Streaming Review: Manifest
Streaming Review: Manifest
29 March 2022
When Montego Air Flight 828 lands five years and a half years late, the passengers are led on an extraordinary journey to figure out what – or who – saved them.
Is there something bigger than us out there? This question has prompted humanity to seek God through history. In the supernatural drama Manifest, we are invited to ask the same question, ultimately leading us to discover the role of a divine being like God in the world – but a little hazier on its character.
We first witness the supernatural when Montego Air Flight 828 goes missing in 2012 somewhere between Jamaica and New York. Our lead characters, detective Michaela Stone, her brother Ben Stone and his 10-year-old son Cal are all on the flight and, after experiencing severe turbulence, are relieved when they land. Except there is a problem – they have landed five and a half years into the future, and everyone thought they were dead.
It means our characters must grapple with a changing world – spouses, partners, colleagues, and friends have moved on. In addition, nearly every passenger on the plane begins to receive ‘callings’ – what we would term visions, words or prophecies. And therein enters the character most similar to the Holy Spirit – except instead of leading them to Christ, it shows them how to save other people’s lives with premonitions. And if they don’t follow through, the consequences are deadly.
Interestingly, the role of Scripture is weaved through the plot. The words of Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good” (they conveniently forget “of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”), shroud the mysterious event, and references to Revelation and religious imagery abound.
As detective Stone and her hyper-vigilant brother soon discover, some passengers from Flight 828 are led down a religious path following their trauma. Yet, instead of idealising this, they show healthy and unhealthy facets of spiritual questioning. Some look for answers, some seek to become gods, and others experience abuse in the name of the same God. It makes for a complex yet riveting story. And by the time you get to seasons two and three, you soon realise something bigger is at play than a conspiracy, government cover-ups or human ego.
Manifest sounds far-fetched, but just like Lost, it will envelop you in mystery. Some of it reflects the nature of God, some humanity’s idea of god, and some of it is just plain mind-bending. But the characters’ humanity and their imperfections drive the plot forward, helping us identify with an extraordinary situation, so we too ask, “What if?”
Manifest is rated M for mature themes, violence and drug use.
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