Does it rate Thr3e stars?Well, it's the opening weekend of the movie Thr3e, from the Gold Medallion winning book by Ted Dekker, and I wanted to browse the blogs and read the reviews and reactions.
I spoke to my parents this evening who saw the movie. They were a bit shocked that I hadn't seen the movie yet but, with a family of four, seeing a movie with s6x people requires a second mortgage so we've got to pick and choose (I can't wait for the loan approval since I'm a big fan of Dekker and would prefer to see this on the big screen). Despite an inconsiderate set of kids, my parents enjoyed the movie. My father said that he really liked the movie and thanked me for the recommendation. I think a night out with mom has a lot to do with it, but hearing his approval makes me feel better about seeing it since I know if he likes it, I will to.
It seems to me that fans of Ted Dekker will enjoy the movie while others may have a mixed reaction. Kari Compton in her article entitled, "
Thr3e the movie...my thoughts", stated that while she enjoyed the movie, the friends in her party were not as enthusiastic. She was also disappointed by the limited numbers in the theater and she is encouraging all to "go and support the movie".
At
Open Mikey, "Mikey" seems to reluctantly recommend the movie, in his article entitled, "
Thr3e...", while at the same time making it clear that in this case the old adage,
the book is better than the movie, reigns true. Mike felt that the movie was, "well-paced, suspenseful (even for those who've read the book and know the ending) and kept much of the original storyline intact" but at the same time had one "gripe" when he said that, "Something was missing - and desperately needed in my humble opinion. It was those long theological conversations. Readers of the book will long for the interplay of student and instructor."
David Mackey, gave the movie a
4 out of 5 in his movie review and concluded by saying, "On a $2 million dollar budget Ralph Winters, Rob Henson, and the cast and crew did an absolutely amazing job. They managed to provide a decent suspense thriller at a cost most other companies would not even touch with a ten foot stick. I have enjoyed their past productions (such as The Visitation) and look forward to their future productions (such as House). Its definitely a film worth supporting. Imagine what could be done with $5 or $10 million!". David also took time to comment on the public stoning that the movie is taking in various locations in the article, "
What the Critics Say About Thr3e... (and Commentary)".
Movie ReviewsMovie reviewers appear to be a mixed bag as well. Infuzemag.com heralds the movie while ChristianityTodayMovies.com smashes it. The negative reviews seem to be outnumbering the positive ones. I'm generally more forgiving of movies so I'm ignoring the negative comments but it is disappointing in one sense since I wanted to see this movie do well.
Conclusion
Perhaps this is the greatest plot twist that Ted Dekker has created to date. Create a movie that's neither Christian enough for Christian audiences nor secular enough for secular audiences. During interviews, Dekker is bothered by people who label his books as "Christian" fiction but at the same time he enjoys writing fiction with an allegorical or parable type theme. He prides himself in creating a film that has no sex and bad language appealing to the faith based community, but at the same time the violence drives these same people away. On the other side, the violence is not gratuitous enough to draw in the secular crowds while the thought provoking and personal Godly precepts are enough to bring the faith based viewers back.
I understand Dekker's goal here. Let's create a story that teaches us an important Christian principle while at the same time keeping it entertaining without feeling "churchy" or insulting our intelligence with blatant Sunday school style dialogs. Let's create a story as entertaining as other fiction writers like, JRR Tolkien, but in the genre of a suspense thriller. I think we need to enjoy the allegorical traditions created by the likes of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and learn to appreciate the story behind the story that Dekker creates and forget the labels that only alienate those who need to hear the deeper message.
I hope everyone gets a chance to try out the movie for themselves and and if you get a chance, tell me what you think.
~ Jason Furtak ~
Does it rate Thr3e stars?