The Gathering

Reviewed by: Ken James
STAFF WRITER

Moral Rating:	Excellent!
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:	Older Child to Adult
Genre:	Drama
Length:	60 min.
Year of Release:	1992
USA Release:

Featuring
Director
Producer
Distributor

From the award-winning creators of “Final Exit” comes “The Gathering”, a powerful film about the “second coming” of Jesus Christ.

Michael Carrey is at the top of his marketing career, just coming off of his best year with the company. But his new found faith in Jesus Christ has left his coworkers and family worried that Michael has gone off the deep end and become a religious fanatic. Because of his new lifestyle and faith in Christ, both his marriage and career lies in jeopardy.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”
—Joel 2:28

As is prophesied in the Old Testament of the Scriptures, men and women in the last days will begin to experience dreams and visions. Michael, his not-yet-believing wife, and his atheist mother-in-law all begin to experience frequent visions. For Michael, it is of a glorious rapture. For his wife and mother-in-law, futuristic looks into a frightening and strange post-rapture world.

“The Gathering” is a superbly produced film with a tremendous message. Strong and convincing acting from nearly all cast members and special computerized visual effects lend credibility to this timely presentation. This Christian film rivals secular videos in production quality, and the message is of utmost importance! For Christians, “The Gathering” drives home the importance of living as Christ desires and encourages us to tell others of salvation found only in Jesus. For not-yet-believers, the message is strong: Jesus is coming… is He coming for you?

I highly recommend this movie for believers and non-believers. The story is compelling with a strong message. Further, it serves to provoke conversation and inquiry from viewers regarding the meanings of end-time events and salvation in detail. It is refreshing to see the actions and the plan of God, working thru his people portrayed on the screen.

It was convicting to see Christians, not made to look stupid or compromised (the usual movie portrayal), but portrayed in realistic everyday situations, holding fast to the “profession” of the faith—Hebrews 10:23. We witness the character Michael, responding to an environment that is no longer even self-conscious of its deliberate anti-Christian bias. A very post-Christian environment indeed.

The media of film by its very nature, often bases reality on what can be seen and envisioned. The “visions and dreams” segments of the film where at times esoteric, and dramatic. This could have been somewhat de-emphasized by the use of more detailed scriptural reference, with dialogue between the characters stemming from from that foundation.

That being said, it is a blessing to see the fruits of long hard work to make the movie. “The Gathering” is an excellent family film, which can be used as a evangelical tool as well. My Ratings: [4½/4]

Leisia Duskin, age 39

…The Gathering is a top movie and will be used by my wife and I to evangelise our neibourhood/family. The next morning after watching it, my wife had her Catholic parents watching and challenging them with the gospel. What a great tool for evangelism; straight down the line… couldn’t fault it and loved every minute! I thought the movie quality was excellent. Look forward to DRC’s next movie!

A.C., age 31

Another biased opinion… I am extremely proud to be the brother of the Producer/Director of the films “The Gathering” and “Final Exit.” He has made tremendous sacrifices in order to complete these movies. Obstacle after obstacle that were thrown at those who worked on the films were overcome because of the prayers of family and friends. We can now stand back and look at the finished products and realize that God wanted these films released. These are films are a must for every Christian’s evangelism tool box.

David L Carrales, age 37

I am privileged to be a dean at Liberty University where we challenge our students to be champions for Christ. Many times our students have difficulty communicating their faith and the truths of the Word to family and friends. This film offers two specific helps as it relates to these situations. One, it involves dialogue that reaches to the depth of spiritual debate and discussion. The Gathering doesn’t take the easy way out in these controversies. Second, the movie is a quality resource to place in the hands of lost family and friends. Keep your eye on this production team.

David Thew, age 28

I have seen various christian films from various directors/producers, but I am very excited about the quality and potential that this film presents. The message not only comes straight from the Word Of God, but it also comes from the hearts of all who put numerous hours into making the film possible. SEE THIS FILM, AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!…

Hannah Shade, age 20

This movie is a “must see”! I was astounded, not just with the special effects and the professional acting, but the story itself. It literally left me with goosebumps. If you’ve ever wondered what Jesus' second coming might really be like… this film will satisfy your curiosity. As compelling as it is timely, this movie should be made available in every secular video rental store as well as every Christian church in America. Three cheers for the actors and production crew. I can’t wait for the next movie from DRC productions!

Erick Petersen, age 44

This is a very contemporary story and the best end times movie produced to date. This production was shot on film (which looks good) and has some great special effects! It’s an uplifting film for believers in Christ and is a good film to give to non-believers. It presents the truth about Jesus Christ and is not watered down. I really liked it. Great opening and great ending to this movie.

Dave Christiano, age 42 (producer of “Pamela’s Prayer”)

As I worked on the set and all of the special effects for the movie, I realized how hard Satan was at work trying to stop production of the Gathering. Even to this day, Satan is still hard at work delaying the movie from being distributed. The movie in my opinion, although somewhat biased, is the best, or one of the best, Christian films produced. Every aspect of the film was carefully considered from a Christian and non-Christian point of view.

I’ve seen quite a few Christian movies that only have a few aspects of a good movie. It may be a well written script with poor production, or a Hollywood-budgeted production with a weak script and message. At the premiere of the movie, I was astonished to see the response of the people. A lot of the people I work with, who saw the movie, are still talking about it several days after it premiered.

A couple of things I noticed about the movie was the clear presentation of the gospel to both Jew and Gentile. A converted Orthodox Jewish rabbi is even portrayed in the film. To sum it all up, I could tell the Lord’s hand was firm in the making of this movie, and it will be a great evangelistic tool.

Matt Uncapher, Special Effects Producer/Director of “The Gathering”

Many thanks for your wonderful review! As the producer and director of THE GATHERING, I’m very excited about how audiences are responding to the film. We have had great comments about the production and people have been dedicating their lives to Christ after viewings. We are so thankful to God for this small miracle that the Lord has provided through long hard hours of work and prayer.

The crew and cast had a vision to share Christ with others through the medium of film. THE GATHERING took us over a year to produce and it was worth the time and effort. We took months working on the special effects, which I believe are the best of any of the “end times” films. The effects bring a sense of added story telling quality not seen in most Christian productions.

It is our prayer that people would be able to use this movie to reach others in their church and families. 90% of the viewers have been blown away by the story and production and I hope that you will too… we hope to bring you a new film in September currently titled: LAKE OF FIRE. Pray for us as we move into production in April [of 1999].

Danny R. Carrales, Producer/Director of “The Gathering”