Dark Angel: The Ascent

This movie is unique; it's both good in a "so bad it's good" way, and good in the ordinary sense of the world. The cinematography cinemathogory, photography and sets give this b-movie an artsy feel, while the acting and the goofy script gives the film a feel of unintentional comedy.

The cold-shower effect this twist gives is actually quite refreshing. I had fun watching the film from beginning to end, and so will you. Extra plus for the nerdy "hot-chick-on-gargoyle" fantasy cover.

7/10

Viewing a Full Moon production from owner Charles Band is often quite a risk because you never know what to expect on your screen. The great covers of their videotapes/laser discs give hardly any indication about the quality of their movies inside. Keeping that in mind, I was very curious to see what this movie was all about. After viewing it I was quite surprised at the quality of this low-budget flick. It had a good script which isn't often the case, including the last episodes of the Puppet Master series.

Being filmed in a former eastern communist country adds a lot of flavour to the whole production. It gives it a lot of credibility. Every film fan knows by now all the back-lots of the American production companies, so a change of scenery gives this movie a fresh breath of production air. The story is the classic Romeo and Julia with a horror twist. Will their love reach across the borders and horrors of Hell? What is the cost of loving a man from another dimension?

This is one that always allured me by cover art and title alone, knowing it was a low budget full moon release, my expecations as an actual good movie were slim but yet i was optimisitc in viewing non the less..... You have some really good idea's tossed amixed rushed scenes and hit or miss acting.... Angela has some solid morally thought provoking lines here and her persona and look is captivating and sensual if not also innocent in her own twisted way! this is one of those movie's were the bad guy could be the good guy , and you find yourself feeling more sympathetic towards her and her crude actions, more so than the victims.

This is not something i would go out of my way to own, but i wouldn't oppose another viewing in social setting, having a few beers cutting loose.

I discovered this film a few years ago, and having happily given in to the sleazy heavy metal/custom van mural cover art on the box, was floored to realise that there was a perfectly serviceable piece of B movie fun here. I showed it to a friend, and he remarked " I know what my next dungeons and dragons character is going to be..." So there you have it, as far as love stories between hunky doctors and lawful evil demonic assassins go, this is the best of the genre.

What could be considered the typical occult, horror, monster movie actually transforms itself into something quite different and with positive outcomes. Certainly not a classic, what might easily have been a four- or five-star movie at best, turns out to be a decent seven-star movie that is worth viewing for its story and the singular fascinating performance by its leading actress Angela Featherstone as Veronica, an angel-like creature from Hell. Starting with the movie's problems and then a description of some the movie's strengths follows in the progression of the movie's overall qualitative tenor, except for its questionable special effects later in the movie.

A good part of the movie especially the first half, presents some pretty dead, stunted performances likely attributable to the director. The movie also has a very brief heavenly angel scene that is so cheesy even though it's a sincere attempt to add a tantalizing twist to the concept of an avenging creature hell based on Biblical sin. The poor special effects especially later in the movie of fire and brimstone is a huge unfortunate weakness at that point in the movie, diminishing its intended impact, though the consequential and relatively effective psychological performance of its aftermath partially makes up for the low-budget lapse in film quality. Other minor weaknesses include the use of a manual typewriter in 1994 when the IBM's Selectric typewriter was available by 1961. There's the odd use of a taxi when it's more likely a car would be available. There is also a bodily injury that is from a human medical perspective appears to be potentially lethal based on arteries that may have been severed or internal organs damaged so that a doctor's response in the movie might be reasonably suspect. And the many, many candles while very romantic also seems a bit unrealistic.

Yet this low-budget, B-movie, has the fortune to be based on a somewhat distinctive script that consists of a serious attempt to use the avenging angel from Hell concept based on the Old Testament which by the end of the movie offers up a reasonable and tantalizing movie arc. The music track is adequate with interesting ethereal strains and an enhancing if not specular accompaniment. Angela Featherstone, as Veronica's adjustment to earth seems surprisingly too smooth at first but there are suggestions of a more difficulty accommodating to a non-Hell world. But the script continues to evolve beginning to present Veronica's cultural challenges and even more tantalizing and captivating one, including her choice of eating utensils. Later Featherstone really ups her performance thanks to the script and her ability to capture its tangible and intriguing paradoxes in behavior. Surprisingly, Veronica is given to acting out realistic snoring, often omitted in most movies which by itself is both quite refreshing and yet at the same time quite repulsive. The brilliance of the script is Veronica's behavior as a hellish angel from the Old Testament. There's a fascinating brief encounter between Veronica and two nuns that offers up a striking and distinctive appeal in the movie.

Angela Featherstone does a credible acting performance in what is typically a rather ironically a black and white character presentation by most actors in other movies. Considering the script she has to work with, her performance comes across impressively consistent with the movie's biblical basis and the sharp cultural differences, almost alien in nature to the actual humanity that Featherstone grew up from in real life. In contrast to the remarkable stylistic performance from Brad Pitt who plays death in Meet Joe Black (1998), Featherstone actually seems more convincing. Her acting is more is relatable to the superlative eerie sci fi/horror movie Under the Skin (2013) in which Scarlett Johansson dazzles with her disguised alien presence among humans.

What's commendable about the film direction is its nice balance between horror, drama, romance, and comedy. The humor usually comes in the form of the detectives' impertinent remarks or physical fumbles which are rarely overly done, to their credit. And after a while, either the dull acting parts are either significantly reduced or the movie's decent storyline allows the audience to ignore the performances to some extent, making this movie more watchable overall.