Years of the Beast

This thing looks dang good, a movie about the Rapture! The second coming! Having watched a trailer for it, I was sure this movie was going to be worth a least a few laughs, I truly believed. Oh how sorely I was disappointed. There are no crazy Christian propaganda overtones, just some extremely low budget animated special effects. The movie apparently really follows the biblical story of the Rapture, but even though that premise promises a great deal of unintentional humor value, in reality it's just boring. The dialog is obtuse and vacant and the plot, what little there is, is centered around a bunch of spineless theological pushovers. Little to no risibility factor, who'dve thought the second coming would be such a yawn?

During a period of economic uncertainty "Professor Stephen Miles" (Gary Bayer) visits another college professor "Dr. Carl Klineman" (Malcon McCaiman) after class and learns that the next term has been canceled due to lack of funds. While they are talking an earthquake rattles the office and when Stephen looks up Dr. Klineman is gone. Not knowing what to make of it Stephen decides to drive home but on the way he stops for some groceries. Once there he is shocked to see how badly food prices have suddenly skyrocketed. Not long after arriving home, he and his wife "June Miles" (Alana Rader) decide to drive into the country to visit her father who isn't answering the phone. Along the way they encounter mobs who are rioting and vandalizing property. They also run out of gas and are picked up by a recently hired worker for June's father named "Gary Reed" (Jerry Houser). Although there is no trace of June's father, they do find a young woman hiding in the barn named "Cindy" (Sarah Rush) who tells them that both her mother and father along with June's father have disappeared right before her eyes. It's at this time that they realize that there have been strange disappearances all over the world and they are left to fend for themselves in a world that has become very chaotic. Anyway, rather than disclose the entire story I will just say that this was a pretty good apocalyptic film for its time. The acting was surprisingly good and I especially enjoyed the scenes involving the local sheriff, "Jackson 'Pug' Mckifer" (James Blendick). Still, it was obviously a low-budget production and there were some scenes involving the "Prime Minister" (Michael Amber) which weren't of the highest caliber. I also thought that just one film--lasting only 98 minutes--simply wasn't sufficient to fully address all of the information that is available on this particular subject. As a result certain significant events were condensed for the sake of time or money constraints when they could have easily made 2 or 3 movies out of the material they had. Still, this movie was a valiant effort and I believe the best way to enjoy this particular film is to keep an open mind. Again, this was a decent low-budget movie produced over 30 years ago on a topic that is somewhat controversial. While I don't necessarily accept everything about it, I certainly wouldn't want to denigrate anybody who happens to believe it. That said, I am able to give credit where credit is due and I rate it as slightly above average.

Great movie with a decent script and good acting. I love to watch this movie about once a year. It moves fast through the rapture and tribulation period but it's easy enough to follow along. Being a teenager at the time this movie was made really takes me back every time I watch it. You won't be disappointed with it's message and overall quality. Great family movie.

Some of the actors in this movie actually made some pretty good movies in their day. I'd have to agree with one of the other critiques of this movie also when it noted that it does a great job without all the Hollywood pizzazz. Enjoy!

I don't agree Doctrinally with the mid Tribulation Church setting but, inspite of that, this film holds your interest with a good storyline and action. In sum, dated but worthwhile.

This is one of the best Christian movies I've seen. I love older end times dramas. Newer ones are great, but there is just something about older ones that I love. This movie was the first end times drama I ever saw and I have good memories of it. It's been several years since I last saw it and want to see it again. The story is really simple and straightforward, and there are no major special affects. However, it's a fascinating depiction of the end times. I find older Christian movies made in the 80s to be especially spooky and exciting. I hope everyone who likes Christian movies gets a chance to see this one. You will enjoy it's simplicity and style and will enjoy watching it again and again.