Too much of everything

Sadly Over-hyped

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

First of all I find it unsettling that there are some who attack people's ratings of this movie because of a failure to meet a cinematic standard they want to see in a movie or others beliefs as Christians. We're suppose to rate the movie, not peoples ratings or their beliefs.This is a low budget film, of course it's not going to be on the same level as a major Hollywood blockbuster. But what it lacks in that is made up in the content of the film. The actors chosen for this film are perfect for their roles. What I enjoyed about The Encounter is the reality of Jesus who knows everybody and how he intervenes and reaches out even when they don't know he is there. The concept of meeting him at a diner I found to be brilliant, making him personable and real. It's put a fresh new perspective of him in my life and how simple it is to reach out back to him.This is a different Christian movie than most others and really refreshing. It really showed the reality of the choices we are faced with and the consequences, both good and bad of those choices, and the constant battle between good and evil.If you're a Christian, you'll love this movie, if you're not, it's definitely worth giving it a chance because believe it or not, this movie shows a real side of Jesus you won't find anywhere else. It succeeds in showing how real and approachable Jesus really is. There are much worse things you could waste your time watching.I would have given it a 10 except that there were times the camera shook, like the camera man either moved the tripod or the shot was hand held. Even for a low budget film, camera shake is really not acceptable.

A dark stormy night . Rain and landslides have blocked a remote country road and a Highway patrolman informs drivers they have a long about detour . The only building in the area is a diner and a handful of drivers stop and ask for something to eat and drink . The person serving at the diner is called Jesus and informs them he can get them something to eat but the only drinks he can serve is water Yet another Christian propaganda film made because if you make enough eccelestical movies that will somehow prove there is a God and an afterlife . This isn't as bad as the poisonous bile that was THE MOMENT AFTER and its sequel but is far more minimalist and therefore tedious featuring effectively one set and a handful of not very good actors , it's no less simplistic than any other Christian movie pushing an agenda One internal argument Christians wrestle with is " If God exists then why does he allow bad things to happen ? " The whole function of THE ENCOUNTER is to gather a handful of literary devices and stick them in a setting where the argument can take place . There's no subtlety or sophistication to any of this . The audience are asked to literally believe this bloke behind the counter is the Biblical Jesus and the literary devices are used as a sounding board to ask " Well Jesus something bad is happening in my life so please explain to me why are you being so cruel ? " . There is no God so that will answer a few searching questions . Where I'll give this film some small credit and if I was present in this diner I'd be asking " Why do you allow so many atrocities to take place in your name ? " and this is effectively what one of the sounding boards ask and Jesus replies that he doesn't ask for actions like abortion clinics to be bombed . Fair enough and scripture doesn't ask for that but when asked about genocide against Canaanites which does appear in the Old Testament Jesus gets out of this by a rambling reply that he's a God of love . Yeah we've all heard about these priests wanting to share their love with choirboys haven't we ? The other arguments don't stand up to any scrutiny and it's amazing what you can get away with if you constantly say " God loves you " to an uncritical audience . One thing Jesus as seen here needs educating on is the selfish nature of human beings . We're merely vessels to carry our DNA in order to keep the species going . If you're on a sinking ship and you grab the only lifejacket letting someone else drown you're committing a selfish act but at the same time by surviving as an individual you're potentially helping the species to survive . We have an inbuilt survival instinct hence the amoral aspect of human nature . Likewise our obsession with sex . All this is easily explained - we're carriers of DNA , and a belief in God is merely simply down to cultural conditioning

**Possible Spoiler Alert** Some reviews say this movie stinks... that the characters are flat, etc. However, what I think is that this movie is like an "Unplugged" album in music. It is stripped down intentionally to get the message to the viewer.I think it is really FUNNY how many negative - I mean RABID REVIEWERS - have submitted their tantrums in lieu of a review of this movie. What the movie is about is disclosed in the movie description. GROW UP - Jesus still loves you no matter what you say about him.They are like the real-life Officer Deville from the movie. Trying to keep others away from the simple, family friendly message shared in this movie.I personally loved this movie. Quiet, simple, and straightforward. Love Marchiano's performance.

Horrible. Production quality is OK. The movie would be better as a play... in a church. I am a Christian but this movie is all I hate about Christian productions. Zero subtlety. Other people can get their point across through careful character development instead of such obvious church propaganda. Why can't Christians who have God to give inspiration do the same? Diner owner named Jesus? Really? Only serving water? Then he gets right into the weirdness and creepy behavior and bad duologue and quotes from the Bible. I am so depressed after watching 10 minutes of this. Please some Christian should make a movie for people with a brain.