Sadly Over-hyped

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The 1990's get a bad reputation for being a down decade of horror films but truth is the decade holds some of the most under-appreciated films that would be considered classics from earlier decades. The Prophecy is certainly one of films that are original story in its time and add to the legitimacy of the religious horror genre. The film is so plot-driven that people are bound to find the film "boring" solely because of its slower setup. The script and dialogue is so solid that it really allowed great actors like Elias Koteas, Christopher Walken, Virginia Madsen Viggo Mortenson, and Eric Stoltz to flourish with distinct, interesting characters. The film also never tries to be something it's not, such as untimely comedy, overuse of gore, or dubious story developments. Check out The Prophecy if you can enjoy a film that places its storyline first as well as superb cinematography and dark atmosphere.

Almost 20 years after his explosive debut in Deerhunter (if you have not see it, SEE IT) Walken (who by this stage of his career had become something of a caricature and was a popular subject for comic impressionists doing standup) takes the role of an "angry angel" looking to get payback for God's decision to honor "monkeys" (humans) above his original creations (angels). Walken is mesmerizing. If they gave Academy Awards for horror movies (and I think they do ... IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE!) he would have taken one. His portrayal is unforgettable. All we needed was a strong script and a good supporting cast to make this a winner ... and LO! we got them both. The story moves smartly. The viewer is engaged. Elias Koteas is excellent, and gives the audience a character to empathize with. Ironically, the hallmark of a major film these days is the number of awkward and successively weaker sequels it generates. This one hit the "trifecta" -- one mainstream sequel and a final entry produced in Canada -- which is where good franchises go to die. A must see for horror fans.

Years and years ago when I first fell in love with horror films, this is a series (I think there were only three at the time) that I discovered and remembered being decent. So I'm going to go through it again. The Prophecy walks a seriously thin line between campy horror and twisted story that could have fell flat on its face. The amazing thing is that it works and works so incredibly well. It turns in the type of film that was likely instantly a cult classic. There are some incredible and truly quotable lines in the film and scenes that will stay with you (hauntingly so) for a long time after that. There are some cheesy moments and yet the film is so dark and twisted that the cheese somehow blends in together and provides you with an eye opening and unique horror flick that I really enjoyed. I think great horror/thrillers can come out of Christian theology (some of Stephen King's most brilliant stuff certainly does) and The Prophecy does an incredible job of spinning this yarn around that and laying the groundwork for a series. The casting works so well and everything in this puzzle just fits together right. It is one of those films I think that you can't necessarily pinpoint why it works but it just does.Christopher Walken is a legend in his own right so I will start with him. Is he a great actor? Honestly, no I don't think that he is. But you cannot deny his unbelievable on screen charisma. He seems just a perfect fit to play this almost campy and yet dark and twisted evil Angel. This is probably one of his most memorable roles to me and for good reason. Walken is very Walken in the role and it works really well. Under-rated character actor Elias Koteas is disgraced Priest turned cop Thomas. This character is just fantastic. He is the perfect hero and Koteas does this brooding cop who is having the ultimate crisis of faith. His dialogue in the film is so well written and this script is shockingly smart at times. Koteas and Walken have this awesome rivalry that really drives this film. Virginia Madsen plays a character that is both necessary to the story and yet I felt she got in the way in some ways. She doesn't give as strong of a performance as everyone else but I understand why she's there. She doesn't really stand out though. Eric Stoltz, Viggo Mortensen, Adam Goldberg and Moriah Snyder deserve mention amongst the supporting cast. Stoltz and Mortensen border on being amazing and yet their roles are painfully small and not to be repeated by them in future instalments of the series.The one thing I took from The Prophecy more than anything else was the imagery. My God! Writer and director Gregory Widen had some messed up vision for this film and it translates onto the screen and gets under your skin. Whether its the tortured angels, the death scenes, the war, or the transferring of souls...the metaphorical imagery is deeply disturbing and effective. I'm shocked Widen didn't have more of a directing career after or before this and even more shocked that a writer actually managed to translate this into something really great. I have no doubt the series will gradually fall apart with future parts but I am going to stick with all of them and review each one because I thought this first one was just excellent and will absolutely remain high on my list of horror classics. 8.5/10

Are you saying we have a dead angel on ice?Saw this without any knowledge, but saw the cast, Christopher Walken, Viggo Mortensen and Eric Stolz, which I all admire for their work, and was immediately quite amazed by the tone and excitement. This is dark, compelling, chilling and quite shocking. I would say that most things work. It's so damned we'll played by all, not only the above mentioned. Maybe this is both Walken and Stolz best roles ever! Walken is simply astonishing chilling in his role as arch angel. An absolute must-see!We meet a cop, which formerly tried to become a priest, but fail at the final blessing. After giving up religion, and becoming a detective, he has an encounter with might be an angel. And then what also seems to be an angel, according to ancient scripts, also is an angel, dead after a violent fight. Are we seeing a war of angels?Based on old biblical writings this is way more exciting than any of Dan Brown's stuff. Don't let this mislead you into thinking this is something rubbish. It's scary and worst of all quite believable. Kept in a realistic everyday style, it still gives chill after chill in meeting with the angels, among them the great arch angel Gabriel.I also love the make up effects made for this film. Nasty, well done stuff. Filming is great. Just like some of the best films I saw back in the 70'ies, 80'ies and 90'ies. The feel I get the same good movie feeling I had a long time ago, and reminds me of the classics like "The Exorcist", "Rosemary's baby", "Name of the rose", which all are themed similarly or the dark filming work of "Deliverance", "Whatever happened to Baby-Jane", "Duel" and "The Marathon man". Yeah, it's really that good, and that well done, but even darker! If you liked the chills in those, you'll like this. It's good story telling, which makes this a hidden classic.Maybe the end is too abrupt and positive. The weakest part is the final minutes, but then again this is a story that needs such an ending.The music score is out of this world. Not only this. The dialog is exquisite and the quotes you can get from this are epic. Do yourself a favor, if you haven't seen this! Get hold of it! I just discovered a hidden gem!