Revelation Road 3: The Black Rider

Two years have passed since "Josh McManus" (David A. R. White) has lost his wife and child to the event known in some Christian circles as "the rapture." In those two years all government activities around the world have essentially given way to a mob mentality in which many small towns and urban areas have succumbed to for survival. To that effect, when a companion of his is stabbed Josh drives into one such town where the mayor, "Drake" (James Denton) makes a deal with him to try to help save his companion's life in exchange for his bringing back a doctor that left that same town a while ago to follow a man known as "The Shepherd" (Robert Gossett). Seeing no real ethical problem with this Josh agrees and sets out on his own to find the doctor. At least, he thinks he is traveling on his own. What he also doesn't know is that Drake actually only wants to find the location of "The Shepherd" for his own nefarious purposes and has no real concern for the well-being of his wounded companion--or his promises for that matter. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film didn't seem to have the same effect as its other two predecessors mainly because some of the characters simply weren't that believable. It also doesn't help that the ending opens itself up for a sequel which may not ever be produced. In any case, although not a bad film necessarily, I didn't get nearly as much out of it as the previous two films in this series, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

"Black Rider: Revelation Road" is to the Mad Max series what "Christian Rock" is to Rock and Roll. If you're feeling generous (or desperate) you might say it was better than nothing. On the down side, there is way more religious talk than you're going to want to hear unless you're already an Xtian believer. The plot is repetitive, and ultimately nonsensical, even when the Xtian prophetic angle is taken into account. The soundtrack is bombastic crap that is absolutely awful. On the plus side, there are a few halfway decent fight scenes and some of the actors are competent, if not exactly inspired. David A.R. White, who plays the "Black Rider", can actually talk almost as well as he can kick so that's something I suppose.

Bottom line, this movie is not worth wasting time on. Rating 3/10

I'm not much into action movies, but I really enjoyed this one. It explores possible scenarios in America during the time of Revelation. A loner with a cool car who tries to help people, beats up bad guys, and in the course of events, ends up traveling with a beautiful woman who is trying to find her mother. What's not to like? It definitely has the Mad Max feel to it, but Biblical truths are weaved into the story. Josh McManus is a man on a mission, and has a Plymouth Roadrunner to get him there. As he and Sofia search for her mother, they are miraculously led to the mysterious "Shepherd", but will all their questions be answered? I never saw the first two movies in this series, so now I have to go buy those, too.

The acting sometimes feels rigid, and some of the extent of situations seems unrealistic without additional context. Between the 3 (current) films, there's also a lot of filler with little plot progression. That trend continues in The Black Rider.

In order to keep up with the fight scenes of the first two movies, a lot of needless filler was added, pushing most of the real plot to the second half of the film. The fight scenes also weren't very well-paced and were like long breaks from the plot instead. They could learn a thing or two from Marvel on how to keep things flowing without the awkwardness.

The religious message is prevalent, though at times used with questionable accuracy. As with the first two movies, the Christian message is awkwardly juxtaposed with a protagonist with a penchant for killing. Though I have to give props for at least addressing the issue, it seems to be completely forgotten for the rest of the film.

The main turning point, both as the MacGuffin and in the tone, is the Shepherd. This is the only main character who doesn't seem to be awkwardly juxtaposed with the message of the movie - though he's also far from an action star.

I love ruminating on the book this movie is (loosely) based on as well as movies that attempt to interpret / depict the events. Though not quite cringe-worthy, the movie just doesn't have much going for it due to feeling like a single, stretched-out episode. When the series is complete, an abridged version might be better worth watching.

This series was great! Where is #4? Hope it's in the making! White did a great job on this. Very biblical based. Lots of faith. Lots of Jesus (of the Bible which is the most important thing since most of the "Christian movies" these days don't have the right Jesus). Really hoping for a number 4!