A fine film on every front. Strong characters played by impressive actors. A suspenseful storyline that maximized the tension as the ending drew nearer. BUT... the biblical message was lost along the way. Two passages sprang to mind as I watched:
John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. "
Acts 4:10,12 "Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead .... Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ and in him alone. But "Jesus" was rarely mentioned. Believe in "God" was the repeated message. "God the Father" is one thing, but "God" is a generic term that anyone watching could make fit their preconceived ideas, whether or not biblically based. I was disappointed in the Lalondes and in both Jack Van Impe and John Hagee for allowing the film to go to release without a clear salvation message. Is this a "Christian" film or just a family-friendly action movie with a thin veneer of biblical eschatology as a plot point?
I recently re-enjoyed the original End Times tetralogy of films beginning with "A Thief in the Night" and running through "The Prodigal Planet," produced between 1972 and 1983. They were overtly evangelistic films that ensured nobody got through a film without hearing the good news of salvation through Christ clearly detailed. In "Revelation," the closest we got was the scene of Helen reacting to Thorold's shouted objections to God's perceived injustices--his mother dying of cancer, his family vanishing. Believe in God, have faith, was the milquetoast response Helen mustered. Nothing was said of Christ's redemptive death and of the free gift of salvation by grace through faith. The film fumbled the ball on this key play!
"Revelation" also made little attempt to inform the audience about the eschatological events unfolding on their screens. Those "Thief in the Night" movies set the bar high with lengthy exposition and with wall-sized charts and tribulation maps that provided the audience a crash course in premillennial dispensationalism. I understand not wanting to slow the movie's momentum to detail the seven seal judgments, but the most the Lalondes' film did was outsource the job to a couple Van Impe and Hagee clips that served more to set up the next scene than to educate the audience on End Times.
All that said, and setting aside expectations, I really enjoyed the movie, even if I would at best call it Christian-lite. Jeff Fahey was a compelling leading man, looking like a younger Mel Gibson coupled with the raspy voice of Clint Eastwood (with whom he co-starred in "White Hunter, Black Heart" a decade earlier). Fahey's a talented guy, one who can present himself as impenetrably tough, but then quickly drop the facade and reveal his vulnerability.
"I need your help. And my gun's real." I especially enjoyed the winning chemistry between Jeff Fahey and Tony Nappo, who played smart-aleck computer whiz Willie, confined to a wheelchair (which stirred memories of a similar character on the 1980's "War of the Worlds" series). Willie's John Wayne impression and having a dog named Elvis won me over to him immediately.
With that New Yawk accent who'da guessed Nappo's a Canuck? He fooled this former Long Islander into believing he was my homeboy! He even snuck in a Yogi Berra line about taking the fork in the road. And what a player, too. The flirtation between Willie and blind babe Cindy came across so authentic and I was really enjoying their budding romance until...! Let's just say guys who don't learn from the history of Adam and Eve and Samson and Delilah are bound to repeat it.
Leigh Lewis as Helen Hannah took a diminished role in this second film, but she nonetheless proved a pivotal player. Len Parker having her wanted poster on his desk was a nice touch, as was how the front-desk guard referred to her as a "big fish," implying her once being a newscaster made her an "influencer" long before that term entered the vernacular. (That same idea was effectively employed in "The Omega Man" back in '71 with a former newscaster elevated to leadership of the mutants).
Breaking news from WNN: Parker Lewis can't lose, but Len Parker sure can. Talk about not learning from history, right? His replay of the incendiary events of Daniel 3 made for a fantastic scene and a fitting end, though I admit I will miss his distinct brand of deviltry. Yeah, he was a little over the top, but he effectively ensured nobody would mistake him for a good guy. "Evil incarnate" is an overused term but an apt one here. Shooting down a dad in front of his wife and child? Slapping senseless the grieving widow while threatening her young child? That puts the evil in devil.
Evil of a more subtle and persuasive kind was employed by Nick Mancuso as Antichrist Franco Macalousso. A different actor than the one who played the role in the first picture, but a stronger and more convincing one. He reminded me of Sebastian Cabot's character in the "Twilight Zone" episode "A Nice Place to Visit." So charming a fellow, "a man of wealth and taste," as the Rolling Stones phrased it. Satan will deceive many with his smooth words and empty promises, and I admit I choked up when witnessing whom he deceived and at what horrors a person can inflict upon the innocent when his capacity to love is stripped away.
"Revelation" proved to be a taut and intense thriller, especially in its closing quarter, though there really wasn't a dull moment after the opening home movies end. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to slide the third film "Tribulation" into the DVD player tomorrow. The caveat is that "Revelation" is NOT an evangelistic film and is regretfully soft n' squishy on the necessity of Christ in salvation. But taken for what it is, it shines as a professionally polished action flick free from the profanity, nudity, and gore plaguing most modern films of that genre. Enjoy, but do keep an eye out for O. N. E. Agents crawling through windows and for those pesky providentially toppled blue plastic cups!
