Prophecy 3

Unlike most films which carry the number 3 in it, The Prophecy III proves to be the most energetic and satisfying film in the trilogy. I can't say enough good things about it. The story while drawing from the previous films still brings the story to a close with it's own ideas and new directions for old characters. The best thing about Prophecy III is that it never does what you'd expect. Christopher Walken returns to the story once again as Gabriel the former angel of death now humble wandering human. The filmmakers have taken great care in recreating Gabriel while still having him be familiar too us. Still speaking in that menacing tone of his and piercing us with those eyes that see more than what is there. The movie somewhat mirrors T2. The villain is now the protector. Which I loved. The story revolves around The half angel half human neraphim of Prophecy II who is plagued by visions and compelled to stop the angel of genocide Pyriel. Enter Zophael, an assasin angel sent to Earth to destroy the neraphim Danyael. As before there are protectors. In this case it is the coroner from the previous two films who is tired of examining bodies with no eyes, the girlfriend who is taken hostage by Zophael as Gabriel had taken human slaves in the previous films, and finally Gabriel himself who does not have the lead role in this movie but shows up to deliver very compelling dialogue and give great foreshadowing for things to come. The story is in full drive for the whole movie. A surprising cameo in the end and a somewhat recreation of a scene from The Prophecy will have you rolling if you are a fan of the films. If the movie suffers from anything it is that all three films are well..the same. An angel chasing after a human to further the war in heaven. Human slaves are always taken by the angel in order to defeat the human who is always helped by another human. But despite that, Prophecy III has the same darkness of the original and a striking and subtle music score. This is not a film for first time Prophecy viewers. Go through the first two and if you like them then The Prophecy III will have you believing in The Word and that not all sequels to sequels bite.

First, let me say that I loved the first film in this series. I liked the second one; but after seeing the third, and how it ties things together from all three films and completes the tale, I love them all.

Make no mistake, the second and third film change the direction of the story told in the first one quite dramatically. In fact, many items that were throw-aways from the first film come back to become rather important details once the three films are put together.

In this trilogy we see the fall, redemption, rise and ascent of Gabriel as one of the generals in God's Army. And Mr. Walken is at his best for all three films.

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.

The Prophesy 3 was somewhat disappointing but still an above average flick. I would say it is the least of the three movies. The finale did not seem to be worth making a trilogy about. Plus it is somewhat confusing what happened at the end. The scope of the first two films led me to expect something grander. On a positive note, the special effects in this installment were the best of the trilogy.

The pace was a little stop-and-go for my taste: too many flashbacks and too long between the action. The humorous parts were funny but at the same time it undermined the atmosphere that the series is based on.

Christopher Walken again stole the show. He has perhaps the best delivery of any actor and can manage to handle lines that should have never been in the script. The two costars I thought lacked screen presence (or at least compared to Walken).

Overall, this was an enjoyable ending to a surprisingly good trilogy.

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?