receives a mysterious invitation in his mailbox to spend a time with "Papa" (his wife and children's nickname for God) at The Shack, something Sam at first thinks is simply a sick joke. Eventually he decides to return to the shack and winds up in the presence of Papa, a kind African-American woman ( Octavia Spencer ); Jesus, a Middle Eastern carpenter (Avraham Aviv Alush), and the Holy Spirit "Sarayu," a willowy Asian gardener (Sumire). During his time with the Trinity, Sam begins to heal and rededicate himself to his belief in and relationship with God.

Is It Any Good?

The talented cast elevates this sentimental faith-based adaptation above others in the genre. Although the story will clearly appeal mostly to the book's fans (a subset of Christians), it has some universalist themes that may draw in more a general audience. The multicultural, two-thirds-female depiction of the Holy Trinity is bound to delight some viewers and upset others.

Doctrinal considerations aside, The Shack benefits from the aforementioned cast and decent production values. Its biggest flaw is its length; two hours and 12 minutes is far too long for what's really a fairly simple story. The sequence featuring a personified "Wisdom" also feels contrived, since it doesn't fit with the otherwise strictly biblical characters. Still, Spencer is believable as a maternal and benevolent God, Israeli actor Alush is well cast as the culturally authentic Jesus who prefers "relationships" over "religion," and the Zen Holy Spirit is interesting (although audiences might feel a bit like Mack -- unable to discern exactly what her role is in the mystery of the trinity). And while The Shack definitely isn't laugh-out-loud film, there are moments of levity, and well as some that are purely heartbreaking. For those open to faith-based movies, this one is better than most.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the messages in The Shack . Are they just for Christians/people of faith? Why or why not?

Some theologians and Christians disagree with the way the story/film depicts God and the Holy Spirit. How do you fee about it?

How does the movie convey the importance of communication ? Why is that a key character strength ?

How does the film depict the grieving process? Parents, talk to your kids about loss and how it can impact a person in many ways. Are there many different ways to grieve? Why?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 3, 2017
• On DVD or streaming : May 30, 2017
• Cast : Sam Worthington , Octavia Spencer , Tim McGraw
• Director : Stuart Hazeldine
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
• Studio : Lionsgate
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Book Characters
• Character Strengths : Communication
• Run time : 132 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : thematic material including some violence
• Last updated : March 10, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Finding Faith

The Lovely Bones

Tuesdays with Morrie

What Dreams May Come

Faith-based movies, drama movies that tug at the heartstrings, related topics.

• Communication
• Book Characters

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

THE SHACK: A Spiritual Journey Sparking Controversy

Toronto international film festival 2024: the luckiest man in america & eden, skeleton crew trailer 1, y2k trailer 1, look into my eyes: the healing power of connection, melbourne international film festival 2024: kneecap, babes, teaches of peaches, sasquatch sunset & wake up, red rooms: half sick of shadows online, i’ll be right there: if parenthood were a modern indie, the monkey: trailer 1, omni loop: trailer 1, alien: romulus: a love letter to the alien franchise, with mixed results, woman of the hour trailer 1, the becomers: what’s weirder, aliens or 2020.

From Stuart Hazeldine , a director with very few credits to his name,  The Shack has provided a positive breakthrough in the consortium of films that involve a strong presence of faith. But whilst audiences are able to relish in the spiritual and uplifting undertones of the story, it has somewhat proven to be a bit of a controversial storm amongst its critics.

Based on the New York Times best-selling novel, The Shack takes us on a mourning father’s tragic yet inspirational journey. After suffering a family tragedy, Mackenzie ‘Mack’ Phillips ( Sam Worthington ) spirals into a deep depression; causing him to question his inner beliefs.

Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to make his way to an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack makes the journey, and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers symbolising the Holy Trinity, led by a woman named Papa ( Octavia Spencer ). Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of the tragedy he’s experienced and change his way of thinking; ultimately altering his life forever.

Enlightening Or Dispiriting?

On one hand, we can look upon The Shack as a guide to understanding forgiveness and helping to process our grievances in a healthy way. This is undoubtedly the intention William P. Young had when he authored the novel back in 2007. To an extent, this is a believable mantra throughout the narrative of the movie, because of the impeccable acting from Spencer and Worthington . Their talents on-screen are undeniable, and the chemistry between the majority of the characters is very effective.

There appears to be a crossover between what is acceptable and what isn’t when it comes to the symbolisation of faith on the big screen. When Mack meets the three individuals, he immediately assumes that they represent the Trinity, but is surprised when he asks for God and all three of the gracious figures answer him. This reignited the controversy behind the theology of modalism, which says that God is one individual, presenting itself in three different ways – but is ultimately still one person.

Another argument that has circled around since before the film was even planned to be released, is the question of whether or not God really should be addressed as female. Although Papa is different from the way God is biblically characterised in gender, she still holds all the other necessary ideologies required to represent and embody this character. Papa is still compassionate, loving, peaceful and fully invested in Mack’s wellbeing. Which – for many – is where the frustration lies, but for others, is a delightful quality to the overall perception of the movie.

The book’s original publisher, Wayne Jacobsen, has recently explained that the decision to see God as a woman – and perhaps more importantly, as non-white – was to show that God can reveal himself and work through anyone.

However, the plot thickens further when we look at it from a heavily religious perspective. It could be argued that the film is too much of an emotional anchor, and that the use of a black woman as God is primarily designed to shut down any predicted opposition. Given that Papa is represented as a minority and as a woman, it could allow for claims of racism and sexism to anyone who objects or opposes to the unique theology.

But then why should God be so one-dimensional?  The Shack paves the way for anyone of any faith and of their own beliefs to evaluate their own individual outlook, which provides leverage for all audiences to make a distinctive connection to the story and its characters.

A Raw Sentiment

Hazeldine , whose only previous feature is the 2009 psychological thriller Exam , chooses to take the route of stripped-back cinematography and eased paces from beginning to end. Visually, Mack’s sacred encounters in the deserted setting are pretty, especially the colourful diagrammatic of the surrounding gardens which are key to epitomise the tranquility of the setting. However, the visuals are still never particularly soul-stirring or enthralling. Even with esteemed cinematographer Declan Quinn on hand, crucial transitions seem to be rather lost, and the understated dramatic power of the real, natural setting seems wasted.

The benefit of this, however, is being able to focus more on the raw emotion and sentiment of the underlined story beyond special effects and clichéd gimmicks. This is essentially a journey of a character who has experienced a most tragic experience and needs healing in more ways than one. So whilst this makes for quite a distressing viewing, it is needed to create an authentic and convincing impact.

Final Thoughts

The Shack  successfully manages to challenge the narrow conceptions of what a Christian looks or sounds like – hence all of the debate and controversy. But it’s not necessarily the film’s ideas that are its problem, but the realness with which they’re explored.

It’s understandable to see why Christians may be up in arms at this portrayal of faith, because it’s one of the only instances where religious figures have been presented as physical beings and in this case, are depicted a bit like the featured celebrity guests of a talk show.

But The Shack also has a good chance of connecting commercially, because even though its drama is rather mushy, it’s a bit like a dream, whereas in real life, religion isn’t nearly as reassuring. Our current culture is starved for films that portray religious feelings in a way that’s relatable, and  The Shack  certainly does this. In some ways, it reduces faith to a kind of spiritual comfort food.

Do you think The Shack succeeds at providing us with a religiously healing escape, or do you agree with the critics?

The Shack opened in the U.S. on March 3. The film will see release in the U.K. on June 9.

Does content like this matter to you?

I'm Alice. I'm a writer, blogger, film nerd, determined dreamer, foodie, vino inhaler and reality TV nut. I have ambitions to become a crazy dog lady in the very near future - www.welcometothelabyrinth.wordpress.com

Jason's Movie Blog

A movie blog for movie reviews, trailers, and more.

The Shack Review

A HEAVY-HANDED TEST OF FAITH

Over the past several years, Hollywood has touched upon many different genres, presenting hundreds of feature films with a wide range of fields of interests. Some make us laugh, some make us cry, some even make us scared, but what about the ones that make us turn towards our religious faith (most notably with Christian based films). Of late, there’s been spurts of these types movies, including the biblical ones like Noah , Risen , and The Young Messiah to more contemporary motion pictures like Miracles from Heaven , Heaven is for Real , and God’s Nod Dead (and its 2016 sequel). Now Summit Entertainment and director Stuart Hazeldine present the film The Shack , based on the popular book by William P. Young. Does this latest Christian film finds its message of faith or is its religious overtones too heavy-handed?

Suffering an abusive childhood at the hands of his drunken father, Mackenzie (“Mack”) Phillips (Sam Worthington), grows into a loving father with his wife, Nan (Radha Mitchell), and their three children, Kate (Megan Charpentier), Josh (Gage Munroe), and their youngest daughter Missy (Amelie Eve).  Unfortunately, Mack’s blissful life is unexpectedly shattered when Missy mysterious disappears during a family camping trip. The police search far and wide for the little girl, but ultimately determine that Missy is the victim of a local serial killer after finder torn dress and blood in an abandoned cabin. Struggling with grief, Mack’s faith is torn asunder as is his home life with his family, with each one feeling disconnected to him. One day, Mack receives a mysterious letter signed by “Papa” (which is Missy’s name for God), inviting him to return to the cabin as she will be waiting there for him. After wrestling with the decision, Mack reluctantly elects to go, traveling back to the cabin and is overcome with rage, anger, and suicidal thoughts. What Mack doesn’t expect is his chance meeting of three mysterious strangers…Papa (Octavia Spencer), Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush), and Sarayu (Sumire Matsubara), who invite the wayward man to stay with them for the weekend and offer the assistance to help him restore his faith (to understand, heal, and forgive).

THE GOOD / THE BAD

While I have been raised to be a Christian (and I’ve been good one at that), Christian-based movies have never been my personal liking. Of course, I like the big old Hollywood epics like Cecil B. Demille’s The Ten Commandments or William Wyler’s Ben-Hur (not the 2016 version), but mostly of the recent ones of late are just mediocre in nature, trying either to be to blockbuster-ish in storytelling (i.e. Noah and Exodus: Gods & Kings ) or sometimes too preachy in religious overtones (i.e. Risen or God’s Not Dead 2 ) that it just fails to ignite excitement or thought-provoking thoughts about the celestial heaven above.  Working at a bookstore, I’ve seen many people (“Customers”) come in and buy copies of the William Young’s book The Shack (it’s even become a bestselling book). However, I never read the book, but I’ve heard good things from it. Then I remember seeing the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation and was somewhat intrigued by it, especially from several of the movie’s cast members being attached to the film project. Thus, I decided to purchase a movie ticket to go see it (the same night I went to go see Logan. Yeah, those are two completely different movies to see back-to-back). Well, what did I think of this movie. Well, I actually liked it a bit more than other Christian-based films out there, finding The Shack , despite being a bit heavy-handed at times, to be a compelling religious drama that’s worth checking out.

The Shack is directed by Stuart Hazeldine, who’s previous work includes the film Exam as well as the short film titled Christian . Film-wise, Hazeldine presents The Shack nicely and crafted well enough to be in a favorable light. Translating Young’s bestselling novel is screenwriters John Fusco, Andrew Lanham, and Destin Daniel Cretton, who create a very straight-forward narrative that’s (giving the film’s subject matter and message of restoring faith and finding forgiveness in grief) both interesting and somewhat dramatically compelling. Personally, the film is a bit above the rest (the rest meaning similar religious based movies) as I found myself a bit more intrigued with The Shack than previous Christian films. For most part, the film is (on a technical level) well-made, meeting the industry standards on editing, camera angles, and production design (So I can’t complain about any of that). Additionally, while the film’s score (composed by Aaron Zigman is good (in terms of the standard score for a movie), The Shack offers two featured song, including Country performers Dan + Shay singing their song “When I Pray for You” as well as the end credit’s song “Keep Your Eyes on Me” by Country star duo Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Both songs are pleasant and are actually quite good, fitting nicely into the feature without feeling annoying or out of place.

Of course, The Shack does have its fair share of problems that, despite its lofty religious intentions and underling thematic message, fails to capture theatrical excitement and dramatic resonation. For starters, the film can’t escape being a tad hokey and cheesy, which is somewhat commonplace for these types of movies. Though it’s not as bad as some I’ve seeing of late (i.e. Gods Nod Dead 2 or Heaven is for Real) , The Shack definitely feels like a film that’s meant for the small screen (a TV movie on Lifetime or ABC Family) rather than the big screen. Certain dialogue scenes are heavy-handed and are a bit forced in its presentation (not so much in their deliver of the cast, but rather in the film’s screenplay). In addition, like most Christian-based films, The Shack doesn’t stray away from following the formulaic path that similar religious movies tread down, which makes the overall film banal and lack excitement.

Thus, while the film tries to be serious and prolithic in its storytelling, a viewer (myself included) can’t help but feel can’t escape being a bit silly (at times) and predictable banal. Next, the film is long and I do mean way too long, finding The Shack clocking in around two hours and twelve minutes from start to finish. While the first act, which is probably the most compelling piece of the picture, the movie’s second act definitely drags, seeing Mackenzie spending one-on-one time with each of the heavenly embodiments of God. Where the movie painfully drags the most is when Mack visits Sophia, the personification of God’s Wisdom, who is played by actress Alicia Braga, which seems to go on forever and becomes boring, which is kind of strange as the point in the film is supposed to be a very poignant scene. Finally, the film’s visual effects are a bit mediocre. Now I’m not expecting this movie, a film that has a production budget of $20 million, to rival a summer blockbuster feature, but the few moments that they are utilized are dated in comparison to even industry standard of today (even in your basic average film).

The cast in The Shack is somewhat recognizable (with several familiar faces) as the performances by them are fairly good, but nothing standout nor the best roles in any of their careers. Avatar actor Sam Worthington leads the charge as the film’s lead protagonist character Mackenzie Phillips and does do a good job in the role. Worthington is definitely a sort of leading man that fits this role of Mackenzie and actually gets to show his dramatic acting chops in The Shack (i.e. displaying moments of sensitivity and sincerity), which is something I haven’t seen him do in his previous movies. Actress Radha Mitchell, known for her roles in Man on Fire and Finding Neverland , plays Mack’s wife Nan and does a fairly good job, despite the fact that there’s not much to her character. The same goes for the Phillip’s children, played by young adult actors Megan Charpentier, Gage Munroe, and Amelia Eve. All three kid actors do okay jobs in the role, but there’s really nothing memorable or remarkable about their roles as Kate, Josh, or Missy. Thus, their performances suffice for what the movie needs and it works. Additionally, country star musician / actor Tim McGraw plays Willie, a neighbor and local friend to Mack’s family, who also plays as the film’s narrator.

Lastly, the movie depicts Mack’s trio of strangers, who he meets and help guide him through his grief and try to restore his faith, as the Holy Trinity of God (i.e. The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit). These are played by Oscar-award winner Octavia Spencer as The Father (aka Elousia or Papa), Avraham Aviv Alush, The Son (aka Jesus), and Sumire Matsubara as The Holy Spirit (aka Sarayu). While each one delivers fine performance in their particular roles (man…. Octavia Spencer is everywhere these days…and that’s a good thing), both the book and film of The Shack has fallen under heavy scrutiny with some of these depictions, quoting scriptures from the bible. Although I point this out, it personally didn’t bother me to see these three aspects of God being depicted by these actors (regardless of their gender / ethnical background). I’m merely just point that out to you (my readers) as these depictions in the film have become subjected to level of controversy within some religious viewers / circles.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Mackenzie Phillips redeems his faith and experiences a very spiritual journey in the movie The Shack . Director Stuart Hazeldine sophomore film that’s based on William Young’s bestselling novel deals with a palpable subject matter, testing a person’s faith on a spiritual journey as the film projects that well-enough, thanks to its source material as well as the likeability of the movie’s actors. Unfortunately, the movie can’t help but feel a bit cheesy, a bit heavy-handed in dialogue, and predictable in its narrative path, falling pretty to many religious overtones as well as being too long in its runtime. Personally, it was okay movie. It wasn’t awesomely great, but it still held my attention from start to finish. In terms of being a religious movie, it’s a bit better than most of those types of films (I assume fans of the book will probably like the final product of the feature), which is why I would say it’s definitely a rental movie (no rush to see it immediately in theaters) and an iffy-choice for everyone else. All in all, whatever you take away from the film, The Shack represents a Christian motion picture that delivers an important message, despite if you don’t like the film at all. (I.e. look at the film’s message rather than the messenger). Just like McGraw’s Willie says in the film “you’ll have to decide for yourself”, which is what I personally take away from understanding and enjoying The Shack from not just myself, but to moviegoers everywhere.

3.4 Out of 5 (Iffy-Choice / Rent It)

Released on: march 3rd, 2017, reviewed on: march 11th, 2017.

The Shack  is 132 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for thematic material including some violence

Share this:

One comment.

Good review now I will wait to rent it . Thanks

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discover more from jason's movie blog.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

Home » Movie Review: The Shack

Movie Review: The Shack

It may seem ludicrous to some, but every once in awhile there comes a film where a leading actor we thought previously incapable of turning in a good performance surprises everybody and delivers something worth committing to. That actor is Sam Worthington in  The Shack . While some who go to see the film this weekend may be a tad surprised to be watching a faith based narrative due to a vague marketing campaign, those willing to listen, and maybe even engage a little with the subject matter and performances, will find a film that contextualizes some of the more hopeful aspects of Christian theology.

For those that are not aware,  The Shack is based upon the surprise Christian bestseller of the same name by Canadian William P. Young (a book I read nearly a decade ago that had a profound effect on my life spiritually and for that reason I went into my screening with optimism). Seeing the film though, it is amazing some of the plot points that you forget were in the novel after not engaging with the narrative for some time.

Worthington plays Mack, a husband and father stuck in his “great sadness” after the disappearance and murder of his youngest daughter, Missy. One afternoon, while snowplowing his driveway, Mack finds an unaddressed note in his mailbox inviting him back to the very shack that Missy was killed in. Looking around for anyone who may have left the note, Mack slips on some ice and hits his head, allowing the audience to flashback to the events leading up to Missy’s disappearance. Upon waking up, Mack makes the decision to answer the invitation and what he finds at the Shack is an encounter he never thought possible.

The early flashback sequence gives us a lengthy look at the events leading up to her disappearance as well as the early childhood struggles of Mack who was faced with an abusive and alcoholic father. These early sequences-despite adding some needed context- simply take too long, growing repetitive.  It’s made up for a touch by Worthington’s confidence on screen here, convincing me of the love his character had for his family before Missy’s disappearance, and of the despair he suffered long after her murder. Each of his children in this film have limited roles, but the actors playing them have much more energy for their characters when they share the screen with Worthington, particularly young Amélie Eve as Missy.

The best part of the film comes from Octavia Spencer’s Papa, Mack’s family’s name for God. Her calming screen presence gives a softness to the role of God that fits well with the film’s overall themes of loss, sadness, and ultimately healing. Spencer has recently become one of the best scenery chewing actors of our time, and that continues here. Every scene she is in imbues the film with life.

The biggest struggle that the film has is how to work through those previously mentioned themes while also presenting them under a mostly neutral Christian lens. A lot of Mack’s emotional struggles seem to just  disappear as he continues in conversations with Spencer’s Papa, Avraham Aviv Alush’s Jesus, and Sumire Matsubara’s Sarayu or Holy Spirit. And while that technically makes sense if Mack is indeed in the presence of God, his advancements in dealing with his emotional pain do not feel entirely earned because each are casually put forth and then healed almost in an instant.

T he Shack is a mostly enjoyable movie for those that are willing to listen to or engage with a spiritual, and specifically Christian, narrative. Even for those that do not share in the Christian faith may find some simple points of wisdom that everyone should consider, particularly in our current global climate of emboldening intolerance. In this case, religion shouldn’t be a deciding factor on whether or not you give this film a chance.

Advertisement

Grant Jonsson

Grant is an aspiring entertainment journalist, internet personality, and novelist hailing from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. While he completes his degree to accomplish those dreams, you can find him singing Karaoke with friends or tucked away in a corner writing his next masterpiece. You can contact him on Twitter (@grantjonsson) or by email at: [email protected]

The History of Logan's Breakout Character, X-23

25 movies that understand female relationships.

8 TV-inspired Halloween costumes to wear this spooky season

‘Stargirl’ 3×08 review: “Frenemies – Chapter Eight: Infinity Inc. Part Two” explores The Shade’s regrets in the Shadowlands

“The Car” review: The most refined album Arctic Monkeys have ever released.

Album Review: Maajo – ‘Water of Life’

‘Pantheon’ series premiere review: The future is bright in the animated science fiction drama

Movie review: ‘The Shack’

(Rated PG [Canada] PG-13 [MPAA] for thematic material, including some violence; directed by Stuart Hazeldine; stars Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, Tim McGraw, Radha Mitchell, Megan Charpentier, Gage Munroe, Amélie Eve, Avraham Aviv Alush, Sumire Matsubara, Graham Greene and Derek Hamilton; run time: 132 min.)

Is going to ‘The Shack’ worth the trip?

By Ted Giese

Occasionally a product hits the market after interest has peaked and people have moved on. Stuart Hazeldine’s film adaption of the popular 2007 fictional book The Shack, by Canadian author William P. Young, may be this kind of product.

And why would that be? For those who followed the story of William P. Young and his book, it will come as no surprise that The Shack has come under legitimate theological fire. This is not unwarranted and the film does nothing to change the significant problems.

The Shack is the story of a man, Mackenzie (Sam Worthington), grieving the loss of his kidnapped and murdered youngest daughter, Missy (Amélie Eve), while on a family camping trip. Although investigators found the crime scene, the girl’s body was never recovered.

In his time of great sadness over his daughter’s death, Mackenzie receives a note in his mailbox inviting him to make a weekend visit to the shack where Missy was murdered. The note is signed “Papa” — his wife, Nan’s (Radha Mitchell), nickname for God.

Could it really be God? Might it be the murderer trying to lure Mackenzie to the scene of the crime? Is it just a sick joke?

Despite a snowstorm, Mackenzie “borrows” his neighbor’s (Tim McGraw) truck and drives to the shack. Initially he finds nothing there except traces of his daughter’s murder, which leaves him distraught.

After almost attempting suicide, he has an unorthodox interaction with God. What follows is personal grief counseling from God as Mackenzie deals with his daughter’s death, the problem of evil and his own troubled childhood which includes abuse from his father (Derek Hamilton).

This all happens in a sort of bubble, where the ramshackle, snow-covered shack is transformed into a summertime paradise, complete with an idyllic lake, down comforters and home-cooked meals served by God.

Depicting God in movies is not new. In 1977, comedian George Burns played God in “Oh, God!,” and more recently Morgan Freeman has portrayed God in “Bruce Almighty” (2003) and “Evan Almighty” (2007).

In those films, God is largely played for laughs, but how does “The Shack” depict God and is it a faithful depiction of the Holy Trinity? (Films like “Oh, God!” don’t even tackle the mystery of the Trinity!)

What viewers receive in “The Shack” is not the Holy Trinity of Scripture: “One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance” as confessed by Christians in the Athanasian Creed.

Neither does “The Shack” adequately present the incarnation of Christ as found in the Apostles’ Creed, where Jesus is confessed by Christians to be “conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary” and therefore, because of His incarnation, is distinctly different from God the Father and Holy Spirit.

It’s not enough to have an ethnically accurate, walking-on-water, wood-working Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush). If God the Father and the Holy Spirit are depicted incorrectly, it impacts the Incarnation, and when the presentation of the Incarnation is wrong, more trouble follows.

In the book and film, Mackenzie interacts with a physical representation of God the Father — a wise/wisecracking black woman happy to be called Papa (Octavia Spencer). He likewise interacts with a sensitive Asian woman and gardener, Sarayu, who is intended to be the Holy Spirit (Sumire Matsubara).

These women are overly affectionate and emotional. Along with Jesus, they are fixated on “relationship” over and against anything resembling religion; Jesus claims to be disinterested in people being Christian at all.

The Jesus of “The Shack” is only interested in people having a relationship with Papa and that relationship is of a certain kind: a sort of endearing, intimate relationship often talked about in Pop American Christianity — short on reverence or awe, and capitalizing on society’s emphasis on intimacy in all relationships.

If a discerning Christian compares the intimate relationship Mackenzie has with God in “The Shack” to the rather impersonal relationship Job has with God in the Scriptural account of Job’s tragic suffering, the difference quickly appears.

In Scripture, God’s love for all people doesn’t require touchy-feely sentimentality. Ultimately, it requires Christ’s willing sacrificial death in the place of the sinner for the atonement of sin, which brings reconciliation between God and humanity. In the Bible, this is the purpose of Jesus’ incarnation and birth, the reason the Word became flesh.

The physical portrayal of God the Father and the Holy Spirit as women muddies what Scripture faithfully teaches about Jesus. But the problem is deeper than author Young’s desire to overturn the predominate expressions of God in Scripture.

Papa claims she appears to Mackenzie as a woman because of his poor relationship with his earthly father who beat him as a child. Later, Papa reappears as a Native American man (Graham Greene) because Mackenzie needed Papa to be a man when he’s led to his daughter’s missing body.

Since “The Shack’s” God changes forms, changes masks, to suit the situation at hand, an ancient challenge to the doctrine of the Trinity presents itself: the 3 rd century heresy called modalism in which there are three different “modes” of God rather than three distinct persons. This false teaching becomes abundantly clear in a conversation Mackenzie has with Papa, where he accuses God of being bad at sticking close to people in their time of greatest need.

When Mackenzie points out that, at the cross, Jesus asked, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?,” Papa responds, “You misunderstand the mystery.” Papa then shows him nail wounds from the Crucifixion, saying that she (God the Father) never left Jesus at the cross and that they were “there together,” and that it cost them “both dearly.”

Sarayu, the Holy Spirit character, is later seen with the same Crucifixion wounds. This sort of clever exaggeration of the oneness of God is modalism.

While “The Shack” is trying to show how much God cares for Mackenzie’s suffering, the film undermines the Incarnation, which is how Scripture teaches us that God cares about human suffering by becoming one of us.

“The Shack,” in the most visual way possible, implies strongly that Mackenzie is not interacting with a God who is three distinct persons, equal in glory, and coeternal in majesty within the Godhead, where only Christ, because of His Incarnation, keeps the wounds of His Crucifixion as emblems of His sacrifice (John 20:19-31).

Why is this important? Students of Luther’s Small Catechism will recall a section called “Christian Questions with Their Answers.” It’s a series of questions prepared by Dr. Luther for those who intend to go to the Sacrament of the Altar.

Question 8 asks: “How many Gods are there?” The answer is: “Only one, but there are three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

Question 9 asks: “What has Christ done for you that you trust in Him?” The answer is: “He died for me and shed His blood for me on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.”

Then question 10, a very important question as it pertains to this part of the film, asks: “Did the Father also die for you?” The answer is: “He did not. The Father is God only, as is the Holy Spirit; but the Son is both true God and true man. He died for me and shed His blood for me.”

As soon as Papa shows wounds from the Crucifixion, “The Shack” fails to be a Christian story and embraces the ancient heresy of modalism, an unfaithful depiction of the Holy Trinity and, by extension, a denial of the incarnation of Christ Jesus as taught in Scripture. The god of “The Shack” is not the Christian God of Scripture.

Space does not permit delving into many of the film’s other theological problems, but this gets to the heart of the problem. This is not a Christian film: It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, wrapped in wholesome family values and with a high regard for marriage and parenthood.

Mackenzie’s interactions with the god of the “The Shack” are permeated with the sort of moralistic, therapeutic deism that passes as Christianity for many people. It’s a system of belief which stresses that God simply wants people to be good and nice to each other in the way most world religions and the Bible are presumed to teach, and that the main goal of life is to be happy and feel good about oneself, free of unresolved problems.

The whole film becomes a sleight-of-hand that pays lip service to grief and suffering while emptying the cross of Jesus’ true sacrifice for sin, sidestepping the promise of the Resurrection and the believer’s hope that rests in Christ alone.

Be careful, the story is confused and disjointed, mixing truth and falsehood. Even as a work of fiction it is not worth defending.

Yet some might ask, “Can’t terrible stories make for good films?”

The answer? “The Shack” is not a good film. It’s B-grade at best, with an unsatisfactory ending.

Spoiler Alert! While heading home from his weekend in the shack, Mackenzie ends up in an accident, totaling his neighbor’s truck. The accident puts Mackenzie in the hospital. There he’s told the accident happened on his way to the shack and that he spent the whole weekend in the hospital.

Did any of his divine interactions really happen? Was it all a dream? Did Papa lead him to his daughter’s missing body? Did he bury her in a coffin handmade by Jesus, the carpenter? Or did it all just happen in his head?

This is the worst kind of film ending and it differs from the book’s conclusion where there is a concrete resolution concerning the missing body, leading to the real-world capture and prosecution of the killer.

In the film, no time is spent resolving any of this. Rather, Mackenzie puts his grief behind him and lives a happy life with his family and wife, almost like nothing bad ever happened.Now that the end of both the book and the film are out of the bag, feel free to skip going to “The Shack . ” There is nothing there for the Christian. In fact, what you’ll find is a heretical wolf in sheep’s clothing — modalism — and it will bite anyone who takes their eyes off it for even a moment.

Watch the trailer

The Rev. Ted Giese ( [email protected]) is pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church , Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; a contributor to the  Canadian Lutheran ,  Reporter Online   and  KFUO.org ; and movie reviewer for the “ Issues, Etc. ” radio program. Follow Pastor Giese on Twitter   @RevTedGiese . 

Posted March 9, 2017

Contributing Writer

March 10 webinar: spiritually preparing youth for college, judge neely will remain on bench despite censure.

I read the book several years ago, and came away thinking, this is NOT Christian. Thank you for this review.

Thank you for this. I have not seen the movie, but did read the book some years ago. Although on one level I enjoyed the story, I was left troubled by it, but unable to put a finger on what was so wrong, when so much seemed so right. My Pastor at the time unfortunately chose not to help me. Thank you so much for defining the differences between the trinity of The Shack and the Trinity of Scripture.

I was so wondering about going to it. Thanks for the update.

Thank you, Rev. Giese, for a concise explanation of the film and the obvious contradictions with Scriptural truth. I’ve not seen the movie or read the book, but I did watch an interview with one of the film stars. When they spoke of the “faith” aspect of the story, I became wary. Apparently, my instincts were correct. Blessings from Minnesota ~

Although I agree with your theological points pertaining to our understanding of Christian doctrine, I did find some very significant parts of the movie that made it worthwhile for me to see and enjoy. The story line wrestled with themes of forgiveness and atonement. Can a kidnapper and murderer be forgiven by God? How does one come to grips in forgiveness in the midst of such a horrible loss?

Likewise, I was very intrigued when the main character was asked to choose which of his two children he would send to heaven and which to hell. He was forced into making a choice and he chose that he would rather bear the punishment of hell himself than have one of his own children do so. The response of the character portraying wisdom was that he now had begun to understand the heart of Papa (God).

When I encounter a piece of literature like this movie, I remember my seminary days with Rev Rossow in his class entitled, “Literature and the Gospel.” The premise of that class was the theme of sin and the need to redemption in some form of a savior is so basic to our human nature and identity that it bleeds over into secular literature. Thus, this seminary professor was able to show us how to use literature as an entrance point or bridge in presenting the real gospel as it is outlined in Scripture and central to our Lutheran theology.

It is in this context that I see redeemable (sic?) qualities in this movie. I appreciated the struggle with sin and grace, even in the context of some theology that we acknowledge would fall outside of orthodoxy. At the end of the movie it is state that the main character forgave more and asked more for forgiveness as a result of his encounter with Papa (God). I see this movie as an excellent tool to lead in and present the Gospel in a strong way, as the issues dealt with by the main character are true to those encompassed in our human nature.

Blessings . . .

Chaplain (LTC) James Freitag

Excellent points, Chaplain Freitag. Your troops are blessed to have such a wise man shepherding them.

Thank you James. It would be good for all to see this movie for themselves. It seems to me to be a good conversation starter.

In watching the film we took it as a fictional movie & didn’t analyze it as Gospel truth. At the end you realize It was a man’s dream…fictional. I don’t know why so much time was use to pick apart a fictional story & compare it to the Bible. Some parts of his dream may have had some symbolic biblical references but you need to still knowl that the Bible is the true story. And if you take anything from this movie you will look at forgiveness & how we need to examine our faith walk & be more forgiving loving towards others.

There is a difference between symbolism and depiction in film. Also, there is a big difference when a film is claiming to be Christian and yet it depicts Modalism. For that we can and should analyze and examine fiction. The author of the book is an admitted Modalist.

Personally, I have many Evangelical friends who take this story as an accurate depiction of the Gospel because it is sold to them as Christian. That is where we should draw the line and atleast say it is not Christian.

Thank you. This is how i feel. Could mot put it into words.

Great Movie!! Highly recommend!!

Saw it and found a positive message in this age of protests. We have to stop being afraid of our Christianity being challenged by a positive message.

To call this blog post a “fear” response assumes what remains to be proven. All the same, “fear” of that which can be harmful can be a wise response, especially if the danger is hidden in an innocuous camouflage.

Still an enjoyable film for many, despite this negative review. I did not feel the necessity to tear it apart theologically. Just a feel good film instead of the many Sex , Murder , and Filthy talk films. that abound. A distinct change of pace that took me to the theater and made me happy.

This film does tread on sensitive ground. The other aforementioned “God” movies – “Oh God,” “Bruce Almighty” and “Evan Almighty” – were more generic in their depictions of the Deity. The Shack presents a clear alternative understanding of the Trinity, and it is this alternative understanding that is a major issue for those who criticize the film. While you might not notice the differences, neither might an untaught person, whether new to the Faith or still dealing with the call of God through the Gospel. If this opens the door to heretical expressions of the Fatih, we should be aware of that fact, both in order to expose the error and to provide the proper corrective.

I have to agree with you Mary. I’m glad I went. Didn’t read the book so I can’t compare.

Perhaps, directing people to “not go” was a bridge too far. While it is wise to provide discerning information, to order people to not see the film, even though it came from a good place, could be seen as an exercise in “the Leader Principle.”

You missed one important point found in your open “fictional,” as in imaginary, or made up. The motion picture is a adaptation from a fictional book. Motion pictures are for entertainment. As a nurse when I see a hospital scene on TV or in the movies, I can sit and criticize it to. This was a story, and should be accepted as that alone. Have you ever seen a motion picture that despite’s the Bible or Faith totally correct? This movie was NO Different.

What is the common response when you point out to a person they’re taking God’s name in vain? Most times it is “I didn’t mean anything by it”. That is the issue. Blasphemy is taking something holy and using in in a common way. This movie has taken something holy and reduced it to entertainment. The claim is that in the name of entertainment one can mishandle holy truths of God Himself and be excused for it.

I would encourage people to watch and use it for educational purposes. Don’t tell people not to see it. Teach them to have a filter. We do everyone a disservice if we don’t teach them to recognize untruth on their own and the LCMS is notorious for poor teaching. Watch the movie or better yet, read the book as a study for adults and especially youth. Our youth need to recognize false teaching, but how can they if all we do is say, “Don’t see it,” and don’t teach them how to recognize it. http://www.carpentersministrytoolbox.com/2017/03/education-shack.html

I agree. People in any stage of their faith journey new to expand their own mind by experiencing other’s interpretations of cocepts of God that are beyond human understanding.

This article by Pastor Ted Giese from just north of me in Regina, that originally was published on his congregation’s website, is the best single article for general audiences about The Shack that I have read. It is most reassuring to see a pastor doing this kind of work, defending the flock. I have been promoting this article online everywhere I can and to my District President for commendation to the pastors of my district.

For those who might be interested in something longer and with further background, you can get a free copy of a new book that makes its primary concern the chief article of faith upon which the church stands or falls, namely, justification and the redemption we have in Jesus.

Looking for healing for his Great Sadness, the author of The Shack missed the consolation provided by Lutheran faith and ministry. Instead, he hit upon a particular strain of thought from the renaissance of Trinitarian theology that happened worldwide in the 1980s and 1990s. This theology has much to be commended. Tragically, however, it departs from the teaching of Scripture about the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for us on the cross. It denies the wrath of God on sin, and denies that Jesus bore that wrath for us. The Shack teaches a different theory of the cross that springs from perichoretic speculations about the Trinity.

You can get a free PDF copy of The Shack: A Journey from Pain to Truth to Error at http://steadfastlutherans.org/2017/03/free-book-about-loss-of-the-gospel-in-the-shack/

The Shack is Christian fiction…. I prefer we as a body endorse this film vs Disneys new Beauty and the Beast

Not trying to make anyone feel bad, but I cannot agree that The Shack is Christian fiction. When a work denies the atonement in any Christian or Lutheran sense, that is not Christian fiction.

When a work messes up the Incarnation, as Pastor Giese explains, that is not Christian fiction.

Two things a work must get right to be Christian are: A. the person of Christ; and B. the work of Christ. If a work gets both the person and work of Christ wrong, it is not Christian.

Rather than Christian fiction, it is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, which is worse than a wolf in wolf’s clothing.

I did read the book and had many things to think about as we can not put God in a box. After all He is the Great I AM. which means He can be whoever and whatever He wants to me or fells we need at the time. I also saw the movie, and it was very good. I cried, and was challenged by God I felt His love I felt His relationship with me and that He really knows me. I felt His forgiveness and Him wanting us to forgive other I felt His encouragement I felt Him challenge me to be best person I can be. And I felt His mercy WE can enjoy a good movie and come out BEING INSPIRED TO BE A BETTER PERSON

Very good movie. I can’t for the life of me see why there is criticism. It glorifies THE FATHER. It shows HIS unlimited Love for us through expressions of THE HOLY TRINITY. We do not know the complete nature of GOD, but like the Pharisees we are condemning a film that showcases the Goodnesame of GOD. That HE loves us and expects that we love (limitless) like HE does. Forgiveness, Trust and personal relationship(s) are the main points of the movie.

I can imagine GOD trying to touch people through the film, then watch some who feel that GOD has to be this way or that way shoot it down. That’s what happened to JESUS. HE did not come the way they expected and they called HIM a herectic. That’s crazy. Go see the movie. It is intense and true regarding our expectations of THE MOST HIGH. You have eyes, ears and a mind. Don’t let others stop you from enjoying the film. It never states that it is a true event. It is a fictional Christian film that makes you think.

This is not the Bible, is not accurately portraying exact accounts from the Bible. We watched it for entertainment only, not for biblical lessons. However we were quite pleased with how well the portrayed relational issues between God and man, and answered common questions in a biblically based manner.

Bottom line, it will likely get people talking about God, seeking to understand the trinity better, or how God can interact with us. Go knowing it’s not all word for word, and enjoy the adventure. Then read the Bible and study Gods word.

My wife had read the book a while back and wanted to see the movie. What immediately grabbed me was the FATHER being a woman and the HOLY SPIRIT also being a woman. It got even worse when the woman said she used many names! (All roads lead to God) about a third of the way into the movie the power in the city went out. ( the news said there was no explanation for it) We got a refund and went home. Movie was NOT worth going to!

I too saw the film and was surprised at the choice of characters displaying The Trinity. Perhaps this was a strategy to distract us away from those teachings and try to allow us to look at some of the larger themes that were very important and came through loud and clear to me! The ending song Keep Your Eyes On Me was such a strong message sent. In this day and age so many times we are distracted and can easily lose our way with that trust in God. Also, the wonderful scenery symbolized the beauty of being with God, especially in the afterlife!! Another strong message that came across to me was how we as a society are trying to “play God” and how judgmental we have become! This is so destructive to our society! As well as the message of forgiveness and grace, these were huge parts of this feel good movie that I saw! I felt the love that God has for all his children and that to me was so worth going to this film. SO SORRY to see this movie being totally picked apart on a theological note and not giving it credit for these wonderful messages…..go to observe the emotional struggle that Mackenzie has with the destructive feelings of anger, guilt, and depression that he felt and how ultimately these feelings isolated him from his relationships with others. “Keeping his eyes on God” and working through forgiving the killer did allow him to help with deflating these feelings brought on by this horrible tragedy in his life, and yes, that did allow him to live and love more freely here on earth. We all have pain in our life because of sin, but we can live with that inner peace when we walk with God and choose to keep our eyes on Him instead of the self destructive feelings that can grow from pain and sin! GO SEE THE FILM!

Why do we feel the need to over analyze stories about religion? It is a beautiful story about love and forgiveness. When my children’s school (a Lutheran school went public) and children from all, or no religions were invited to attend. Everyone scoffed that the Christian message would be lost. I put my faith in Jesus and the wonderful teachers there. The parents were given the option of exempting their children from religion class and chapel each week. None did. Of the hundred or so students that enrolled that year, 2 of the kids asked to be baptised at the end of the school year. Mission accomplished. My point, if seeing this movie will reach 1 person, and they turn back to God, mission accomplished. Any one who sees this movie as anything more than a wonderful story about God being love, and forgiveness as a way of life. Is just silly. No-one involved in this project, and especially Mr Young, are trying to replace or disrupt the gospel. I think any one who belives otherwise is afraid. We need to focus on the message, the same way I do every Sunday, to the message off my pastor’s sermon.

Yes it is worth seeing. It is not a factual documental movie. It is based on a fictional book. It was good

I read the book back in January. I felt it was absolutely outstanding. The author is writing about an experience that really happened to the main character, but they had to call it fiction because no one could prove or disprove it. It was a fantastic story of forgiveness and shows a parent in his most raw and vulnerable moments, which we can all relate to. Pain/death/unjustifiable heartbreak is just part of the broken covenant in the Garden! There is no quoted scripture in the book. It does not claim to be a Biblical reference. At no point reading that book did I feel that my biblically-based values were in question. The author does a beautiful job of painting a picture, if that’s even possible, of how the Trinity might work as three in one. I’ve always struggled with picturing how this could work and this book gave me a small glimpse. The Author, through this guys’ testimony, fantastically addresses how God meets our innermost needs and pours his grace upon us at just the right times in His perfect way. All of that can be backed up with scripture! Jesus did not invent ‘religion’. He taught his disciples how to follow Him/God/Holy Spirit and he did it through relationship and meeting people’s needs. He got in the trenches with His people. He got in the boat! This book depicts a beautiful example of God coming down to get in the boat with us– to comfort and woo us back to Him all while giving us free will. The minute we lose our humility and think we fully understand the depth and breadth of every God-breathed Word in scripture, we are guilty of thinking we are omniscient! I think it’s worth the read! I was encouragement to my journey of faith. I’m sure the movie, which I haven’t seen yet, doesn’t do it justice as movies never do, LOL, but I’ll go anyway. God be with you all.

I’ve been a Christian for 48 years. I chose to read the book and see the movie not to explain the Trinity to me or for me to understand forgiveness. I found the movie entertaining and the beauty of the scenes lovely, the Pacific Northwest is a beautiful area to enjoy. I didn’t find the movie as sacreligious at all. I have a good grounding in my Biblical knowledge. I feel like they did a good job in explaining how God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one but different as well. I don’t know if God can manifest himself as a women black, white or Asian or anything else, who does know? I will recommend this movie to my friends to go and see it.

The problem with a movie like this is that well-grounded Christians will recognize the errors and be able to separate Christian fact from secular fiction. However, far too many modern Christians are not grounded thoroughly in correct doctrine, plus many non-Christians will see this movie, and both groups will come away confused at best or with an entirely wrong view of the true God at worst.

Personally I didn’t like the movie I had a hard time figuring out what was going on. I went with a friend and she also felt the same way. I am a Christian and am of Lutheran MS faith. Reading the above helped to understand it a little more. Thanks for the information.

It was a wonderful movie from a fictional book. People are missing the point-it is about forgiveness and letting go in your life, how you can move on. We need more movies like this, people get tired of the news in real life.

Thank you for this. I read the book years ago, and I also remember that there was something in the Lutheran Witness about it. I did not think the book was right!

People need to remember that while this movie is certainly Christian themed that it *is* at the end, only a movie. Written, directed, and produced with the goal of making money. I don’t go to the movies to research the Bible, God, or Christianity- that’s what church and my pastor are for.

I, for one, loved the movie and as a result of it ended up doing a lot of soul searching and ultimately ended up renewing my own relationship and dedication to Christ.

If the movie ends up having that sort of effect on people or gets them to investigate Christ further I’m all for it, no matter the inaccuracies.

This movie is about Grace and Forgiveness . My daughter and I wept through most of it. To criticize it as you have done here shows you’ve missed the entire point of the movie.

Theological Correctness never entered my mind.

Thank you William P Young for helping me and many others learn to forgive.

Great movie..not meant to be a true story. People need to relax. Dont be so quick to judge. If anything, that was the meaning of the movie that so many apparently missed.

I loved the movie and found it as a positive message God loves us all so much and works on us our time evil dose exist in our world but God can trun the most hurtful and painful things in to something beautiful and meaningful take the cross for example one of the most painful and humelading and horrific ways to die and he turned the cross in to a beautiful symbol and and something to look up to

A friend of mine just made a post on Facebook saying, “‘The Shack’ is a great depiction of The Trinity.” I immediately Googled, “Is ‘The Shack’ a Christian film.” This essay was the first Google result.

I have not seen the movie yet, and I may not. However, I will say that this essay is what annoys me about Chritianity and why I havent been to church in a while.

You get bogged down in “modality” and all other kinds of minutiae. P. Bruss, said it best in their comment 4 or 5 posts up –

“I don’t know why so much time was use to pick apart a fictional story & compare it to the Bible.’

I agree with Chaplin Freitag that this movie can be a good way to reach out to non-Christians. There are theological issues, but I believe it is worth seeing so that we can use it as a bridge to share the good news of what Jesus Christ has done for us. This review does not talk much about the main themes of the book and movie. God loves us and cares about us is the major theme. And another theme is that forgiveness is an important part of healing.

I believe the book and movie does not portray the view of Moralistic and Therapeutic Deism as the reviewer thinks, because of the backstory behind Paul Young’s writing of the book. Paul Young was a church worker whose view of God was moralistic and authoritarian. He wore this mask of being a good person while his sin was destroying him. God brought him down and then showed him forgiveness, mercy and grace. Out of this experience he wrote the book. The book was intended to reach out to those who are hurting and view God as a stern judge. They are in need of the Gospel, not Law, which the book provides. We can use this movie to show them that though God is just, he is also loving.

How about focusing on the gift of HOPE….that’s what this book and movie is about.

When we are in such dark despair, God comes to us in very interesting measures. We don’t need to give the whole bale of hay to folks when they’ve finally surrendered enough to grasp for one grass of clover.

GOD HEALS! End of story. This movie can initiate some very positive discussion.

Read the book and saw the movie. I agree that it is not theologically sound. With that being said, if someone is struggling to know Gods love and the power of forgiveness this movie plants a seed. A seed grows and matures and the mature Christian can then decipher the theological faults. If it can plant a seed then the Holy Spirit is at work.

How often did Jesus teach in parables? We are told why he taught in parables. We also know that we are all at different maturities in our faith. That being said, I ask this: How many convicted believers will be led astray by this movie? None. How many who don’t know God at all may be led to ask about him? Countless. How many who don’t know God at all will be let to NEVER ask about him? I doubt any. This was a non-threatening film in so many ways.

The trinity will NEVER be understood by anyone until we are called home. And as convicted as I am in God’s word and as much as I appreciate the fact that there are people willing to take the microscope of analysis to movies such as The Shack, we can’t miss the fact that this can be a fantastic tool used to begin reaching those who are seaking who God is. And perhaps they are seeking BECAUSE OF this movie. How will they react when they come to us asking about God and we tell them how non-theologically correct this movie is. Personally, I wouldn’t want to talk to you anymore.

I was very skeptical and I did not make it through the book. Being more visual, I went with my wife. Yes, the characters took some getting used to, but after putting my LCMS hat to the side to enjoy the movie, I thought it did a really good job of putting a visual picture of the impossible-to-understand. I’m taking my kids, because I trust my ability to teach them the Truth above what Hollywood does.

I watched the movie and loved it. It is the first time I saw God portrayed as a woman. And the Holy Spirit too, the Ruah described in the Bible. And Jesus, not portrayed as a white male but as a midle east man.

I have not seen the movie yet, I plan to, but have read the book. This is a fictional story based on the concepts of pain, loss of faith, forgiveness and ultimately new-found faith and God’s grace and redemption. We in the flesh struggle with these concepts daily. I thought the idea of making God a black woman for most of the story very unique, especially since Father God is a spirit and does not have human form. By doing this I feel the author did not disrespect the Trinity as I understand it from the Word, and feel that we should go outside the box of thinking using the gift of our spiritual discernment.

• Authors and Contributors

Missionaries end, begin service

SAS summer update: On the road

Steve Cullum

The Shack (Movie Review)

Last night, I had the privilege of attending a screening of the upcoming movie, The Shack , based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same title. I read the book several years ago and loved it, but because of Hollywood’s track record with book-to-movie adaptations, you can guess why I was a bit apprehensive when I heard they were turning it into a movie. After the screening, though, I can honestly say that I was very pleasantly surprised!

The Shack follows the story of Mackenzie (Mack) Phillips and his journey with God through a strange but magical experience as he deals with an incredibly difficult time in his life. The story hits on themes of evil, forgiveness, loss, guilt, anger, and family that will quickly draw in readers/watchers and fill them with so much emotion. While you can certainly find more on the internet about the plot, I’m going to stop right here, because I feel that if I say anything else, it could ruin aspects of the story for you.

Instead of diving into the plot, I would like to share some thoughts about the movie and how they adapted it.

First of all, I think the cast selection was great! Sam Worthington plays an excellent Mack. He was able to capture all of the emotion needed for this role, but he never went overboard. He was actually able to help me see into the eyes of the character in new ways as he dealt with his struggles. His family and friends were also excellent, but hats off to the actors chosen to represent God. They were nearly perfect! And getting an actual Israeli Jew to play Jesus — brilliant! Why was this the first time I’ve seen this happen in Hollywood?

The movie’s producer, Gil Netter, also worked on movies like The Life of Pi ,  The Blind Side , and Marly and Me , which were also excellent films. We were told at the screening that he finally decided to take on The Shack  as a gift for his wife, who loved the book. I’m so glad that he did, because he did an amazing job of bringing this story to the big screen. It never felt cheap or cheesy, which is so great for a Christian-themed movie! (Most of you know exactly what I mean.)

For those of you who read the book, be aware that there were some slight changes. However, I think almost all of them made sense, given that they were adapting a 256-page book to a 2-hour movie. For example, he had five children in the book but only three in the movie. That did not bother me, because it allowed them to tighten up the story for movie-form. Similarly, things happen a bit faster in the movie, but that also made sense to me.

There are a few things they left out or barely glossed over, though. For example, if you have read the book, you may want to know that the very end was left out of the movie. I’m not really sure why this was the case, but maybe they just had to fit it in a specific time-frame. In the end, though, neither my wife nor I was ever left thinking, “I can’t believe they change that!” or “Why in the world did they cut that part?”

I do want to issue a slight warning. Make sure you bring the tissues, because there are several incredibly moving scenes! I do not cry much when it comes to sad things, which this move definitely has, but God often tugs at my heart when I experience something that is very moving. This movie is full of those moments, so be prepared.

The theater was filled with other ministry leaders, all watching  The Shack  ahead of its March 3 release to get our feedback but also to encourage us to use the movie in our ministry. As I said earlier, I was very apprehensive about this movie for many reasons, but one of my biggest worries was that it would be corny and cheap. The Shack is anything but that, and I look forward to inviting students and families to watch it and discuss the themes together. I’m still brainstorming exactly how we will use it in our ministry, but rest assured, we will use it. If you’re interested in finding out more, there are several resources — ranging from renting out a theater to Bible studies to sermon ideas — all available to help ministry leaders on the following websites:

• theshackresources.com
• outreach.com/theshack

I’ll close with this quote from my wife, which I think captures our thoughts beautifully:

I loved the book, and the movie did not disappoint. It shattered my expectations of how an imaginative and thought-provoking book could be adapted for the big screen. It will stir up the full spectrum of emotions, so bring the tissues!

Mark your calendars. Buy your tickets. Spread the word. Read the book. Watch the movie.  The Shack  will not disappoint.

Want to purchase The Shack book?

Just click here to get the paperback, hardcover, Kindle, or audio version on Amazon.

MOVIE TRAILER

Note: Yes, this story is fictional, so make sure to treat it as such. You will probably not agree with everything it says. But if you open up your mind a bit, you will most likely learn to see God a bit differently, just as I did, and in the end, fall in love with Him even more.

One thought on “ The Shack (Movie Review) ”

Loved reading thhis thank you

Leave a comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar