revolves around a group of people who find themselves to be maybe the last survivors of the human race. Cut off from everything, they are stranded in the middle of the desert. The film stars Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson and Dennis Quaid, among others.
Initially, the film seems to be quite serious by its exploration of the themes of unrequited love and the purpose of life. That tone, however, is almost immediately forgotten by the caricatures subsequently introduced to the audience. Starting in a scene where a sweet elderly woman curses like a sailor and inflicts some not-as-grandmotherly injuries, the tone of the movie quickly turns deliciously facetious. What starts out as a character drama has officially became campy farce.
However, the newly founded tone again does not last and the seriousness found earlier in the film eventually returns, more or less for good. The movie works best as a tongue-in-cheek iteration of an apocalypse movie while making jokes about the end of the world and zombies. This generally does not make the audience feel for the characters.
Unfortunately, the movie strives to be something “better” and errs toward uninspired, one-dimensional dramatics and cheap scares, never quite being able to keep the comedy from leaking through the serious veneer.
Although the director, Scott Stewart, worked for many years as a special effects artist, the visual effects in don’t show it.
The cheap special effects makes the film look like a SyFy Original Movie, which furthers the campy atmosphere and takes the audience out of the surreal story.
Not that the movie can draw them very far in anyway. The worst part of it all is that the movie really has to rely on its poorly executed special effects to convey the vast masses of attacking forces.
The movie is advertised as a religious, apocalyptic horror movie, but there the theme of religion is scarcely found. Paul Bettany’s character is the archangel, Michael, but that is about the extent of the religious aspect of the film.
In reality, the film is actually a zombie movie; people become possessed and attack other people. Humans are pitted against each other in a fight to the death until humanity is gone.
There is a brief flashback to Michael and Gabriel in Heaven, with angels flying about and clouds abundant.
This is the kind of movie should have been: religious esoterica, ideological good and evil and precariously balanced souls.
Interestingly, the Devil is conspicuously absent from the film. As a result, when in the mood for a modern religious thriller, see instead.
The story revolves around Michael, who shuns God and comes to Earth to save an unborn child that will supposedly save humanity. How and why are never explained, so this one child seems to be special for no particular reason. Although being the main goal of the characters in the movie, the very reason why this child has to be saved is never explained.
The movie is acted well enough, but aside from the two main characters, the rest are not very engrossing. It is almost like these two people are in a movie solely because, even though they seem quite normal, everything around them and everything that happens to them is ridiculous and fantastical.
is best when not taken too seriously. While it may take itself a little too sincerely, it still works for a campy, fun time.
It does not have a preaching, pretentious tone, which could have easily been made possible. The special effects fall way short of expectations, further enforcing the campy feel of the movie.
The main characters are engaging, but the others are borderline silly. is actually quite humorous, if it is approached with the right attitude.