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. He
took inspiration from David Gregory’s book Dinner With a Perfect Stranger and
put together a screenplay that will keep you glued from beginning to end—if
you’re interested in the word rather than the visuals. Although there are weak
points in the script, The Perfect Stranger is still enlightening.
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. Issues like
Mohammed and Islam: this movie took on the Islamic faith and explained why it
is not the way.
It also took on idol worshipping (i.e., Hindu—although Hindu is not the only
idol-worshipping religion) and made us understand that idol worshipping is not
a way to get closer to God.
What I really liked is that it also addressed the issue of Christ being the
only way.
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 where
the movie starts to go south. The acting in the movie is not so great, and when
you add that to the cinematography, what you have is a good movie not well
done.
The movie’s progression (editing) is also another problem. 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. 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 recommend it for everyone to see.
My conclusion is that you should see this movie for the message, not the visuals. It’s good for the soul.
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