The first Encounter movie,
released two years before this one, had something I really liked: one of the
characters challenges the concept of divine morality with thought-provoking
questions that many of us might wonder about today. One question stood out: “If
divine love exists, why would there be commands for destruction, like the
historical accounts of Canaan?” This second Encounter raises another
heavy question: “If it pains a higher power to see innocent children suffer,
why doesn’t it intervene?”
Like in the
first film, the questions aren’t answered with clever wordplay but with
straightforward, scriptural-based responses.
The Encounter:
Paradise Lost suffers from the same poor cinematography as the first film,
along with an even longer wait before the central figure, Jesus, appears. I
don’t think this movie comes close to the first one because it lacks the raw,
innocent charm that made the original somewhat engaging.
Set against the
backdrop of the 2004 Thailand tsunami, this movie’s weak script and
underwhelming acting made it hard to stay awake. I thought the cinematography
in the first film was bad, but since it was shot in a confined space, it didn’t
fully expose the cinematographer’s limitations. This time, with a bigger budget
and more locations, the flaws are even more glaring. The result is a messy
story that left me feeling like I gained nothing by the end.
The plot is
broader than the first film’s, dragging on for about 38 minutes before the
Jesus character shows up. When he finally appears, it’s again in a confined
space, but this time with six people: a grieving couple who just lost their
son, a drug dealer, his henchman, the dealer’s wife, and a police officer
chasing them.
The Jesus
character steps in to try and save everyone, but like in the first movie, not
everyone makes it out unscathed. The consequences of not following his guidance
play out in a way that feels heavy-handed and predictable.
The acting here
is even more mediocre than in the first film. The cast lacks depth, and the
actor playing Jesus (Bruce Marchiano) stands out only because the rest of the
performances are so weak. This movie is a prime example of what turns people
away from independent films—poor production, a weak storyline, and an overall
boring experience (with a capital B).
Many great
filmmakers have started with independent projects, but the producers of this
film need to go back to the drawing board and come up with something much
better. Honestly, I wish I could un-watch this movie.
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