The Perfect
Stranger came out before The
Encounter (exactly five years before), and I think The
Encounter did justice to what The Perfect Stranger tried to pass
across.
Although I
saw The
Encounter first, I still appreciated the work Jefferson Moore did here. He
took inspiration from David Gregory’s book Dinner With a Perfect Stranger and
put together an OK screenplay, that is, if
you’re interested in the Christian word rather than the visuals. If, like me, you just want to watch a good movie, then you will not like the weak script, the poor execution and the lack of a spark.
Like The
Encounter, the character Jesus addressed major issues that would be on
the minds of many. But unlike The
Encounter, it took it one step further and addressed issues that I bet
the makers of The Encounter didn’t want to touch, and rightly so. This movie goes beyond what I would say is acceptable and dared to talk about Mohammed and Islam: this movie took on the Islamic faith and tried to explain why, to it, Islam is not the way. Well, to everyone their own, but it was not done. It also took on other faiths, liking them to idol worshipping. This to me was bold, but if you are easily offended by such things, then do not watch this movie.
The movie’s plot
is straightforward. Nikki Cominsky (Pamela Brumley) is a lawyer with problems
in her married life. At work, she sees an invitation to come for a dinner
outing with Jesus (Jefferson Moore). Thinking it was a joke from her husband,
she shows up only to meet a man named Jesus, who tells her that He is the real
deal. He takes the time to address issues that bothered her faith.
Acting is another place where
the movie goes south. The acting in the movie is not so great, and when
you add that to the cinematography, what you have is an attempt at a good movie not well
done.
The movie’s progression from moment to moment is also another problem, it seems to jump about sometimes when addressing its issues, as Nikki seems easily to be convinced (or maybe it was just me). If you’re not ready
to see this movie through to the end to get the message, you’ll very likely
sleep off.
Then there’s the setting, which is where The Encounter stepped it up, and I believe it’s because of financing. Budget was what made The Encounter a good watch, and budget is what made this movie not step up to meet the required criteria that would make many including I recommend it for everyone to see.
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