The Prophecy II

I watched the Prophecy and Prophecy II on the same night, both for the first time, so the comparisons were really obvious. Though PII is not a complete waste of time, it was hardly as interesting and exciting as the first. It did have some good points, however, and I would recommend it to anyone who loved the story of the Prophecy idea. The climactic scene at the end was excellent. Very creepy. DOS and PC lovers will like the humor as Gabriel tries to work a computer. :) The special effects sequences of angels flying above in the clouds was awesome. Even so, it lacked something that the first had. I'd give it a 6/10, and the first a 9/10. Let's hope Prophecy III will be better.

In the 90's, Christopher Walken's career (like many actors) had slipped into the b-movie realm. It was during this time he appeared in the first three Prophecy films. The first carried a pretty serious religious tone in the battle of good vs evil. This second entry is lighter fare, but still provides a game Walken who's a lot of fun to watch and some faces in the supporting cast help.

Mild mannered & religious nurse Valerie (Jennifer Beals) appears to hit Danyael (Russell Wong) with her car. She's apologetic naturally, but also feels a bond and warmth with him. Not knowing that he's an angel, Danyeal impregnates her. Soon she realizes that her unborn child is the key to the ongoing battle over heaven as Lucifer unleashes fallen angel Gabriel (Walken) back onto Earth from the depths of hell. Who'll do anything he can to stop this baby from happening.

Quite a few people think that Walken is hamming it up here. I disagree. It's a more fun & lively go at it than before. With a brisk 80 minute runtime, 'Prophecy II' isn't the serious epic that the original film was trying to be. That however doesn't stop it from being decent. There's a good mix of funny moments, dark territory and doses of violence.

You get an early role for Brittany Murphy as another one of Gabriel's "monkey" lackeys. Steve Hytner (Bania from Seinfeld) continues as the medical examiner. Beals & Wong do their jobs while Eric Roberts doesn't make much of an impact in a quick role as a good angel. B-movie buffs can catch Bruce Abbott (Re-Animator) taking over the role of Thomas Daggett from Elias Koteas too.

As you'll see here (and in the next sequel), this series never let actors not reprising their roles stop characters from reappearing. I enjoyed 'Prophecy II' quite a bit on a popcorn level. It's not heavy handed, deep with the religious tones. Doesn't take itself too seriously and Walken continues tapping into a great character here.

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?

If you liked the first film, you'll quite probably like this one too. It's a little more tongue-in-cheek and like most sequels not as good as the original, but it's still Walken as Gabriel with all that entails. The action is still good. Eric Roberts could be better, but he plays Michael not Gabriel. I think the humour was a little more obvious in this one, too. If you didn't like the original the skip it.

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.