The Prophecy 3: The Ascent

Only a few times in movie history has a sequel had something important to say, rather than just cashing in on the original's popularity with a regurgitation of the same thing. Examples of sequels (trilogies) that got it right: Return of the Jedi (original Star Wars trilogy), Exorcist III (ugh, but just skip Exorcist II), and of course Prophecy 3. In each of these cases, the stories are written in a fluid, logical manner that rewards you with an amazing conclusion, as if the writer had planned it from the beginning. The Prophecy trilogy isn't just about angels & action, it's the story of Gabriel (played, as none other, by the incomparable Christopher Walken). That's about all I'll say about the plot because I don't want to ruin it. What made the original Prophecy so great wasn't just the story & the action/drama but it was the way they blended some hilarious comedic moments into the mix. In that respect I compare the original Prophecy to dark action comedies like "Pulp Fiction" (which features a lot of actors who also appeared in The Prophecy). If you liked those surreal Prophecy laughs like when Gabriel & Rachel stop at a roadside diner, or the comedic wit of the coroner Joseph, etc, you'll see more of that here in the 3rd installment. Gabriel stops in at the same roadside diner to irritate the stone-faced "Madge" once again. We also get some great moments from Joseph the coroner (Steve Hytner from Seinfeld... "Gold, Jerry! Gold!") and of course the great one-liners from Gabriel, instantly reminding us that this is a characteristic, human movie. The action scenes are very good, using the new (at the time) wire techniques like in Crouching Tiger. There is a relentless tension that builds due to one character's unstoppable hunt for another, like in Terminator or Westworld. But this movie throws you a curve ball at the end, showing you the story is actually about something completely different. I haven't yet seen The Prophecy 4 & 5, but I can't imagine anything that could follow this film as the best conclusion to the angels-behaving-badly series. If you've seen the original Prophecy, you absolutely must see the whole trilogy.

Gabriel is now a human after the events in The Prophecy 2, however the war in heaven still rages on. Pyriel rises to power and now he wants to destroy mankind. Standing in his way is Danyael who is the product of an angel and a woman. However Danyael is unaware why he is being courted by Pyriel and needs Gabriel to help him understand his purpose. This film starred: Christopher Walken, Dave Buzzotta & Vincent Spano. The Prophecy 3 is the concluding chapter of The Prophecy trilogy (not counting the two rip-off sequels that came out in 2005) and The Prophecy 3 was released in 2000. In my opinion this is the same as the second film only slightly better. The Prophecy 2 was dark and quite boring, this one tried it's very best with what they had left after the second film and in my opinion, I didn't like the second one, so for me it was too much of a task for the producers and director to do. I don't recommend this film unless you are a big Prophecy fan, because other than that this film will probably bore you like it did with me and in my opinion the only decent one is the first one, so I will keep that in my film collection but I will not miss the second one or this one on my shelf. **/***** Poor.

Just was not a good movie. It needed more Christopher Walkin in it. The first one was ok, though not great either. The second movie in the trilogy had little to offer. Now the third and final movie, well not a complete waste of my movie time. The story was lacking in this one, I really didn't know what was up untill I didn't care to know anymore. Well that's enough time on this movie.

The hybrid Angel/Human Danyael (Buzzotta) is gunned down at a church rally he is speaking at by a crazed assassin (Brad Dourif, who else?). In the morgue he comes back to life not fully understanding how or why, when he is confronted by Zophael (Spano) the angel taking over the cause when Gabriel (Walken) was turned mortal at the end of Part II. Gabriel shows up just in time to save Danyael and help him escape. This time Gabriel is helping Danyael. A God of genocide is coming in the form of angel Pyriel (Scott Cleverdon) and Zophael must kill Danyael before this takes place and the war in heaven will finally be over. Danyael has frightening visions of Pyriel standing on a mountain of writhing bodies in the films best visual moment. Director Patrick Lussier keeps the action moving and the cast tries real hard but the storyline is wearing thin. Walken as the mortal Gabriel is a blast and makes the film worth watching. This segment isn't as intense as Part II or as interesting as the original. There's still a level of entertainment to be found, but once again don't count on any gore or jump scares.

I bought this off of pay-per-view so that I could add it to the tape I have with Prophecy I & II. I should have known better, but I figured, what is $3.95? Let me say that it was too much. I watched this movie twice and can't figure it out. Gabriel (played by Walken) is now a man?! Ok, now what is he suppossed to do? His powers are gone, etc...As for Vincent Spano, I guess he was an angelic hit man. Also, Banya from "Sinfeld" shows up again as the coroner who is used to people walking away after he knows they are dead. They tried to explain it all, but I was lost as to who wanted what and why? This war in heaven seems to have no end...enough babbling for now. Check it out for yourself if you like the other two, but I would have to put it into the "bad sequel" pile with Halloween H2O. Then again, I'm just a talking monkey (as the angels say).

Christopher Walken's Gabriel angel was what made the first two Prophecy films work for me. This one really didn't! All that was memorable was the scene in the café where Gabriel makes a large breakfast order... Woah, I like totally didn't understand this film at all, man. The plot was like, something about some angel kid or something, I dunno. It was well produced, looked nice and shiny, a good bit of blood and fairly impressive fx - especially for a STV film. But where was the big guy? DIMENSION FILMS PRESENTS Christopher Walken "The Prophecy III: The Ascent"... Why is he being given the title credit here? He is NOT the lead role... That Vincent Spanno guy is. Eh, he's okay. Also there's that kid, Danyael, played by Dave Buzzota. Terminator 2 is coming back to me... He was okay as well. The female lead was fairly crap - Karyen Butler.. I couldn't give a crap about them, to be honest. There was totally not enough of Gabriel - who is no longer an angel, but a human, and so is stripped of his powers. So no ass kickin outta him this time round, unfortunately, and so no crazy one-liners. He also has long hair that doesn't suit him - he reminds me of Bill (the Bill that got killed). Steve Hytner returns as Joseph for the first quarter of the film - he's pretty cool, I can't remember where I know him from... He's been in all three Prophecy films. Brad Dourif's in here too... The Prophecy III: Judgement Day was an alright second sequel that I'm not in a rush to see again. Watch out for Chris in Romance & Cigarettes!

The third and final (as far as I'm concerned, at least, since I won't ever bother to check out the two remaining 2005 sequels) entry in the "Prophecy" franchise is an irredeemably weak and time-wasting dud. The second sequel to the really intelligent and ingenious 90's horror classic lacks pretty much everything you seek in a horror movie: a coherent plot, diversity between the good and evil characters, suspense & excitement and gory killings. Although Christopher Walken still incomprehensibly stars in the film, the new production crew has taken away the ONE element that made the franchise unique, namely Walken's malicious persona. After his defeat in the second film, Archangel Gabriel remained on earth but gave up on fighting the great heavenly war and became a hermit with long filthy hair. He still wanders around and observes the new angels that arrive on earth to fulfill his old task, but he himself remains on the background and even leans towards the good side. Can you imagine Christopher Walken as a good guy? What's next, Satan selling Girl Scout cookies for charity? The plot revolves on Danyael, the now adolescent angel/human hybrid son of Jennifer Beals in part two. He's killed in human form whilst blaspheming God but resurrects again as an angel with a mission. He sets out to the desert for a confrontation with Pyriel, the angel of Genocide, to end the Second War of Heaven once and for all. Meanwhile, there's another mean angel – Zophael – who tries to stop him. The main default in part three is the lackluster character development. With Walken out of the picture, the story lacks a strong and menacing villain. Vincent Spano and Scott Cleverdon can't hold a candle to Walken and Brad Dourif is shamelessly wasted in an insignificant role. A proper main character is lacking on the good-guys side as well, for that matter. You naturally don't accept Walken as the hero, but also the Danyael character is too weak and unconvincing. At a certain point halfway through the film, it even looks as if Joseph the pathologist – who briefly appeared in both previous installments – is going to become the leading man and that would be a really moronic twist. The special effects are lame and not the least bit satisfying to horror fans. The climatic battle between Danyael and Pyriel looks more like an MTV commercial instead of a horror movie finale. "The Prophecy III" in an incredible waste of time, money and effort. There are only two moments in the entire film that are worth mentioning and, of course, they both involve Christopher Walken. The first shows him visiting the same roadside bar where he went in the first film with Amanda Plummer and the second involves him trumpeting along with The Tornados' song "Telstar". Altogether these moments last perhaps 3 to 4 minutes and they're hardly worth the agony of sitting through the entire movie. Skip it.

The Prophecy series is one of few movies that I truly enjoy watching. Usually movies that have clever or unforgettable dialogues always sticks with me. However, if you have an actor that is Walken, who can deliver those dialogues that can range from a shriek to a menacing whisper, you have a movie thats memorable and always sends a shiver of anticipation down your spine. Anyhoo, anybody know the title of the music that was playing on the radio when Gabriel (Walken) decided to accompany it with his trumpet? One of the high points of Prophecy 3, imho.

The Prophesy 3 was somewhat disappointing but still an above average flick. I would say it is the least of the three movies. The finale did not seem to be worth making a trilogy about. Plus it is somewhat confusing what happened at the end. The scope of the first two films led me to expect something grander. On a positive note, the special effects in this installment were the best of the trilogy. The pace was a little stop-and-go for my taste: too many flashbacks and too long between the action. The humorous parts were funny but at the same time it undermined the atmosphere that the series is based on. Christopher Walken again stole the show. He has perhaps the best delivery of any actor and can manage to handle lines that should have never been in the script. The two costars I thought lacked screen presence (or at least compared to Walken). Overall, this was an enjoyable ending to a surprisingly good trilogy.

I'm not sure whether the person who wrote this screenplay should be awarded a prize for sheer imagination or whether he should be tarred and feathered for being a complete moron. In any case, I have never witnessed an example of such bizarre mumbo-jumbo in my entire life. It's almost as if the writers were making up their own religion on the spot with no apparent sense of direction or purpose. In any case, this film essentially fast-forwards a bit from the last movie ("The Prophecy II") to the point where the nephalim, "Danyael Rosales" (Dave Buzzotta) is now a young man being hunted by the angel "Zophael" (Vincent Spanno) because Danyael might interfere with the plans of another angel named "Pyriel" (Scott Cleverdon). As everyone probably knows, Zophael is "the spy of God" whose allegiance is uncertain to everybody in Heaven and Pyriel is the "angel of genocide" who wants to be the savior of mankind by possibly killing everyone. Danyael, on the other hand, is "the word" and that apparently means something to somebody. In any case, Danyael has to be stopped. So does Pyriel for that matter. Meanwhile the archangel "Gabriel" (Christopher Walken) is still in his earthbound human form but has allowed his hair to grow and has learned how to drive. Throw in some dull performances by everyone except Christopher Walken and the film pretty much winds down to yet another strange conclusion which will certainly be addressed in the next installment. Definitely below average.