Reviewed by Alex Ioshpe
DIRECTED BY:Peter Hyams
WRITTEN BY: Andrew W. Marlowe
CAST: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Gabriel Byrne
Robin Tunney
Kevin Pollak
CCH Pounder
Derrick O'Connor
Rod Steiger
Michael O'Hagan
MPAA: Rated R for intense violence and gore, a strong sex scene and language. Runtime: USA:121 / UK:121 / Netherlands:121 / Norway:123 / Sweden:122 / Finland:122 / Japan:122 Country: USA Language: English Color: Color (DeLuxe) Sound Mix: DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS
RATING: 3/10
"Easely one of the worst films of the year.."
With the millenium just around the corner, Hollywood is playing with our insecurities concerning the biggest event of this century. This time it is Arnold Schwartzenegger against the powers of evil. The result is somewhat predictable. I didn't have high hopes about Arnold's "much anticipated" return to the big screen. Schwarzenegger fans will probably be pleased, action lovers won't be bored, and the Catholic League will be angry. Everyone else will see 'End of Days' for what it is: a deliciously bad motion picture. Think of it as Hollywood's own Y2K bug.
Did you know that if you turn the three diabolical numbers 666 you'll get 999, as in 1999? Yes, you better believe it..Satan is here on earth, working on his latest project -- the end of days. This time it is Gabriel Burne who gets the privilege to play Lucifer and, although not Al Pacino, he is fun to behold. He coolly strolls through Manhattan in the borrowed body of an investment banker, wreaking, as they say, havoc. The way it works is he smirks and something explodes. Before the stroke of the new millennium he's got to find and impregnate a certain woman in order to climb out from under a heavenly curse as spelled out in the Book of Revelations. Only Schwarzenegger's cop attached to an anti-terrorist unit can stop him.
Films like this has one serious weakness -- logic. No matter how you twist the "plot", you'll find it incredibly stupid (even for a Schwartzenegger movie!). The incredible fact is that such directors never learn. After thousands of headless productions, this theme has become one big cliché. Here the Devil looks more like a sex addicted maniac that has just got out of a mental institution. He is walking around N.Y., blowing everything up and killing everyone that gets in a 5 meter radius. All he wants is the girl, that is somehow special. But Schwartzenegger is more clever than he looks, he has hidden her in a church, where Satan dare not enter. So the Evil One is forced to seduce the good cop in order to get the valuable information: "You can have your wife and daughter back..I can give you happiness that you can only dream of..Just give me the address.." Indeed with a script like that, you could make a wonderful parody, but unfortunately the director is taking this subject very seriously, attempting to create a provoking an dramatic thriller. And for you who have awaited Arnold Swartzenegger's comeback, will not be very satisfied. We've not seen him in a while. That's because he didn't have a worthy opponent. He has battled nuclear terrorists on Earth and power mad conspirators on Mars. He has taken on alien predators in the darkest reaches of the jungle and morphing cyberkillers that seemingly nothing can stop. So, after all those fights, what's left for Arnold Schwarzenegger? How about Satan? In my opinion, he has never quite overcome his first role as the deadly robot in Cameron's "Terminator". And that is Schwartzenegger's strength -- muscles and no emotions. Here he tries to achieve an artistic level, moving towards the Oscar. This is called "an adult turn" if successful and "a flop" if unsuccessful. Make a wild guess! His character has lost his wife and daughter and has serious drinking problems. This requires at least some acting skills. Regrettably, the only thing convincing about old Arnold is his muscles.
The rest of the cast are struggling with their so called characters. The movie is otherwise technically impressive, with a solid cinematography and fine lighting. But the movie doesn't serve neither as a serious thriller (because of its stupidity) nor as comic entertainment (because of its serious tone). The only real comic relief in this film is when Swartzenegger tries to cry. The action sequences are all recycled and the effects are everything but spectacular. So I really have a hard time recommending this film to somebody. Unless you are a die-hard Schwartzenegger fan, stay away. As for Schwarzenegger, he'll be back.
"END OF DAYS" & ALL RELATED MARKS & MEDIA ARE TM & © 1999 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. THIS SITE IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH ANY ENTITY INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE MOVIE. ALL OPINIONS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR ALONE. ALL PICTURES AND OTHER MATERIAL WERE OBTAINED THROUGH APPROVED CHANNELS OR FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO INFRINGE ANY COPYRIGHTS. VISIT THE OFFICIAL SITE: http://www.end-of-days.com
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