The Prophecy II

Gabriel (Christopher Walken) returns to try to destroy the human race he despises so much, with the help of a suicidal teen (Brittany Murphy) and the opposition of the angel Danyael (Russell Wong).

I pretty much never get sick of Christopher Walken. While this is not is best movie or one of his best roles, just seeing him act and talk in that voice of his is all I need. I particularly like him being menacing (his humor is good, but sometimes he gets just a little bit too campy).

Tom Towles has a cameo role as Detective Waltrip. I had no idea he was in this, but recognized his face immediately. Tom is a great guy, and it was a pleasure to see this horror icon.

Brittany Murphy will be remembered for only one thing in this movie, saying, "You're only keeping me alive because you don't know DOS." Although her inability to kill herself is morbidly humorous. Eric Roberts also stars... but who cares?

The Prophecy II was an ok movie but it lacked a certain quality the first had. I mean, the first one was so much better there is no comparison. Christopher Walken comes back to play Gabriel, but that and a few humorous sections were all that was good about this film. The ending was the best part. Too bad you have to watch the whole thing to get to it. If you've seen and liked the first, then I recommend watching this one, but don't have too high of expectations.

The 1998 sequel to the 1995 movie "The Prophecy" was certainly watchable and enjoyable, however it just wasn't quite as intense as the first movie. But still, it makes for a good movie, nonetheless.

"The Prophecy II" continues on with the story of Gabriel, and actually includes a more clear and drawn out prophecy this time, whereas the first movie was more hesitant about such a thing - oddly enough.

Similar to the first movie, "The Prophecy II" boasts a rather impressive set of casted actors and actresses. And it is nice to see Christopher Walken return to reprise the role as Gabriel. It was a shame that they didn't have Elias Koteas return to the role as Thomas, despite it being a small part in "The Prophecy II". But they had Bruce Abbott - from the "Reanimator" movies - step in and fill out his shoes, and he does have somewhat of an resemblance to Elias Koteas for sure. "The Prophecy II" also have some good performances by Tom Towles, Brittany Murphy and Eric Roberts.

There was a good pacing to the storyline told in "The Prophecy II", however the storyline felt a little bit rushed at times and as if director Greg Spence just wanted to get the movie finished. Personally, I felt there were parts of the movie that were just skimmed across without going into depth with the aspects of the movie, and that was a shame.

All in all, "The Prophecy II" is a worthy sequel to the 1995 "The Prophecy" movie for sure.

If you're reading this review, chances are you've already seen & liked the first Prophecy and are debating whether to continue the saga. Either that, or maybe you're just a weird person who likes to watch sequels before seeing the original. Whatever waxes yer wings...

In either case, if you are interested in dark, religious thrillers about angels doing nasty things, you MUST see the Prophecy trilogy. Yes, I know there are 5 Prophecy films, but we'll just focus on the first 3 for now.

Much like Star Wars/Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi, the first 3 Prophecy movies tell a continuing story about 1 character: Gabriel, the Archangel of Death (played by Christopher Walken). Although the films' plots are mostly independent of each other, the theme of Gabriel's quest is a continuing story that doesn't wrap up til the end of the 3rd movie. Ergo you can't stop at Prophecy 1. You have to watch all 3.

That's all you need to know, but if you want to know more about Prophecy II, here it is. By itself it's a worthwhile flick. What makes it special is the surreal blending of dark suspense and cozy humor, as in the first Prophecy. Although we lose some of the quirky characters who made the first film so memorable (such as Jerry the oozing sidekick, Rachel the catatonic chauffeur, and most of Joseph the stand-up comedic coroner), we get a new one who's just as memorable: Brittany Murphy as Izzy the suicidal emo girl (long before the term 'emo' came into being).

Walken and Murphy maintain the wacky humor that made the first Prophecy so characteristic & human. The other characters are there for action and furthering the plot, which is pretty straightforward as far as angels-fighting-a-war-on-earth movies go.

The music isn't quite as lush as the first, although one of the themesongs (the airy tribal piece) is carried over. Most, if not all, of the movie takes place at night so it is both literally and figuratively dark. Not quite "The Crow" dark, but dark nonetheless.

This movie has a distinct early-90s feel to it. The 90s was a decade of action films leaving behind the simple, clean stories of the 80s and embracing a darker realism (as in "Seven" and "The Usual Suspects"). I'd say this 2nd Prophecy film is closer to the 80s than its groundbreaking predecessor, but it's still a good film.

Watch it for Walken, watch it for the continuing epic story, watch it for some engaging action and a few great gags. Most of all... just watch it.

So-so sequel to the original religion-themed horror film sees Christopher Walken return as the archangel Gabriel, who despises the human race more than ever. He leads one faction of angels that have turned against God, bitter over the love that He showed to mankind. The other faction of angels seek to stop Gabriel and his kind. The main story point of this sequel is that Gabriel is in pursuit of an innocent woman, Valerie Rosales (Jennifer Beals), because she has been impregnated by good guy angel Danyael (Russell Wong).

"The Prophecy II" feels pretty routine overall, although its theme of angels battling each other is an interesting one. It leans heavily on humour, with Walken obviously encouraged to be at his quirkiest and most Walken-esque. For one thing, Gabriel's no good with modern technology, so he keeps resurrecting a suicidal girl (sad eyed Brittany Murphy) so she can do such things as computer searches. It's got some very fun gore and visuals, but it's not until near the end when it really picks up. It also casts Eric Roberts, rock icon Glenn Danzig, and William Prael as assorted angels. Steve Hytner ("That's gold, Jerry, gold!") briefly reprises his role as Joseph, and Bruce Abbott of "Re- Animator" fame has limited screen time as he inherits the role of ex-cop Thomas Daggett from Elias Koteas, who played that role in the first film. Look also for Tom Towles and Kathryn Morris in small roles. The handsome Wong is sincere but bland; Beals is a reasonably appealing heroine.

The hook of a "Nephilim" (a half human / half angel offspring) helps to keep this watchable, for a fairly painless, short running time of just over 83 minutes.

One of only two directorial efforts for Greg Spence (most recently, a producer on 'Game of Thrones'), the other being "Children of the Corn: The Gathering".

Six out of 10.