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You won't be disappointed!

Purely Joyful Movie!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

RELEASED TO TV IN 2000 and directed by Raffaele Mertes, "The Apocalypse" chronicles events during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian (Bruce Payne) circa 90 AD when the elderly apostle John (Richard Harris) is imprisoned on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea (off the coast of modern day Turkey). John experiences strange visions, as detailed in the book of Revelation. Christian Kohlund plays a formidable Roman commander ordered to kill Christians in Asia Minor while Vittoria Belvedere plays a devout believer in love with a duplicitous man who is sent to the penal colony on Patmos as a Roman spy (Benjamin Sadler).Any film that attempts to tackle the biblical book of Revelation is ambitious, to say the least, and "The Apocalypse" should be respected for this, particularly since it's a surprisingly quality period movie, which doesn't forget to be entertaining while conveying worthy mind/spirit food. Being made in 1999 and limited by a TV budget, I was expecting lousy sets, costuming, locations and, especially, bad CGI effects. But, thankfully, the movie delivers in all these areas. The F/X hold up surprisingly well, all things considered, and they helped me better visualize John's visions in Revelation, which heretofore I had only 'seen' in my mind. Speaking of which, to appreciate this movie it helps to be a little familiar with the book of Revelation, otherwise you might be lost, especially since the movie's plot is a tad convoluted.Interestingly, in one of his apocalyptic visions John sees the twin towers of the World Trade Center burning, which of course came to pass in real life a mere year after the film's initial release! THE MOVIE RUNS 96 minutes and was shot (at least in part) in Morocco (I can't find any other info on the locations). WRITER: Francesco Contaldo.GRADE: B

The Apocalypse is essentially two films. First it's a ground to earth story about corruption in high places and persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire during the days of the Emperor Domitian. Depending on the politics of the day until Constantine became a Christian, persecution waxed and waned in those first 200 or so years. Domitian like some of his predecessors has declared himself a god and doesn't like people around who aren't recognizing his deity. So it's round up the Christians like it was during Nero and slay them, sometimes for sport and amusement. Sent to the Isle of Patmos where it is rumored that the last of the disciples of Jesus is living the Apostle John, is Benjamin Sadler who both finds John and finds true love with Christian girl Vittoria Belvedere. He also finds a lot of corruption and a great deal about himself.The aged John is played by Richard Harris and he does it well, one of his better performances in his last years. The second part of the film are the fantasy sequences that become the basis for the Book of Revelation. Do not be watching this film if you are on any kind of pharmaceuticals.The Apocalypse does have a preachy tone to it which might be off putting to many. Still it's not a bad work and should get more than church viewings.

"Holy s**t", was my first impression when watching "The Apocalypse".There are two types of films when it comes to historic-religious movies: there are such epics as "Ben Hur" or "Quo Vadis", which have religious undertones, yet are fun and accessible to those who don't particularly care for religion. And then there is a legion (pardon the pun) of pesky little bible films, that makes you feel like you've invited Jehovah's Witnesses into your DVD player. "The Apocalypse" belongs to the second category.Two reasons prompted me to watch this film: for one, this was to be one of the final performances of Richard Harris. Secondly, since "Passenger 57", I've always rooted for Bruce Payne playing a villain, but in the end, I wished that I hadn't squandered two hours of my precious time.Harris looks like what he is: a frail, dying old man. Payne as the megalomaniac Emperor Domitian is hamming it up for all it's worth, grimacing and glaring, never tired to remind the audience that he's "Domitian the God" (fortunately Payne's role is rather small, probably filmed in a single afternoon). The rest of the cast are extras and two-bit actors, assembled from European TV-shows and series. None of them practice what in the classic sense you would call 'acting', but who are we to deny them a handful of dollars and warm meals from the caterers.So, what speaks for the film? Preciously little. The overall tone is so preachy, the viewers come to believe that this was actually directed by Ned Flanders of "The Simpsons". The special effects (remember: this is a film about the apocalypse, the end of mankind) are laughable, either culled from documentaries (exploding volcanoes, bad weather at sea, etc) or animated on some cheap computer. Watch out for the scene of the angels appearing with their trumpets and tell me that you didn't expect Eric Idle to appear, blowing a bullhorn. Let's not forget the music: since this is a bible film, there is a strong need for incessant, ever unnerving choruses and quire music, that will make you wonder, whether you want to listen to this for all eternity or rather join the opposition, where at least they play catchy Rock n' Roll.And watch out for that talking sheep that randomly appears during scenes, preaching and sermonizing about some things or the other.You may have seen the film and wonder where all those glowing reviews and the high ratings came from. You may also have noticed that virtually every movie of the same ilk has similar positive comments and ratings. Yes, sometimes the wish is the father of thought … but mostly it all just remains wishful thinking.If you're into Roman films, why not go for the TV-show "Rome" or re-watch "Gladiator"? If fantasy films are your thing, "The Hobbit" is only a few month away. If the Apocalypse interests you, Roland Emmerich has made quiet a few films about that but as far as religious films, none was able to live up to the standards of "Life of Brian" yet.I give it two points out of ten: one for the memory of Richard Harris, and one for the preaching sheep. Amen!

Without the addition to Richard Harris to the movie, the movie would never have been made. With that, San Giovanni would still be trying to sell his script to a religious market. Still, without Harris, the movie is very good. The production value and story are worthy of a straight to video release. One of Richard Harris' last movies, you can tell it was since he dies at the end of the movie. Gladiator, Caesar, and about 5 other films all have Richard Harris dying during the movie. The same goes for his role as John the Apostle. A brilliant performance like much of his work, Harris carries the film as he speaks of his visions in Revelations. Not too much is said of Titus in 90 AD. This is the story of John and his journey in the last years of his life.