Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

The Shack Blu-ray Movie Review

1 Rm Hvn Vu

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 16, 2017

Call me a curmudgeon (and be prepared to get in a very long line to do so), but I chafe at times with regard to films that take some kind of personal tragedy and then attempt to give it “meaning” by having the victim of said tragedy undergo some kind of life altering perspective change due to Divine meddling. This kind of plot setup tends to ignore a salient element of the tragedy itself: if some Divine being is “in charge”, why did He (or She—given one of this film’s conceits) allow the tragedy to happen in the first place? There’s a certain sanguine aspect to some of these films that asks the viewer to simply leap over this hurdle to get to the “real” message, which is basically “put on your big boy pants, deal with bad things that happen, and rejoice in the beauty of life.” Now, don’t get me wrong—that’s a perfectly worthwhile message, and one that is perhaps needed now and again, especially for those wallowing in some long ago trauma who might admittedly need a bit of a metaphysical kick in the keister. But it also seems downright churlish, especially in the context of something like The Shack, where a guy named Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) has already suffered through a roiling childhood with an abusive parent and who then has to deal with the horrifying death of one of his own children. The Shack is so fraught with melodramatic elements that once the calm and nurturing presence of Olivia Spencer as a deity (the Deity?) named Papa shows up, it’s like trying to smear some healing salve on a fatal wound caused by an assault rifle. Kind of interestingly (and for some folks, probably amusingly), the source novel on which the film is based came under some withering attacks not for the basic plot but instead for supposedly “heretical” presentations of Christian doctrine, perhaps due at least in part to the concept that the Holy Trinity may in fact have a female element that is not the Holy Spirit.

There are a couple of problems with the traditional “why bad things happen to good people” formulation that’s underpinning much of what happens in The Shack. First of all, while not really that shaded, it’s at least hinted that there’s a bit of “grayish” morality in Mack’s own past that at least gives the character some commendable ambiguity. But more importantly, and in a trend this film shares with similarly themed “metaphysical” outings, the answer to that troubling query is typically only answered with platitudes that in fact answer nothing. Those platitudes (and they are legion in this film) are mixed with the sort of FX wonderment that is supposed to evoke awe in the audience but which comes off as kind of a cheap trick. There are mystical elements galore, including Mack receiving a note in his mailbox from “Papa”, the nickname his murdered daughter used to call God, this despite the fact that there are no footprints in the snowdrifts surrounding the mailbox. Later, when Mack visits the shack where his daughter was killed (courtesy of that special invitation from Papa), it transforms from a wintry horror movie scene to a floral paradise on a gorgeous summer day, perhaps due to the influence of Jesus (Aviv Alush), who (it turns out) is kind of a cool surfer dude nowadays. If you’re not already rolling your eyes, if only just a little, you may in fact be able to withstand the patent artifice that underlies a lot of The Shack.

Most folks, even those who don’t consider themselves particularly religious, have probably at some point in their lives wondered why something is happening to them, or have called out to some unseen force for help, or at least an explanation. It seems to be part of our hard wiring to wonder about the big questions, but The Shack wants to boil the questions down to easily accessible “answers”, all delivered in a sort of Reader’s Digest amalgamation of clichés and homilies which are okay in and of themselves, but seem almost shockingly inadequate to address the sort of trauma that is part of Mack’s tale. It’s all well and good that the Deity takes time out of His/Her day to personally minister to Mack, and in fact that may be one of the film’s subliminal pleasures (i.e., there is help available), but even this “event” begs certain questions, like (to cite just one example), what about the untold hordes of other wounded souls who are traipsing around their own “shacks”?

There are occasional rather interesting stylistic flourishes scattered throughout The Shack, including a kind of almost poetic depiction of the Holy Ghost, here called Sarayu (Sumire). That portrayal is probably the most distinctive of the trio of divinities in the film, and in some ways the least “New Age”-y. Traditionalists have already been up in arms over the source novel’s tweaking of traditional Christian theology, and those folks are probably going to chafe not just at this film’s proffering of a female (and African American) “Head Honcho” (honchette?), but also in some of the film’s more whimsical moments, like Jesus teaching Mack how to walk on water.

Despite the kind of hipster ethos that creeps into The Shack, the film can’t help but feel mawkish, tugging pretty violently at heartstrings while offering a feelgood antidote to some of life’s most staggering questions. Octavia Spencer provides a wonderfully warm and nurturing performance, but even she is unable to deliver lines about living a life unloved without a slight wince at times. Worthington is awfully bland at times in what should be a seriously conflicted characterization. While the FX work at least gives The Shack a bit of a supernatural jolt of energy, director Stuart Hazeldine could have paced (and perhaps even structured) the film better. At over two hours, it seems like an eternity.

The Shack Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Shack is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The Shack's closing credits kindly list the Alexa as the camera utilized to capture the imagery, and with superb cinematographer Declan Quinn managing the lensing, the results are often quite sumptuous. The palette varies from the wintry blues and whites of the opening scenes to the much warmer tones once Mack makes it to his own private Shangri-La. The forest and cabin scenes in these sequences are filled with an array of appealing colors and the brightly lit outdoor environments support excellent levels of fine detail, especially in the many close-ups. FX work is woven into things artfully, adding to the slightly dreamlike feel of much of the film.

The Shack Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Perhaps because so much of the film takes place outside, The Shack's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track offers near constant immersion in terms of ambient environmental noises, from the rustle of breezes, to the quiet sounds of water lapping on the shores of a lake, to lots of birdsong. The surround channels are also filled regularly with Aaron Zigman's sympathetic but probably cloying score. Dialogue is delivered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.

The Shack Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Stuart Hazeldine


• Touched by God: A Writer's Journey (1080p; 10:05) profiles author William Paul Young.


• God's Heart for Humanity (1080p; 8:59) talks about various interpretations of Divinity and this piece's in particular.


• "Heaven Knows" - The Power of Song with Hillsong United (1080p; 6:09)


• Something Bigger Than Ourselves: The Making of The Shack (1080p; 13:03) is the most standard EPK on the disc, with the requisite interviews and scenes from the film.


• Premiere Night: A Blessed Evening (1080p; 18:07) is hosted by radio personality Delilah and frankly doesn't seem to have much to do with the premiere, featuring instead a performance by Hillsong and (non red carpet) interviews.


• Deleted Scene (1080p; 1:18)

The Shack Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If there was ever a film which preached to the choir, The Shack is it. If you're a member of that choir, and if you can handle its New Age updates on Christian theology and swallow some of its overly convenient homilies, the film may well provide substantial (transsubstantial?) uplift. Others will probably want to avoid this outing like it's the third ring of Hell. Technical merits are generally strong and the supplemental package above average for those considering a purchase.