Profecía 3: El ascenso

Well the third part of the installment is enjoyable. It has some weaknesses, but overall I didn't mind watching it.

The Weaknesses: No recognizable angelic names in it (with the exception of Gabriel). The bad guy (Zophael) is a total no-name, so you don't really know how to rank him (powerful/not powerful), which wasn't really a problem in the first part. There you knew that Simon was more powerful than Uziel; that Gabriel could beat Simon's ass; and that Lucifer could smack them all to hell in a handbasket.

Funnily this works to advantage for the movie as you don't really know which side of the factions Zophael and who actually is the good/bad guy until somewhat in the middle of the movie.

The actors aren't all that good (with the exception of Walken, Spano - who brings that charisma back to the angels that was so severely lacking in the second part- and the Coroner who has grown to be one of my favourite characters in the three movies)

Strenghts: The storyline is closed. I won't argue that it's the most coherent storyline, but it at least makes some moderate sense in itself. The musical score has always been one of the big things about the trilogy and they kept it -wisely- unchanged for the most part. This time around we have more funny scenes and even some jabs at the original 'The Prophecy', while not making it campy and keeping all the good bits (fights, heart ripping, supernatural powers etc.). Some of the moves seem very Matrix-like, but that was already the case in 'The Prophecy II', so I don't really know who copied from whom (It just seems so similar: Humans fighting against some overly powerful and nigh unkillable opponents in cool long dark suits). No matter: It's fun to watch. This time we also don't get treated to some candy sweet religious thing in the end, where the main character suddenly becomes a devout Christian - that's a big plus.

Overall, I'd recommend seeing this film. Best if viewed together with the other two or you will not get many of the references.

7/10

Great! I liked it! It made up for the disappointing second part. Even neatly tied up some of its loose ends. In retrospect you might even believe that part 2 was a brave underachiever that failed to deliver on purpose, because it was only meant as a bridge between 1 and 3. But let's not get carried away.

Christopher Walken driving in a beat up convertible through the desert, playing the trumpet. Need I say more?

I waited with anticipation for this film to appear on dvd and must say I was rather disappointed overall.

My main problem is the lack of cinematic polish that the other two films had. Although the first two movies were DTV they never betrayed their roots as DTV productions. This film uses the typical "lightening flash" edits accompanied with "thunderous crashing" noise so often used in glossy grade B thrillers. If this effect is used sparingly then is can be very effective - if overdone (as in this film) it becomes very tiresome and annoying. The overall impression is that it was made on the cheap - a fact the other two movies hid.

The film is, even at 80mins, heavily padded with too many unnecessary flashback and flash forward sequences that do not advance the story one jot. Rather than develop the story they seem content to remake Terminator 2, with an unstoppable Angel playing the part of Arnie. Even the music is copied from Terminator. This is particularly disappointing considering how inventive the other two films have been. Lets put it this way they're the only movies that have made me study the Bible!

Christopher Walken has all the best lines in the script, but again for budgetary reasons he has very little screen time. A number of characters return for this final outing but the opportunity to develop the characters further or give them a active role is wasted.

On the plus side the young actor who plays Danyal is very convincing in the role. I hope we see more of this actor in future. The special effects are very impressive as is the underlying story. The true nature of the Angel Pyriel is (in light of current world events) very disturbing and thought provoking.

Overall the film suffers in comparison to the others. Not a bad film just a waste of a good idea and interesting characters.

I give it 4 out of 10.

I was pleasantly surprised when I watched Prophecy III. After enjoying the first two immensely, I had expected the series to fall apart in its final installment. The third film, however, is a pleasure to watch, and not just for the incomparable Christopher Walken. Vincent Spano (Zophael) was excellent, and had great lines (especially in the donut shop scene, where he says "I'll take one of those...with the coloured fragments on top"). I thought Dave Buzzotta played a good Danyael (except near the end, when he seemed to get a little snotty).

My only complaint is that I don't think Christopher Walken was meant to have long hair...

In all a great sequel!

This was the first Prophecy movie I watched without missing any part of it(missed half the second one, and the first one came one like a week later). I really recomend watching this movie, especially if you saw the first two, and wondered what Gabriel's life as a human is like. Although the plot isn't as interesting as in the the previous movies, it's still really good. This is deffinetly one of those movies you can watch over and over, and never get tired.