The Prophecy (1995) – Retro Review

Most of us have seen the cover art for The Prophecy when perusing the shelves for something to rent. If you’re like me, you have more than likely glanced over it and put it back. What if that was a mistake? A few days ago I decided to finally give it a shot. I can’t say that I was blown away but any movie that has the ability to make me think has clearly done something right. The Prophecy is a slow burner that is well worth the wait.

Plot/Cast and Crew:

The Prophecy was written and directed, quite creatively, by Gregory Widen. With only slight pacing issues, it had a decent budget of $8 million dollars and grossed over twice that. I have to attribute most of its success to the character of Gabriel (Christopher Walken). Gabriel is an Archangel who is pissed at God for allowing the “talking monkeys” – his term for humans – to have souls. Apparently, he is not alone in this gripe with God. He comes to earth to find an evil soul to give him the advantage in the second angelic war. If successful, Heaven’s doors will be open to angels again and essentially will become a second hell. If you want to know how that makes any sense, pick up this film and give it a go. Did I mention Candyman‘s Virginia Madsen has a major role as well?

What I thought:

I spent most of this movie just wanting to learn more about Gabriel. Normally, I don’t use the term “indulgent” on a film that I enjoyed, but it actually fits perfectly with the finished product. We witness a plethora of events and characters without much of the plot being explained. This is typical when it comes to a truly original piece of art. We, as the viewers, are supposed to interpret the material we have been presented and come to our own conclusions. The problem arises when we feel as if we don’t have enough information to find a satisfactory conclusion and we feel left behind. Towards the middle of The Prophecy, enough of the mythology gets explained so that you can catch up quite quickly. At that point, you can truly appreciate what this film is trying to convey to us. Now we can enjoy the originality within the enigma.

Creativity knows absolutely no bounds in The Prophecy. Its ability to take what we know biblically and play off of it, to the film’s advantage, is seamless. By the end of the movie, you couldn’t tell me there wasn’t a missing chapter in the Bible. Watching Gabriel’s calm, controlled demeanor slowly begin to unravel until he is desperate is terrifying yet hilarious. You see, angels are not what we know them to be. Widen writes them as God’s henchman. They are the metaphoric lightning bolt that will surely strike us down if God needs to make an example out of us. Not even a little 6-year-old girl is safe. Then we are told, in Gabriel’s terms, that our only comfort is in always knowing we will NEVER know why. Thanks, Gabriel. We all feel incredibly safe now.

Conclusion:

Intrigue, creativity, and a cameo from Lucifer himself – played by Viggo Mortensen – is what makes this film so great. The Prophecy burns bright by the end, if only briefly, and leaves us wanting more. Is it an absolute masterpiece? No. However, it is creative and quite entertaining. Grab some popcorn, open your mind, and guard your soul. The angels want to play a game and the winner will take all.