Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five stars because, 20 Dec 2007
I am a big fan of Gregory Widen's The Prophecy 1 - 3 so when I heard Christopher Walken wasnt doing anymore (mostly because there was no need for his character on account of how Prophecy 3 played out)but this didnt stop me from seeing these other sequels. This PRophecy is the 5th one in the series, the actors here are great with a compelling if somewhat unresolved main story about a lexicon so here is hoping for a sixth.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good entry in the series - but nothing all that special, 31 Dec 2005
The idea of angels being jealous of soul-possessing human beings goes back a long way, all the way back to Lucifer's fall from heaven, and the Prophecy series has explored this theme like no other series before it. The world of these films is one of extreme moral ambiguity, in which angels and devils defy their stereotypes in such a way that, here in Prophecy: Forsaken, the protagonist, God's chosen servant to protect an ancient book of immeasurable knowledge, seeks help from Satan against a horde of God's "holy" angels. Those angels, led by Stark (Tony "Candyman" Todd) are working desperately to stop Armageddon, and the knowledge they seek is the AntiChrist's name. Allison (Kari Wuhrer) was chosen to safeguard the knowledge the angels seek, and that puts her in a lot of danger. Her only ally is the man charged with killing her (the angels can't afford to get their own hands dirty for fear of what their Father - who, by the way, is completely absent from all of these films and really needs to come back and get his heavenly house in order - would surely do to them) - which makes Dylan (Jason Scott Lee) less than dependable in any given situation. Satan (John Light) is essentially the voice of reason and logic in this film; while he has his own agenda, he's also a pretty good source of information on angelic politics. The big question is why Stark, among the most high-ranking of angels, wants to keep Armageddon from happening - well, it's not that hard of a question, but it surely takes Allison a good while to figure it out. Prophecy: Forsaken is a good movie that stands pretty well on its own two feet, but there's just nothing special about it - nothing that makes it stand out or takes it anywhere close to "must see" territory. The roots of the movie's theology don't run very deep, there's really not much action or climactic material worked into its 75 minute run time, and no one comes through with a tour de force acting job (although Tony Todd is quite effective and menacing in his role). And - despite what you may read elsewhere - Doug Bradley is not in this film (although he was in Prophecy: Uprising), so my fellow Pinhead fans shouldn't look for him here.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
PASSIBLE, 26 Oct 2007
Sent out on a job, Dylan, (Jason Scott Lee) can't bear to murder Allison, (Kari Wuhrer) who still holds the fabled book, and decides to shield her from his employer, Stark, (Tony Todd) a jealous angel, and his minions. While on the run, she again meets up with John Reigart, (John Light) to figure out who's after her, but offers no help. Hiding out until he can rejoin her, she is soon captured by Stark's minions and told of his job to eliminate Allison. Thinking this will allow Stark, who wants to stop the Antichrist from arriving, to find the Lexicon without her getting in the way, and that she may herself have a more prominent role in both parties than she realized, she fights off both to protect herself and the fate of humanity.
The Good News: This was a mildly decent entry in the series. As a continuation of the one before it, there's a sense of continuity that is nice to see. With the same themes being brought up and several of the same people and places, it doesn't offer much and being a straight sequel, that's a really pleasing factor to have. It's one really impressive sequence is a short scene where one character is chased into a small church, and as night falls, the spirit of a deceased victim appears to them, only hidden by the shadows of the dark. While delivering a really creepy message, they light shines only briefly on the figure, making it apparent for several quick flashes that it's an otherworldly force and turns out to be quite creepy. This alone makes the film watchable. The last main positive point is that terrifically gloomy Romanian locale in the film. It adds a Gothic flavor that just can't be matched anywhere else, with it's Medieval-style houses, dark atmosphere and just it's wasteland feel to it. Most of the atmosphere and feel in the film comes from this. Otherwise, this was a really lackluster film.
The Bad News: This was a really weak and uneven entry. Most of the problem is primarily due to the repetitive nature of what's going on. Far too much time is spent explaining everything that happened in the last movie, and this can really make it seem like there's really not much we haven't already seen. The almost airy and aimless half-bag of religious psycho-babble delivered here also feels like the exact same "mystical book" mumbo-jumbo that populated the last entry. Some of the rules get explained a little further, but it takes it's cues from the one before it, and really doesn't feel like it's own sequel. Rather, there's an air about it being the exact same as before, and this is a really irritating and tiring concept, since it was a boring and excruciating point in that one as well. These non-stop talking scenes go on forever, don't really end on anything useful rather than confusing the viewer, and no attempt is made to work them into the film naturally beyond the explanations. The last major problem is the short running time. With most of the time taken up with the dialog and explanations, there isn't any time for any action or anything else. It's still watchable, but there's a sense that it feels like this could've had some more action and chasing thrown in to make it more exciting. Beyond the one church scene and a half-way decent roof-top encounter near the end, that's it in terms of exciting action in the film. This can seem boring in some ways, and really could've been fixed quite easily. With a few small, simple problems, this could've been a slightly better entry.
The Final Verdict: While still keeping the entertainment factor high, this is a just about fully-talkative film that offers a few action sequences to lighten the mood. It's fine and watchable, but the only real reason to see this one is to either finish off the series or because you've seen part four. Otherwise, you can skip it without missing anything at all.
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