Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		1.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

The Prophecy Blu-ray Movie Review

Is this a Godly or unholy Blu-ray release?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 2, 2011

Even now in Heaven, there are angels carrying savage weapons.

The Prophecy builds its story around the clash between the two biggest kids on the block, the two most awesome powers in the universe: God and Satan. Such a mind-numbingly incredible matchup for the ages deserves a movie that's nothing less than equally spellbinding, but instead of an all-time classic, Director Gregory Widen's The Prophecy is a rather ordinary Religious Thriller that sports a few good performances, a ho-hum movie that can't get past the rigidity of genre norm. The Prophecy isn't so bad that it's a soul-sucking venture (well, OK, it is a soul-sucking venture, but relax, ladies and gentleman, it's all part of the show), but the movie is rather lifeless nonetheless, and disappointingly so. Even if Christopher Walken impresses in a role that he was born to play, The Prophecy foretells of nothing worth hearing or seeing. This is fairly standard stuff, a movie that's nowhere near embarrassingly bad but that is patently unimaginative, playing with grand concepts that are perhaps a bit too ambitious and large-scale for a midlevel, small-budgeted studio film, the end result being a questionably-assembled mid-tier Chiller with religious overtones that never finds its calling but doesn't exactly fall from grace, either.

Gabe.

Thomas Dagget (Elias Koteas) is a former man of the cloth who, following terrible visions that befell him on the day of his ordination, gave up his work for the church. Now, he's a man of the badge, a detective with a deeply religious background who's about to land the biggest case of his career and, just maybe, the most important case the world has ever known. He's visited by Simon (Eric Stoltz), an angel, with a prophecy of what's to come. Soon, Dagget is on the case of a murdered man, unbeknownst to him another angel, Uziel (Jeff Cadiente), killed by Simon and offering Dagget an incredible clue and historical artifact: an ancient Biblical text with a never-before-seen chapter from the Book of Revelation that foretells of a second war between God and His angels and of a particular soul that could turn the tide of the conflict in either direction. Simon retrieves the soul from a recently-deceased military Colonel and entrusts it to a kindly and trusting young girl named Mary (Moriah Shining Dove Snyder) who's suddenly become an unwilling host for the most sought-after prize in Heaven, Hell, and on Earth. Unfortunately, the angel Gabriel (Christopher Walken) himself has come to Earth in search of the soul, and he'll stop at nothing to possess it. Can Dagget, a former man of the cloth, and his new partner Katherine (Virginia Madsen), a schoolteacher, defeat Gabriel and, perhaps, face down Lucifer himself?

For as paint-by-numbers as the movie may be, there are a couple of things to like The Prophecy. First is the rather interesting story of a man who has lost his faith in God not through some earthly matter -- the tragic loss of a spouse, for example -- but through a deliberate act by God Himself. Thomas Dagget is infinitely interesting, or at least his background is infinitely interesting. A man of the cloth and destined for Priesthood, Thomas forsook his calling after bearing witness to unholy visions, a terrible insight into the supernatural, a glimpse of the true evils that truly exist in a place separate from but connected to this. But God works in mysterious ways. Thomas' departure from the church and subsequent career with law enforcement, it seems, was actually all part of God's plan to allow him to work the case but to also understand its background and players so as to more thoughtfully and with the needed preparation play his part in a Heavenly conflict on Earth. It's a fascinating character arc and, if nothing else, a reminder of just how clever a thing fate -- or Heavenly intervention -- truly may be. It's a shame that such a dynamic angle is wasted on such a mediocre movie; The Prophecy's rapid devolution from stylish Religious Thriller to bland Action procedural just doesn't do the characters justice, but at least the movie yields some fine performances that make it worth a watch.

Indeed, the second element that makes The Prophecy a worthwhile picture is its collection of good-to-strong performances. Elias Koteas plays the above-referenced Thomas; his take on the character lacks the dynamics that define Thomas, the actor instead choosing to play him like a prototypically dark and inwardly wounded detective who slowly rediscovers who he is and finds a purpose in life through his work on the case. That's the character in a nutshell, basically, but Koteas never really molds his Thomas into anything more than a stock movie cop. Viggo Mortensen breathes a fair bit of life into worldwide arch nemesis Lucifer, but the show is truly stolen by the venerable Christopher Walken, portraying the angel Gabriel in a role he was born and bred to play. It's a career-defining effort, maybe not Walken's finest hour but certainly the role that perfectly encapsulates what he's all about, an actor with an uncanny ability to ooze evil with a smile on his face and a spring in his step, all the while a fire of hate and devilish evil burns on the inside. Walken's performance saves the movie from complete disaster; it's a shame that the rest of the production couldn't elevate itself to his masterful level.

The Prophecy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Prophecy's Blu-ray transfer is anything but from up high. It's a lowly, sloppy, unfortunate effort that barely passes muster as HD material. There's quite a bit of dirt over the fuzzy opening titles. Unfortunately, the image never clears up, remaining speckled throughout. The image also appears to have been artificially sharpened, creating a harsh overlay that still gives way to terribly soft textures. Fine detail barely surpasses that of standard definition material; facial and clothing definition are disappointing to say the least, and most backgrounds yield no worthwhile high definition-like imagery. And that's not just in the movie's crushed-out dark scenes or red-filtered stretches. The absence of clarity and detail remains even in the movie's brightest outdoor scenes, too. A few close-up shots of ancient and battered religious texts do deliver a modicum of definition and crispness, but such are certainly the exception to the rule. Colors are terribly dull, but flesh tones are unusually warm. Slight banding and sloppy color gradations are evident, but not pervasive. This is a pretty lousy transfer, truth be told; even a movie as average as this deserves better.

The Prophecy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Echo Bridge goes above and beyond for The Prophecy, granting the film a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack rather than the studio's usual 2.0 presentation, lossless or otherwise. Unfortunately, such a big step up in specs doesn't result in an equally big step up in quality. While this is a serviceable and sometimes satisfying track, it just comes up lacking in most every area. The opening religious chants are nicely spacious and airy, effortlessly echoing around the soundstage thanks to good placement and strong surround support. The scene nicely immerses the listener in the moment, but it's perhaps the best and clearest the track has to offer. While Thomas' vision yields a chilling and encircling series of hellacious screams early in the film and various atmospherics set the stage in several scenes throughout, the track as a whole lacks the precision dynamics and clarity that would have truly brought it to life. Most heavier action sound effects lack detail and authority, but certainly don't fall completely flat. Dialogue is adequately conveyed, grounded in the center speaker and never lost to any other element. This is a fair track that gets the job done, but it's certainly not one of the better listens out there.

The Prophecy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Prophecy's Blu-ray falls from grace and offers no supplements.

The Prophecy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Prophecy should have been so much more. The story and the characters are just too big for the movie, and it crumbles under their weight. The picture is poorly paced but nicely acted. The plot is far too conventional considering the unconventional character roster, the movie boiling down to a pretty standard Chase/Mystery movie that just so happens to play around with a host of Biblical figures. These sorts of Religious Thrillers never really capture the essence or scope of the materials in which they dabble; this and others like it instead turn into everyday movies with no real heft or purpose, a shame considering the potential that exists to create something completely original and unforgettable. Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of The Prophecy yields decent-to-disastrous picture quality, an adequate lossless soundtrack, and no supplements. Skip it.