Die Prophezeiungen von Celestine

Although this movie captures the essence of the book and illustrates a very important message, it does not really bring more than the book. However for those who did not read the book (hello... someone?), it may be an incentive to do so and to discover a new way to look at the world and at oneself.

In spite of a good realization, the film does not stir your soul or even draw a little tear. It is a mind-boggling story and as with the book, many people will follow the hero and find out they can easily identify with him. Unfortunately, the movie targets your mind when it should target your heart. You look at this incredible story with a detached mind and at the end, you may be tempted to say "so what" ?

People interested in the whole "Celestine philosophy" should see it but I recommend renting the DVD.

John Woodsen (Matthew Settle) a history teacher finds himself out of a job. He runs into an old friend that intrigues him with a story of a great historical find in Peru. All of a sudden, he gets a pamphlet about Peru and finds a last-minute canceled seat to Peru. Think something is happening here? Yet, it is just the beginning of an adventure.

Seems that no one wants to tell him or us what it is all about until we experience it. What we find is insightful but at the cost of having to listen to boring stilted dialog and people that look like druggies.

The book though interesting is that it does not contain any unique ideas. The writing is nominal but is designed to put you in a different view of reality. The problem came when trying to express this in the visual media. If you had not read the book first the storyline and purpose are hard to follow as they spend more time implying than explaining.

James Redfield was clearly over his head as a screenwriter but at least he was honest. His mistake was recruiting Barnet Bain who botched "What Dreams May Come" (1998) to help botch "The Celestine Prophecy" (2006). Strange but I imagined that John Woodsen would be much older and better-rounded. Maybe there will be a sequel as it has been set up in this film.

An adaptation of James Redfield's novel about the search for a sacred manuscript in the Peruvian rain forest . Disillusioned and temporarily rudderless, John Woodson (Matthew Settle ) is about to experience a dramatic and profound metamorphosis. Through a mysterious set of coincidences, he travels to Peru to find out strange scrolls , known as the Celestine Prophecy. In Peru Woodson meets a motley group of people (Sarah Wayne , Hector Helizondo , Jurgen Prochnow , Anabeth Gish..) with dark secrets . John gets drawn into a cobweb of mysterious events . Resistant at first, skeptical and unsure, John finds that each step he takes, each person he encounters leads him to a new awakening. It is only in this letting go that he finds his destiny and comes to understand the meaning that had escaped him when his adventure began.

Thought-provoking film that packs suspense , thrills , religious events , heartfelt message and weird philosophy . It's a crossover among various films , as it takes parts from ¨The Seventh Sign¨ , ¨The fountain ¨ , ¨The reaping¨ , and ¨The gathering¨ . The picture contains an interesting premise about the prophecy and its nine key insights, predict a new awakening that redefines human life and provides a glimpse into a completely spiritual culture on earth . It's a spiritual triller skillfully narrated with bit action and slightly entertaining. This polished film provides chills, thrills in lively mystery . It's rich and dark though sometimes confusing . The film belongs to supernatural prophecy sub-genre (along with : ¨The omen¨, ¨The seventh sign¨, ¨The Body¨ , among others). Average acting by Matthew Seattle as a young who finds himself on an adventure to Peru in search of ancient scrolls . Very good support cast plenty of respected players such as Thomas Kretschmann as Wil , Sarah Wayne Callies as Marjorie , Annabeth Gish as Julia , Hector Elizondo as Cardinal Sebastian , Joaquim de Almeida as Father Sanchez and Jürgen Prochnow as Jensen . Esoteric music and excessive use of synthesizer by Nuno Malo .

The motion picture loosely based on the book Celestine Prophecy was regularly directed by Armand Mastroianni . Armand has been directing feature films, mini series, movies of the week, TV pilots and episodic series since 1979 beginning with his first feature film "He Knows You're Alone" which was released by MGM in 1980 and featured the screen debut of Tom Hanks. That film led to a string of features including "The Killing Hour" developed with William Fredkin, "The Supernaturals," "Distortions," "Cameron's Closet" and "Double Revenge." In between shooting feature films Armand began to produce and direct episodic television shows and series like Virus , Invasión , First daughter , Citizen Jane , A Gunfighter's Pledge , The finalist , Pandemic and many others .

This movie was not bad, however, it should have focused more on the "insights" in the Celestine Prophecy itself, and less on violence, turmoil, strife etc. Know that this movie was trying to be "true" to the book from which it was adapted, so that much of the "dialogue" in the movie seems bookish. I enjoyed reading the insights at the end of the movie, and wish they were more apart of the movie itself; this would have made for a more enjoyable film overall. Watch this movie with an open heart, and realize that humanity is: Undergoing a profound Spiritual transformation, and that movies like this are important to watch to gain an understanding of the Shift that is taking place in our world. Know that this movie could have: Presented us with more Profound ideas to ponder, and informed use about what humanity should do to better prepare for the coming ages. Overall, this movie needs to be watched not for the violence and strife, but for the hope that it offers us all.

I've had the pleasure to watch this film four times, and I've enjoyed each viewing more than the last. Having read the book twice - once 11 years ago and once two months ago - I feel that the movie did an admirable job of expressing the essence and heart of the book, while keeping it within 100 minutes and palatable for the average movie viewer.

It is clearly not a polished, big-budget film, and yet it attracted many well-known and respected actors. It addresses issues of power and control in relationships, religion, and politics in a fresh and contemporary way. To me, its greatest accomplishment is bringing a New Spirituality perspective to screen - where humans are not disconnected beings in a random universe, nor sinners subject to the wrath of an angry God, but are one with everything and are co-creators of their experience of life.

I suggest you will get the most from this film by looking at it not as a blockbuster, but as a paradigm-buster.

Happy viewing!