Ángeles y demonios 2

The 1998 sequel to the 1995 movie "The Prophecy" was certainly watchable and enjoyable, however it just wasn't quite as intense as the first movie. But still, it makes for a good movie, nonetheless.

"The Prophecy II" continues on with the story of Gabriel, and actually includes a more clear and drawn out prophecy this time, whereas the first movie was more hesitant about such a thing - oddly enough.

Similar to the first movie, "The Prophecy II" boasts a rather impressive set of casted actors and actresses. And it is nice to see Christopher Walken return to reprise the role as Gabriel. It was a shame that they didn't have Elias Koteas return to the role as Thomas, despite it being a small part in "The Prophecy II". But they had Bruce Abbott - from the "Reanimator" movies - step in and fill out his shoes, and he does have somewhat of an resemblance to Elias Koteas for sure. "The Prophecy II" also have some good performances by Tom Towles, Brittany Murphy and Eric Roberts.

There was a good pacing to the storyline told in "The Prophecy II", however the storyline felt a little bit rushed at times and as if director Greg Spence just wanted to get the movie finished. Personally, I felt there were parts of the movie that were just skimmed across without going into depth with the aspects of the movie, and that was a shame.

All in all, "The Prophecy II" is a worthy sequel to the 1995 "The Prophecy" movie for sure.

In the 90's, Christopher Walken's career (like many actors) had slipped into the b-movie realm. It was during this time he appeared in the first three Prophecy films. The first carried a pretty serious religious tone in the battle of good vs evil. This second entry is lighter fare, but still provides a game Walken who's a lot of fun to watch and some faces in the supporting cast help.

Mild mannered & religious nurse Valerie (Jennifer Beals) appears to hit Danyael (Russell Wong) with her car. She's apologetic naturally, but also feels a bond and warmth with him. Not knowing that he's an angel, Danyeal impregnates her. Soon she realizes that her unborn child is the key to the ongoing battle over heaven as Lucifer unleashes fallen angel Gabriel (Walken) back onto Earth from the depths of hell. Who'll do anything he can to stop this baby from happening.

Quite a few people think that Walken is hamming it up here. I disagree. It's a more fun & lively go at it than before. With a brisk 80 minute runtime, 'Prophecy II' isn't the serious epic that the original film was trying to be. That however doesn't stop it from being decent. There's a good mix of funny moments, dark territory and doses of violence.

You get an early role for Brittany Murphy as another one of Gabriel's "monkey" lackeys. Steve Hytner (Bania from Seinfeld) continues as the medical examiner. Beals & Wong do their jobs while Eric Roberts doesn't make much of an impact in a quick role as a good angel. B-movie buffs can catch Bruce Abbott (Re-Animator) taking over the role of Thomas Daggett from Elias Koteas too.

As you'll see here (and in the next sequel), this series never let actors not reprising their roles stop characters from reappearing. I enjoyed 'Prophecy II' quite a bit on a popcorn level. It's not heavy handed, deep with the religious tones. Doesn't take itself too seriously and Walken continues tapping into a great character here.

While not quite equal to the original, I found Prophecy II to be very very good, especially considering it's a sequel. I've read a lot of bad reviews of this film, which I don't understand. It seems so much like the original to me, and the original instantly became one of my favorite movies.

As a bonus (to me anyway) one of my favorite actors, Tom Towles, has a small role.

The scene just before the ending is absolutely breathtaking.

If you're reading this review, chances are you've already seen & liked the first Prophecy and are debating whether to continue the saga. Either that, or maybe you're just a weird person who likes to watch sequels before seeing the original. Whatever waxes yer wings...

In either case, if you are interested in dark, religious thrillers about angels doing nasty things, you MUST see the Prophecy trilogy. Yes, I know there are 5 Prophecy films, but we'll just focus on the first 3 for now.

Much like Star Wars/Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi, the first 3 Prophecy movies tell a continuing story about 1 character: Gabriel, the Archangel of Death (played by Christopher Walken). Although the films' plots are mostly independent of each other, the theme of Gabriel's quest is a continuing story that doesn't wrap up til the end of the 3rd movie. Ergo you can't stop at Prophecy 1. You have to watch all 3.

That's all you need to know, but if you want to know more about Prophecy II, here it is. By itself it's a worthwhile flick. What makes it special is the surreal blending of dark suspense and cozy humor, as in the first Prophecy. Although we lose some of the quirky characters who made the first film so memorable (such as Jerry the oozing sidekick, Rachel the catatonic chauffeur, and most of Joseph the stand-up comedic coroner), we get a new one who's just as memorable: Brittany Murphy as Izzy the suicidal emo girl (long before the term 'emo' came into being).

Walken and Murphy maintain the wacky humor that made the first Prophecy so characteristic & human. The other characters are there for action and furthering the plot, which is pretty straightforward as far as angels-fighting-a-war-on-earth movies go.

The music isn't quite as lush as the first, although one of the themesongs (the airy tribal piece) is carried over. Most, if not all, of the movie takes place at night so it is both literally and figuratively dark. Not quite "The Crow" dark, but dark nonetheless.

This movie has a distinct early-90s feel to it. The 90s was a decade of action films leaving behind the simple, clean stories of the 80s and embracing a darker realism (as in "Seven" and "The Usual Suspects"). I'd say this 2nd Prophecy film is closer to the 80s than its groundbreaking predecessor, but it's still a good film.

Watch it for Walken, watch it for the continuing epic story, watch it for some engaging action and a few great gags. Most of all... just watch it.

Actually, although a lot of what was in the Prophecy II isn't in the canonical bible, the angelology of it was in fact right on. I've done mounds and mounds of research on the subject of angels. And what was written in the Book of Enoch as well as in much of the medieval angel speculation is accurate. And it is a film, let's remember.

It's an interesting twist on the perception of heaven. I don't know if I'd call is laughable on second guesses when you actually look at the derivations of the research instead of relying solely on the Bible. If you're really interested, you can look at the non-canonical scripture that was accepted in the times of early Christianity on reluctant-messenger.com I don't know, sometimes I get frustrated thinking that people who think the Bible, although the primary text is the ONLY text of the religion.

Just a thought.