It’s almost the end of time, and two families are full of strife. They are facing some serious challenges as the world starts to spin out of control. Will they be able to remember their faith before it’s too late?
Production Quality (0 points)
There is unfortunately nothing positive to note in this section. Audio quality is terrible due to very loud background noises in both indoor and outdoor scenes, and there is basically no soundtrack. Outside scenes are too bright while inside scenes are poorly lit. Camera work and video quality are both inconsistent. The sets, locations, and props are quite cheap. Further, editing is very choppy, which rounds out a sub-par effort.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
In this narrative, the writers present one thing after the next, dumping disconnected subplots upon the audience. This leads to empty characters and unsubstantial dialogue. The plot includes a juvenile view of Christianity, suggesting that people’s problems can be magically fixed. There is overall no purpose to this story, and it’s basically two different films shoved together. As such, there are no unifying themes other than mindlessness and purposelessness. In the end, the conclusion is nonsensical, leaving nothing for the viewers to learn or believe in. This lack of potential produces a zero-point rating for this section.
Acting Quality (0 points)
Between unconvincing acting and bouts of yelling and screaming, the forceful performances in this movie are basically unbearable. Many cast members recite lines without conviction or realistic emotions. Further, one-take scenes have mistaken lines. Thus, this rounds out a no-potential effort.
Conclusion
It remains incredibly unclear how and why films like Leading to Revelation continue getting made. Screenplays like these accomplish nothing except to further tarnish the reputation of Christian media. There is no purpose to these types of creations, so money needs to stop being spent on them.
After a college student becomes a Christian while away from his family, he tries to encourage them to convert to his newfound faith. When they refuse, he decides to record a tape of what would happen to them if the Rapture came before they were saved. Coincidentally enough, after the student sends the tape to his family, the Rapture actually does happen! What will they do now???
Production Quality (.5 point)
As a 1990s production, Future Tense leaves much to be desired. The weird grainy and shady tint to the video disrupts the viewing experience, as do weird special effects. The soundtrack is loud and annoying, and other aspects of audio are unbalanced. The camera work, sets, locations, props, and editing are the only acceptable elements that prevent his section from receiving no points. Needless to day, this is a very low-quality production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Between heavy-handed messaging and lots of off-screen content that we only hear about, this narrative barely counts as storytelling. With hardly any actual dialogue to speak of, the characters are blank cardboard cutouts. The out-of-order plot style is poorly presented, which confuses the audience. Other aspects are generally boring as many scenes waste time. Also, the entire narrative is perfectly spoon-fed to the audience and magically constructed to fit a very narrow worldview. Further, the vague ending makes no sense and leaves the viewer wondering what just happened. In the end, this section receives a score of zero due to lack of potential.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Although the acting in this film is robotic and overly practiced, it’s actually the strongest aspect of the screenplay. This fact is mainly due to the fact that the lead actor posts the best performance. Elsewhere, however, there’s too much yelling and screaming. There’s not much else good to note here, which rounds out an underwhelming effort.
Conclusion
Apocalyptic movies about the Rapture were all the rage in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, the idea of trying to “scare” people into being saved is fairly morbid. I doubt creations like Future Tense made any significant impact, and such projects definitely have no influence in the more modern era. Once again, films like this one only serve as examples of how not to do it.
Paul loved his family, but they were Christians while he wasn’t. Thus, when they were taken in the rapture, he was left behind to face an ever-darkening world. Becoming a violent hater of God, Paul joins the ruthless government agency known as the Horsemen, who stamp out any traces of Christianity left on the earth. However, when they turn on Paul, he’s forced to face the reality he’s been trying to avoid.
Production Quality (0 points)
From the get-go, Denounced exhibits very disorienting and off-putting audio quality that’s sometimes overdriven, and although the soundtrack can be interesting at times, it’s often too loud. Camera work is very inconsistent, and despite clear video quality, the lighting is all over the place. The same can be said for the cheap sets, locations, and props as they don’t adequately represent what they’re supposed to portray. Special effects and sound effects are annoying, and weird zooms and camera angles confuse the audience. The editing is a disaster, sometimes wasting time on nature footage that accomplishes nothing and others times letting scenes drag on for no reason at all. Needless to say, there’s too much negative in this section to warrant any points.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
In keeping with most apocalyptic films, as soon as the rapture happens in Denounced, everything in the world starts falling apart and melting down for no reason. How are supposed to be believe so many instant natural disaster occur in succession? Besides this, it’s hard to follow the movie’s storyline since it jumps from one thing to the next, vaguely constructing the world with cryptic dialogue. Despite okay attempts at flashbacks, they’re too heavy-handed and narrated, and other conversations don’t do enough to build characters. Long boring sequences go by wherein nothing really happens and no one talks. Then, these give way to scenes of unnecessarily extreme and sometimes gross violence even though they’re accompanied by some slightly interesting plot turns that give better understanding to what the writers wanted to do. Nonetheless, it’s just too little too late as some potential as wasted that could have been better presented in a short film. This concept simply demands too much funding and planning than was put into this screenplay, but it’s a shame that the imperfect character outlines weren’t fully fleshed out and were instead replaced with excessive torture scenes. Also, to make things even more complicated, the ending of Denounced is very confusing as it seems to negate everything that happened in the narrative. Due to all these concerns, zero points are also awarded here.
Acting Quality (0 points)
The acting performances of this movie are less than inspiring, including a lot of yelling and screaming. As such, most emotions are quite forced. Lines are also mumbled, and there’s generally not any positive here to offset the negative, which rounds out a zero-point effort.
Conclusion
Did we really need another apocalyptic film? This rapture-succeeded-by-worldwide-dystopia song and dance has been done time and again, and it basically never works. Then, as if the premise didn’t already short-circuit potential, all other movie elements are very low quality. Denounced is a classic example of biting off more than you can chew and pushing forward to make something without proper planning. We’re long past the era where any random piece of Christian entertainment is going to be embraced.
In the aftermath of a world war that left mutants and ISIS rebels roaming the earth in search of their next victims, Hunter Wilde fights to survive and protect those close to him. However, when a new threat emerges that he has no idea how to fight, Hunter does what he typically does: run away. Will he be able to rekindle his faith before it’s too late?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Despite seemingly having adequate funding, this production fails to meet quality standards. This includes background noise that sometimes conflicts with spoken audio as well as a loud and generic soundtrack. The sets, locations, and props don’t effectively portray what they’re supposed to portray. Also, the camera work is wild, including poor shots in action sequences. The video quality is mostly stable throughout, however, and the editing is average. Despite some less-than-inspiring special effects, some elements of the production do improve as it goes on. Nonetheless, it’s only enough to earn a middle-of-the-road score for this section.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Besides the fact that this film is based on a ridiculous premise and bizarre plot elements, it also contains a really bad and slightly incorrect portrayal of the spiritual dimension. The writers seemed to be obsessed with sensationalism, shock, and awe as well as fixated on pro-prepper messaging that seems to want the world to descend into chaos so that they can do whatever they want. Despite being a large-scale idea, the story is based on clunky narration and stock footage. It’s also full of forced drama and purposely creepy supernatural elements. In the character department, the so-called protagonist almost always saves the day via unrealistic action sequences. Other characters are built on forced cardboard dialogue and awkward conversations that make everything drag out. The villains are extremely cheesy, and the narrative decides what happens to the characters and what random things they’ll do without good reasons for doing them. Things only get more ridiculous as they go, mostly due to the fact that the movie confuses itself with wacky inter-dimensional subplots and terminology. The concepts of other realms are extremely difficult to grasp, and the screenplay’s questionable view of spirituality tends to play fast and loose with reality. In the end, this is a pointless storyline full of madness and nonsense.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Between overly theatrical emotions and forced line delivery, the cast was seemingly coached to be very serious for no good reason. Too often, tones and feelings don’t seem to appropriately fit the situations. Makeup is also an obvious problem, and the villain acting is laughably ridiculous. In the end, despite some okay moments that keep this section from being zero, the acting tends to worsen as it goes forward, which rounds out an overall absurd creation.
Conclusion
It’s difficult to understand what the makes of this film were really going for. Mixing a dystopian premise with muted political overtures, much like The Reliant, is basically a losing formula from the get-go. Combing this with poor production and acting aspects sends this movie down to the basement of Christian entertainment. However, the market is thankfully changing for the better, which will no longer allow screenplays like this to exist.
The end of the world is nearing, and all of the bees are dying. Thus, Dr. BEEatrix Cera has been enlisted by the mysterious Chairman of New World Genetics to create the Immortal Bee, an experiment that will causes bees to live forever and produce food that makes humans live forever. Simple right? Well, with the food stores running out, even though cancer has been cured by a random Catholic guy who gives food away, the Chairman demands immortality from BEEatrix. However, at what cost will BEEatrix go to save the world and try to get rid of the dreams of Jesus she keeps having? What will happen when the end finally comes?
Production Quality (2 points)
While it’s clear that time and effort was spent on this independent production, which is evidenced in the good video quality and camera work throughout, this film still seems quite indie. While the sets, locations, and props are fairly well done and while the soundtrack is intriguing, there is quite a bit of obvious CGI and cheesy animated overlaying throughout this film. However, audio quality is fine, and the only other issue to point out here is that the editing is quite choppy. Nevertheless, there is enough effort and funding here to make this an overall above-average production that is reminiscent of the modern productions we see in Christian film today.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
What the world doesn’t need is another half-baked Christian apocalyptic film, but at least The Second Coming of Christ gets past that overused speculative beginning of the tribulation known as the Rapture. We rarely get a look at the end of the apocalypse in the Christian cinematic universe, but we get that opportunity in this film. However, it doesn’t deliver at all. The plot is very incoherent as it is based on flimsy dialogue and very thin and empty characters. A lot of the end times elements are presented in a very juvenile fashion, and key concepts of this storyline are not well-explained at all as the entire world hangs in the balance waiting for immortal bees to be born. Umm, what? Besides this, the villain is very cheesy, and there is a lot of Catholic message-pushing. There is very little to hold the interest, and this seems more like a regular sci-fi plot rather than and end-of-the-world depiction. It’s really quite boring, actually.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
The acting of this film is particularly bad as all of the emotions are painfully forced, as if through a sieve, and the cast members are extremely dramatic with their line delivery. Some cast members, however, are just lackadaisical or clueless. There is a tiny amount of good here (how did Quinton Aaron get stuck in this movie?), but on the whole, this section wraps up a very poor film effort.
Conclusion
It seems like this movie started off with half of an idea and just tried to run with it without realizing that it was running on fumes and had nothing substantial to show for it at all. How are films like this even made? Think of all the projects that get abandoned, but stuff like this one gets put through. Well, at least we can say there’s never been a Christian film about the bee apocalypse before this one. There are new ideas being born daily, apparently.
You’ve heard the story before: in one second, everything is changed on the planet when millions of people suddenly disappear in the Rapture and millions more are left behind, even those who though they were Christians. A whole bunch of random people are confused by the recent catastrophe and struggle to survive in the dark new world that is immediately created by the Rapture. Will they ever learn the truth about what happened?
Production Quality (.5 point)
In yet another poorly produced Rapture film, video quality is the only positive element to mention here. Otherwise, the camera work is very shaky and inconsistent, as well as full of wild cuts and extremely close angles. Flashbacks are set in weird sepia tones, and there are too many flashes throughout. There are lots of poorly lit and very dark scenes. Audio quality is very poor as well, including a generic sountrack and those annoying background sirens from Final: The Rapture. On that note, sets, locations, and props are cheap and limited, as usual. Finally, the editing is typically dizzying and disorienting. Basically, this is another slipshod production about the End Times. What else is new?
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Like many plots that lead up to the Rapture event in the middle and then depict the aftermath in the second half of the story, The Basement has no clear direction, purpose, or focus that guide it. It is full of too many cheesy characters that crowd out the runtime so that it’s impossible to get to know any of them or remember who they are. The non-Christian character are portrayed ridiculously, as usual, and the Christians are too perfect, all due to laughable dialogue. There is no way to know where the story is going or coming from as there is tons of useless content and a lot of the runtime is wasted on flashbacks to events that happened minutes before. All of this aside, the manufactured suspense is full of typical apocalyptic tropes and contains no creativity whatsoever. After jumping all over the place for nearly two hours, basically all the problems are solved in a vague, indiscernible ending that was likely left open for a sequel. But hey, the market needed another cheesy Rapture movie.
Acting Quality (-.5 point)
The acting is likely the worst section of this film, as a majority of the cast members act in very juvenile fashions. Their line delivery is painfully forced, like someone is pulling the lines out of them. Emotions are also over the top like this. There is too much yelling throughout and too many sequences of cast members talking over each other. This is overall an annoying and obnoxious portion, thus warranting the negative score.
Conclusion
Note to future film makers: please do make different genres of Christian films, but please please please refrain from making anymore Rapture films. There are so many tropes in the apocalyptic genre that are complete and laughably overused, so it’s best to steer clear of this unless you have a really, really good idea. There are plenty of other ways to make good Christians suspense plots that don’t involve End Times opinions. But no matter what, there’s no excuse for having production and acting this bad.
When a Roman soldier is exiled to the island of Patmos for insurrection, he does not expect to meet the infamous and fabled Theophilus, who happens to be the aging Apostle John. A group of Christians whom the Roman solider knows also comes to the island in search of the mysterious Theophilus, all the while John is experiencing the visions from God that later became the Book of Revelation. All of their lives intersect in a way they could not have previously believed.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
There is a lot going on this early 2000s production from Trinity Broadcasting Network and others. Though there are plenty of attempts to create historically and culturally authentic sets, locations, and props, there are some other issues here that hamper the production. These include some randomly poor lighting and wild zooms for dramatic effect, as well as some unnecessarily overdubbed audio. The voice of God that echoes throughout the film is also a bit annoying. A lot of the special effects used are very obvious and poorly done—if you are making a production about the Book of Revelation, you’d better have some well-funded special effects. Yet on top of this, there are plenty of realistic gritty elements throughout, as well as good video quality and average editing. Essentially, this is a very unique production and is a mixed bag at that, thus warranting the average score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Unfortunately, the plot writers decided to consult The Robe and the old Ben-Hur for how to make a first century Roman\Jewish story and cast of characters most like a soap opera. This includes a cheesy romantic subplot and a lot of overly dramatic dialogue. All of the characters are impossible to access due to their lofty and inhuman demeanors. However, there is a very realistic historical context portrayed here, as well as a lot of good plot ideas that are basically wasted. Yet these elements save the plot from being a total loss. There is a lot of content here, and in the right hands it could have made a great two-part movie or miniseries. They needed a better writer to be able to handle the complex content from the Book of Revelation properly. But unfortunately, anything that involves TBN is guaranteed to be overly dramatic.
Acting Quality (1 point)
The same can be said for the casting and acting, as nearly every cast member uses a breathy line delivery reminiscent of Nicholas Cage and the actresses from the old Ben-Hur and The Robe. Thus, line deliver is too measured and drawn out, like a Bible soap opera. However, though the cast is not entirely culturally authentic, the costuming is at least historically accurate. There are also some good acting moments that save this section from being a total loss.
Conclusion
One thing can be said for this film: it’s not your run-of-the-mill cute\boring Christian film. It’s ambitious, but perhaps too ambitious for the resources the creators had at their disposal. It’s very difficult to depict the visions of Revelation properly—this requires state-of-the-art special effects, which usually do not exist in Christian films, unfortunately. Yet there is no excuse for having acting this bad, even though it’s not BRITISH. This plot needed a total rewrite, but the idea definitely needs to be retained for future reworking and improvement. Maybe one day it will be remade.
You never know when the Rapture might happen…it might just happen on a Sunday morning when a long-winded pastor is preaching about how Christians can escape all the current and coming evil. This story follows a whole bunch of random people that go to this particular church as some of them live for the Lord while others pretend to. When that moment comes…some of them will be…left behind (oops wrong movie).
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Surprisingly, this awful film has a somewhat decent production, certainly a better one than its cousin Final: The Rapture. The production of Sunday Morning Rapture is mostly average, with fine video quality and camera work. However, the soundtrack is quite overpowering at times, as are weird sound effects. There are also some bizarre special effects, even though the sets, locations, and props are mostly okay. Furthermore, the editing is very disorienting and off-putting, but one can’t expect much from another strange apocalyptic concept. Yet all of this aside, the remainder of the film’s elements are just awful.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
Besides this ‘plot’ being a random collection of schizophrenically presented scenes that have little to no relation to one another, the film is chock-full of very heavy-handed juvenile message-pushing about obvious Rapture beliefs and apocalyptic concepts. Dialogue is very in-your-face as it feels like the characters are just reading lines from a John Hagee book. If this wasn’t bad enough, this movie progressively more insane as it goes on, jumping from Latin American and South Korean media coverage of sudden Rapture-induced natural disasters to people who were left behind literally screeching and rolling around on the floor of the church (without Benny Hinn even present). Basically, it’s an experience you have to see to believe. What we can’t believe is how these sorts of drug-laced Christian films are continually generated.
Acting Quality (-1 points)
As you can expect, the acting that accompanies to sheer madness is extreme and over the top in every way. Line delivery is very forced and eventually just becomes screeching, yelling, and wailing. Thus, the performances are extremely theatrical and overly dramatic, and cap off an overall embarrassing experience.
Conclusion
This is 2017, and Christian moves like this are still FUNDED and created. What was the pitch for this film? ‘Our church needs to make a movie about a Rapture that takes place on a Sunday.’ It sounds okay on its face…if we need another apocalyptic film, that is. But then to couple this with downright insanity is highly unacceptable. You have to try to make a film this bad, hence the negative rating.
When a volcano is about to explode in Mexico, Dr. Frank Richards knows that the only conclusion can be that the end of the world is near. The American government’s best scientists agree and begin to make an action plan as earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis rack the planet. The only hope for saving humanity is Frank Richards’ plan to return a secret Mayan artifact to its rightful resting place so that the disaster will reverse and mankind will be able to rebuild from the ashes.
Production Quality (-1 points)
The Asylum’s side project Faith Films was once determined to purposely make cheap parodies of Christian films, and they mostly succeeded in masquerading as real Christian movies because they were often indistinguishable from other cut-rate productions. 2012: Doomsday is no exception. There are multiple purposeful production errors in this film, including clear audio overdubs and a stupid soundtrack. Ridiculous special effects riddle the landscape of this natural disaster, as well as shaky camera work and other expected errors. Basically, these films are someone trying to be like Cross Shadow or Faithhouse.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
Though the satire of this absurd disaster story is actually funny at times, it’s still not really any good. It’s only funny because it’s so ridiculous and because it’s so easy to parody clichés from Christian and inspirational movies, not mention general disaster films. With the level of absurdity displayed here, especially in the characters and the dialogue, not even to mention the laughable premise, you either have to laugh or cry. There is no sense of understanding what’s happening in this story, and this is entirely by design. As we’ve mentioned before, it’s too easy to disguise your parody film as a serious one and sell it in Christian bookstores because the so-called serious Christian films have set such a low standard.
Acting Quality (-1 points)
No parody cast is complete without Dale Midkiff, who found the pinnacle of his career with his unforgettable performance in this film. He probably has a future in more parody films. Elsewhere, this cast is just as ridiculous and absurd as the rest of the movie.
Conclusion
Hopefully new Christian film makers are building a market where these sorts of films can no longer be made due to rising standards. Parodies and satires definitely have their place, but they need to have a point and not just be outright nonsense fests. Maybe someday that elusive future parody Christian Movie will come out with an epic cast that will actually be remembered for being a true satire.
A reporter is doing a regular live new report when the whole world starts falling apart! Buildings begin crumbling to pieces and roads start cracking up. The only answer is that everything points to Jerusalem and Armageddon. The reporter suddenly realizes that her daughter and husband are missing, so she follows in their footsteps to find them again, meeting bizarre characters along the way. Will she ever be able to find them before the world to irreparable pieces???
Production Quality (0 points)
The Asylum’s Faith Films venture boasts that hardly any money is spent on these parody films they make, and it definitely shows. All the weird, crazy, and basically terrible special effects and sound effects used reflect both lack of funding and lack of care. Most scenes look like they’re done in one take and just slapped together in every way. It’s also likely that little post-production work was performed in these films. The only reason to even highlight them at all is to show how the only reason films like this are able to be made is because there are hundreds of terrible Christian films that are supposedly serious. Thus, The Asylum is able to hide among them and parody familiar titles.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
Countdown: Jerusalem pretends like it’s from the makers of familiar apocalyptic titles by lifting the same old predictable apocalyptic elements and storylines and regurgitating them into a nonsensical movie. Again, this is easy to do because Christian film makers have set the bar so low. Everything about this movie is a total ripoff and a joke, but then again, this wasn’t the first or last time someone replicated the Left Behind concept and ‘rebranded’ it (see the Apocalypse saga, the new Left Behind, the other new Left Behind reboot, TheMark saga, The MomentAfter saga, Jerusalem Countdown, etc.). This concept is so worn out that it’s almost worth making fun of at this point.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Though this cast is clearly not trying and is phoning in performances, they are not all bad, which saves this film from being negative. But for the most part, they are overly dramatic and forced. Thus, this rounds out a full-scale parody.
Conclusion
At this point, it’s hard to tell what the difference between a parody Christian film and a so-called serious Christian film is. That’s why suspiciously-titled films like this one are so easy to put out: because the Christian film market is such a mess, nobody can tell who’s serious anymore. If the Christian entertainment world raised the bar and didn’t just elevate anything that claims the name of Christ because ‘persecution’ or something, then these sorts of films wouldn’t exist. But maybe some things are worth making fun of.
When a secret space observatory in Nevada picks up a mysterious and erratic signal from outer space, a powerful billionaire who owns the observatory forms a team made up of his spiritual guide, two investigative reporters, and his company’s computer technician to fly out to the observatory to find out what happened. Some of them believe they have been contacted by intelligent beings from outer space, while others believe something more sinister is going on. The signal also draws the attention of a specialized squadron of troops, some of whom have questionable abilities. As they all meet up at the observatory, who will prevail? Will they ever discover the truth of what is really out there?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
As an early 2000s Cloud Ten production, Deceived is mostly average in its production quality. the biggest detractors are the grainy video quality and poor lighting in most scenes. There are also too many cheesy special effects that are used in an attempt to be different and sci-fi. However, the sets, locations, and props seem realistic enough. Audio quality is also fine and the soundtrack is intriguing. Finally, the editing job is decent and overall rounds out an average production. It certainly could have been better, but it could have also been worse. However, there is not much we can say for the plot.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
With a cheesy sci-fi premise that’s full of technological mumbo-jumbo and empty dialogue, Deceived tries to be creative and different, yet misses the mark badly. There is far too much time wasted on petty conflicts and not enough time spent on character development. While some of the characters could be interesting, we barely get to know them in the midst information dump dialogue and monologuing. The Christian characters are too perfect while the non-Christian characters are too flawed. There are also too many spiritual elements that come off as a bizarre in an attempt to bridge the horror genre. The ending is quite confusing and seems like the writers just ran out of ideas. In the end, this is a very disappointing story that could have been interesting.
Acting Quality (1 point)
With a cast made up of semi-professionals, these cast members have their good moments, but unfortunately, the bad moments outweigh the good. There are too many overly dramatic and theatrical performances. Emotions are hard to connect with. In the end, they do not live up to their full potential.
Conclusion
The early 2000s era of Christian film had some noble attempts to bridge different genres Christian film had never bridged before, and John Patus and Cloud Ten Pictures were on the forefront of this attempt. However, for the most part, these attempts did not fulfill their fullest potential and settled for half-measures, probably because the market was so thin then. Much has happened since these films came out, but they can certainly serve as an example of how and how not to expand Christian film into unique genres. Yesterday’s disappointments can certainly be remedied in the future.
Creatures claiming to be extraterrestrials are controlling the world’s leaders by revealing information on weapons to some. The humans who know about this are either controlled by the beings or are ordered to be killed. It seems that no one stands a chance against these alien forces, but a small group of Christians claims to have to tools necessary to fight these creatures. Thus, it comes down to a battle between good and evil inside a warehouse (where else?), where all will be revealed, including some end times stuff.
Production Quality (1 point)
So another random company sets out to create a Christian sci-fi\horror film with a very limited budget. These are the most difficult genres to craft, so doing so with a limited budget makes it nearly impossible to do properly. Sets, locations, and props in this film are very cheap and limited. There is poor lighting in some of the scenes, although camera work, video quality, and audio quality are mostly okay. One of the biggest detractors in this production is the existence of ridiculous and over the top special effects that come off as very juvenile. Finally, the editing is horrible as scenes cut from one thing to the next, leaving the audience very confused as to what is happening. In short, no care was given to this production as it was just slapped together for the purpose of pushing an agenda.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Filled with heavy-handed propaganda messaging and isolating information dump dialogue, Watchers: Revelation is a real doozy. The characters are very empty and only exist to robotically download ideas and theories the writers have, which are actually quite absurd and childish. There are also a lot of conversations about things that happen off-screen as the storyline jumps all over the place with no continuity. Things just randomly happen that leaving the viewer scratching their head. On a lighter note, this plot has an interesting spiritual concept that is of course wasted and used improperly. However, this fact is not enough to overcome all of the other glaring errors here.
Acting Quality (0 points)
This film contains the most robotic acting I have ever witnessed. The overly practiced line delivery sounds like a computer is talking instead of a person. Thus, there are zero emotions and many cast members do not have a future in acting. There are also some amateurish makeup errors. Basically, this entire film is a wash.
Conclusion
It never pays to use a cheap film to push your personal propaganda. It also is a bad idea to try to make your first movie a complex idea that requires special effects and explanation of foreign ideas to the audience. Also, if you’re going to write a sci-fi plot, please make sure it’s actually a good idea and not some half-baked theory that invites unintentional comedy and mockery. Writing a story because of a theory never pays off, so please don’t continually clutter up Christian entertainment with it.
This cover has nothing whatsoever to do with the actual movie
Plot Summary
With the New World Order clamping down on all aspects of life as they know it, a group of people decide to band together against the regime and refuse to take the mark that is required to buy and sell. The evil world leader is coming down hard on people and sending out his troops to enforce the receiving of the mark even in small towns. When this small group of people, who now identify as Christians, gets word of this, they start taking in more refugees. But how long will they be able to hide, especially when the tyrant comes to town?
Production Quality (.5 point)
If you can make it through the long opening sequence of this production, you’re still in for plenty of nonsense. For starters, the video quality is fairly grainy, and camera work is quite shaky. There are also a ton of audio problems, including outside noises, weird sound effects, and an odd soundtrack. The sets and locations are fine, but they are quite limited considering the fact that this plot is trying to cover international issues. Finally, there is far too much wasted time in this film, thus demonstrating a lack of sufficient editing. In short, this is a highly disappointing production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
New World Order: The End Has Come is just another typical apocalyptic plot with a predictable setup and progression. However, there is hardly any true apocalyptic content as vague concepts are lazily tossed around and toyed with while still being confined to basically one neighborhood. There are also unnecessary time jumps that are made up for with obvious information dump dialogue that talks about all kinds of off-screen content. Sometimes things happen with no real explanation, and there is lot of juvenile forced drama and cheesy conflicts. Finally, the characters seem very fake and exhibit ridiculous dialogue. In short, there is really no reason for this plot to exist because it has nothing to offer.
Acting Quality (0 points)
As usual for this type of film, which is unfortunately all too common, this cast is very amateurish. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with using amateur cast members, like all actors and actresses, they need coaching, which is clearly not present in New World Order. Lines and emotions are very forceful and awkward, while some cast members are overly theatrical and sometimes even bizarre. Basically, this is just another mess.
Conclusion
With all the horrid apocalyptic films that have already been made, we don’t need another one, yet they are still being made! It used to be that apocalyptic was the different genre in Christian entertainment, but now it’s become its own caricature. Until somebody can actually create an engaging and professionally done apocalyptic film, there needs to be a moratorium on this genre. The biggest reason for this is that some non-Christians may watch these types of movies more than other Christian films, and if they do, what will they see? More often than not, they’ll see another laughable disaster.
Matt, Scott, and Jess are college buddies just trying to work for the Lord in the oppressive world around them. The atheists seem to have all the fun—they even have their own philosophy club (not God’s Club). Scott decides to challenge them to a debate when he discovers a groundbreaking paper written by a former student decades before that could upend everyone’s worldview. It tells of how the end of the world will come and though no one believes him at first, that’s about to change somehow.
Production Quality (.5 point)
As a late 90’s production, End of the Harvest is very underwhelming. While camera work is okay, the video quality is very grainy and audio quality is less than inspiring, including weird sound effects. The soundtrack is loud and annoying. The sets are severely limited and cheap-looking. There is also no editing present as the entire story is presented at face value, with useless panning and zooming sequences. Essentially, with such low quality, there is little justification for this film being made, except for the fact that the Christianos needed an outlet to push their odd agenda.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
The first half of this film depicts characters sitting around talking about what’s going to happen in the second half of the film—thus, nothing much happens except for the same old rehashed conversations over and over again. The entire movie is less than sixty minutes long, so there’s not really much of an idea at all here. The second half of the film externalizes the bizarre worldview of the Christiano brothers that is mostly ripped off from Hal Lindsey and focuses on trying to predict the end of the world based on stupid Bible ‘codes’ and loose associations. They pick random verses here and there to use to their advantage but then passive-aggressively say they don’t really know if that could be true or not. Besides the fact that these stupid ‘scare people into Christianity’ arguments and absurd Biblical insinuations will convert no one, the characters are juvenile and the portrayal of atheists is embarrassing. This is the kind of garbage that makes people (including professing Christians) roll their eyes about the term ‘Christian movies’.
Acting Quality (0 points)
As this film utilizes the typical lineup of David A. R. White, Kevin Downes, Brad Heller, and Lance Zitron, the acting quality is as good as can be expected. They seem like they are barely trying as their line delivery is rambled, slurred, and generally incoherent. Emotions are inconsistent and random. With such a small cast, there’s really nothing good to say here.
Conclusion
As previously mentioned, there is no point in this film except pushing an agenda that is basically propaganda. This view of the end of the world is ridiculous and indefensible. It adds nothing to what should be the mission of Christian entertainment and only further detracts from it. The problem is that movies like this one are not from just some random, fly-by-night movie creators. The Christiano brothers are regarded as pillars in the field, for some reason. It won’t be easy to change this image of Christian film, but hopefully it is happening sooner than later.
Yeah, this picture pretty much explains this movie
Plot Summary
A whole bunch of Americans were minding their own business when BOOOOM! New York City blew up in an atomic holocaust! The lives of who knows how many random people are all impacted in various ways as they watch their televisions and listen to their blaring radios in the midst of having other conversations and posting stuff online (and dusting). Through split screens, you can see multiple subplots happening at once to save time! Will all these virtually unknowable characters be able to find the meaning in life after the off-screen explosion threatens to destroy their very lives (and Israel)?
Production Quality (-3 points)
What. In. The. World. Did. We. Just. Watch. Seriously, there is nothing since Final: The Rapture or Saving Christmas that is remotely comparable to the disaster that is My Refuge. There are so many things going on at once in this movie that I have no idea where to start and I doubt I’ll be able to cover it all. Besides the fact that it looks like it was made on Windows Movie Maker and recorded a flip phone camera, what’s with all the split screens?!? Why do we need multiple views of the same scene at once? We can’t handle watching three subplots all play out at the same time, combined with the loud, clunky soundtrack and news reports! We can’t hear what people are saying when a news report is blaring in the background. Also, the cuts and transitions of this film rival that of Mercy Rule. Sets and locations are severely limited to people’s houses and cars. In the end, there is too much bad here to fit into one review, but the bottom line is that this disaster should have never been made.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-3 points)
Why are we expected to keep up with so many characters? At minimum, there are the characters we have identified: a newscaster trying to come to grips with the nuclear event (radiation levels are very high), a generic family whose father went to New York City for business and was never heard from again (we’re not sure if the family is ever seen again either), a young couple who is expecting their first child, a woman who works at a nondescript office who wants to spend more time with her daughter and more time writing, a retired police officer with a troubled past who wants to marry a single mother, a random family who wants to build a shelter and who takes in the father’s daughter from a previous marriage since her mother is incompetent (this daughter has lots of social media posts), a couple having marriage trouble (she dusts all the time and they have no real connection to the nuclear blast), a random guy who tries to OD on meds (again, no real connection to nuclear holocaust), two old lady neighbors who discuss the nuclear blast, a random pastor and some church people, and probably several others we missed. There are some loose connections between all of these, but there is absolutely no way to follow what is even happening. Continuity is in the negative range and dialogue is schizophrenic. There is literally nothing to be learned from this train wreck and it should have never even been made, not in someone’s wildest dreams.
Acting Quality (-3 points)
Need we go on? The acting is as horrible as the rest of this movie. Random outbursts, screaming, mumbled lines, forced emotions, general insanity—what else is there to say? If I were a part of this chaos, I would be embarrassed and do everything I could to keep it off of my resume.
Conclusion
When your budget is limited to $50,000, it’s never a good idea to try to portray a massive nuclear holocaust, since it mostly has to happen off-screen. Nobody wants to see a film with at least twelve subplots that is shot in people’s houses with the cheapest equipment possible and with the most annoying soundtrack possible and that is edited by a schizophrenic. There’s no winning here and no possible hope for improvement. Basically, if you want to see how bad this one is, you have to see it for yourself.
Everything else has happened in this series, so let’s throw Mr. T in here too
Plot Summary
As the ONE has tightened its grip on the world, Christianity is outlawed and everyone must take the Mark of world leader Franco Macalousso, or they will be arrested and possibly executed. The world must worship Macalousso or be doomed. But when the world leader feels that excitement about hating Christians is wearing thin, he decides to stage a televised trial for infamous Christian Helen Hannah to get people interested again. Enigmatic defense lawyer Mitch Kendrick is recruited to ‘defend’ her, even though it’s all staged. But no one knows that Mitch is searching for the truth himself—will he be able to find it?
Production Quality (1 point)
As this stupid series finally grinds to a halt, we can say affirmatively that production quality barely changed throughout it. While camera work and video quality have improved in this final installment, nothing else has. The audio quality is inconsistent and the soundtrack is quite loud at times. Sets, locations, and props, in an attempt to look ‘futuristic’, only come off as cheesy. Finally, like the rest of the series, editing is quite poor. On the bright side, there’s no more product placements, but it’s unacceptable to have a series this long with such bad production quality.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Was there really a justification for a fourth installment in this series that doesn’t include anything about the subplots that were supposedly continued at the end of Tribulation? Helen Hannah remains to be the central Christian character of the series for some reason, but otherwise we are introduced to even more characters we’ve never seen before, including Mr. T. The same ridiculous concepts this series has always pushed are present in this final film as well, but this time transposed on top of a staged legal battle. Dialogue does nothing for character development as a lot of time the is filled exploring vague and isolating concepts. It seems like the writers are constantly inventing ways to kill time without actually helping us to get to know all these characters they shove at us. Finally, though the end is slightly interesting and has some potential, it cuts off with an abrupt transition to the nonexistent fifth film they obviously wanted to make. Thankfully, their funding was finally cut.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
As Corbin Bernsen and Mr. T join this crowded cast, things really do not improve. There are too many over the top emotions and shouting sequences. There is some potential with line delivery, and this cast seems professional on the surface, but it’s just not good enough. This is another disappointing effort.
Conclusion
Well, it’s finally over. What did we learn? When you can’t even create an average production, don’t make four movies. When you don’t have any plot or character development to speak of, don’t make four movies. When you can’t focus on a central story or character arc in your series and instead constantly come up with new characters and subplots with each installment, don’t make four movies. When you cast all kinds of ‘big names’ but don’t bother to coach them, don’t make four movies. Are you seeing a theme here? The Apocalypse series is just another blight on Christian film and will hopefully be forgotten one day, but at least we can learn something from it…I hope…
Tom Canboro doesn’t believe in God or the supernatural, but his sister does and insists that he should before it’s too late. However, one day, his brother-in-law begins to go insane, along with other people around the world. Then Tom falls into a coma and wakes up to an entirely different world. Everyone is following a world leader and receiving his required mark. Will Tom turn to God before it’s too late?
Production Quality (1 point)
Not much about production changes throughout this agonizing series. Though video quality has finally improved, the film is filled with unwatchable and dizzying action scenes. Audio quality is fine, but the soundtrack is cheesy. Sets and locations are somewhat limited and there is some poor lighting in certain scenes. In keeping with the theme of this series, Tribulation is full of more product placements from Jack Van Impe, John Hagee, and even T. D. Jakes for some reason. Finally, the editing is all over the place and causes a confusing plot development. In short, though tiny improvements are being made, it’s just not enough.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
This installment is perhaps the most bizarre and sensational as it includes a lot of horror and creepy spiritual elements. There are a lot of strange and bizarre sequences of violence, including sensationalized demonic activity. The occult is portrayed in a childish manner yet there is still an obsession with the satanic. All of this is combined with the forceful and ridiculous apocalyptic worldview that is being propagated in the midst of this madness. The storyline is very incoherent as it jumps all over the place and fills time with information dump dialogue. Most of the characters, especially the antichrist, are extreme strawmen and really have no potential. In short, it feels like this movie was only made for the sensational appeal rather than anything meaningful, and it’s still horrible.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
In keeping with the theme of sensationalism, emotions are over the top and obnoxious. Line delivery is mostly forced. While there are some good factors, this cast seems overall disingenuous, especially when one finds out that a handful of these cast members didn’t even know they were in a Christian movie when they agreed to this lunacy. I guess they should have known that a movie this bad would be labeled as Christian.
Conclusion
Besides everything else, how does this installment fit into the series? There are some connecting elements, but this ridiculous series as a whole really has no continuity or sense whatsoever. If PureFlix had been named as a contributor to this mess, I would have believed it. Constantly pushing TV preacher talking points and products transposed on top of a C-grade horror film is only a recipe for disaster. Once again, scaring people into Christianity is a failing strategy and only serves to feed someone’s obsession with the sensational. But don’t worry, there’s only one more of these…
After the Rapture rocks the world and leaves millions of people searching for answers as to what happened, agent Thorold Stone is left searching for his family and wondering why the entire world has suddenly turned against Christians. The world is also following the bidding of a rising world leader who promises peace to all if the Christians are eliminated. With chaos ensuing around him, will Stone be able to find the truth he needs?
Production Quality (.5 point)
The second installment of this unfortunate series is much like the first. There is barely any difference in the production quality of Caught in the Eye of the Storm and Revelation. Camera work is still shaky and video quality is still blurry. Special effects are very cheap and out of place. Audio quality is average, but the soundtrack is loud and annoying. There is some improvement with the sets, locations, and props, however. But this film is still replete with Jack Van Impe product placements. The editing is also poor. In short, while there is some slight improvement here, it’s not significant.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
The Apocalypse series is very thin on plot content and heavy on agenda-pushing. Much of this film is dedicated to sequences of cheesy and stereotypical sitting around talking with robotic dialogue that is designed to force the plot along. There’s also a lot of technological mumbo jumbo lingo and a weird obsession with virtual reality devices. The plot has a predictable apocalyptic\suspense progression and is based on lots of coincidences. Also, it’s worth nothing that it’s extremely hard to follow the cast of characters that is supposed to be portrayed in this so-called series. In the grand scheme of things, it’s still difficult to find a justification for this series.
Acting Quality (0 points)
Made in 1999, this cast is far too theatrical. Jeff Fahey is always a head-scratching cast, since he basically whispers all the time. Emotions are either flat or overblown and line delivery is stiff. Unfortunately, nothing good to say here.
Conclusion
Once again I ask, who’s going to watch this movie? It has nothing going for it whatsoever. There is no plot and certainly no notable production quality. The casting is horrible. Most Christians are and should be offended by this nonsense. Once again, the world is laughing. This kind of junk reaches no one and only adds to the caricature of Christian film. But wait…there’s still more of these…
Helen Hannah and Bronson Pearl are two of the world’s top new reporters, but they are about to experience a breaking story like never before—the Rapture has come to the world and everyone left behind is left wondering what happened. As the world descends into violence and chaos, everyone looks to a new world leader to answer their problems. But at the same time, this leader turns everyone against those who hold the true hope for humanity—namely, the Christians. Will Pearl and Hannah find the truth before it’s too late?
Production Quality (0 points)
As a production created in 1998, there really isn’t a lot good to say here. Yet the fact that it was made in this year doesn’t mean it has to be this bad. Video quality is cheap and camera work is maddening with constant zooming. Sets, locations, and props are limited and cheesy. Audio quality is poor with a loud and annoying soundtrack. Many scenes have poor lighting and look like they were recorded in a closet. Besides all this, the film is just one giant advertisement for Jack Van Impe, but it’s not even presented well. With production this bad, nobody’s going to watch this.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
I’m sure there is a good message in here somewhere, but with Van Impe propaganda constantly being shoved down your throat and with this plot being so bad, it’s hard to find. All typical apocalyptic concepts are conveniently inserted and forced into the story in obvious ways as Van Impe finds a way to shove every single one of his beliefs into the plot. With this going on, there is no real plot as a majority of the story is told through childish news reports. Character development is non-existent, since dialogue is stunted as the pot rushes along quickly to hit the apocalyptic high points. Unfortunately, there is really nothing good to say here.
Acting Quality (0 points)
To fit with the rest of the film, this acting is very awkward and amateurish. Line delivery is very measured and forced, while emotions are wooden. This cast seemed like it had potential, but it was never found.
Conclusion
One can understand a ministry leader’s motivation to get their message and beliefs out there through means of entertainment, but this is just unacceptable. Combining extremely low quality with propaganda is one of the worst combinations you can make. While there is somewhat of a gospel presentation at the end of this film, who’s watching it? Who wants a gospel packaged in this way? As Christians, we need to move past the whole ‘scaring people with the apocalypse’ convention because it’s not working and people who need to hear the gospel are laughing at this. But wait, there’s three more of these films…
As Roxy, a college student, witnesses the slow but sure takeover of a one world government, she chronicles her thoughts, beliefs, and discoveries in a detailed journal that is eventually discovered by agents of the new world order. Shaw 408, the agent who discovers the journal, is unsure of his role in the takeover regime and finds himself intrigued by the journal’s contents. As Zurn, the leader of the new regime, tightens his grip on the world by ordering everyone to receive a microchip inserted under their skin, the world descends into chaos. Who will survive?
Production Quality (3 points)
It’s clear that the Bearfruit Films team has a commitment to high quality productions, as their effort on Rumors of Wars shows in every production element. Video and audio quality are error-free. The original soundtrack is effective and appropriate. The apocalyptic sets, locations and props are excellent. The action-based camera work, which is often difficult to execute, is done quite well. Finally, there are no obvious editing errors, thus making this a perfect production job. This is rarely found, so we greatly anticipate Bearfruit’s future work.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
Rumors of Wars is a unique brand of apocalyptic storyline that actually doesn’t bite off more than it can chew by trying to cover tons of apocalyptic high points. Instead, the story stays in a controlled atmosphere to build a good dystopian premise without jumping through time too quickly or zooming all over the world. The mixing of the past and present subplots is interesting and is done fairly well. However, this overall concept needs a little more explaining and development. The characters are most okay, but some of the villains are cheesy. Surprisingly, the antichrist character is actually different and creative. Finally, Rumors of Wars does commit a key apocalyptic error in creating a passive-aggressive this-might-be-continued-someday ending. But otherwise, there is a lot of potential here and room to grow.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Full of recognizable actors and actresses, this cast is a mixed bag. Sometimes they are over the top and other times they are very much on point. For example, this is not T. C. Stallings’ best performance, but Ben Davies is better than usual. It’s different from cast member to cast member, thus making this an overall average performance.
Conclusion
This whole idea would work so much better either as a series of films or as a miniseries. There are a lot of creative ideas and concepts hidden in here that require further development, which necessitates more time and money to do this. We hope that one day this movie concept can be continued or remade in some fashion. Regardless, Bearfruit Films has a talented team, so it will be interesting to see what they have planned next.
After the Rapture, the inevitable one world government materialized and began rounding up the Christians when they wouldn’t take the mark of the beast. Thus, Christians began to form groups in secret to protect each other from the new one world order. Former FBI agent Adam Riley, now a resistor, escapes from captivity and sets out to find the truth about the Christians in hiding. His former partner Charles Baker is also called back to serve the one world order and to search for the elusive Jacob Krause. As their paths cross once again, choices will be made that will affect them forever.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
The Awakening is a slight improvement from the first Moment After installment. Camera work is the most marked improvement, as action scenes are shot better. Sets and locations are also improved to give the film a bit more of a realistic feel. Audio quality is fine, but video quality is slightly inconsistent. Some scenes are not lit as well as others. The soundtrack is just average. However, the editing has its positive elements as the story seems to unfold. In the end, this is an average production, but something is still missing.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
The Awakening has strong comparisons to Revelation Road and could be considered its predecessor. As such, there are some intriguing elements in The Awakening, but it’s still not a very dynamic story. Slightly more effort was put into the complexity of this installment than in the first one, and there is an interesting twist near the end, but there isn’t really much else good to say here. The characters are still empty and the plot is filled with too many boring and meandering conversations. The villains are quite cheesy and the apocalyptic elements are, as usual, manufactured. Also, this film is inevitably continued into nothing, like many apocalyptic efforts after it, thus making the overall story very empty and pointless.
Acting Quality (1 point)
This acting performance is much the same as the first installment, just with an extra dose of Andrea Logan White in all her usual stiffness. David A. R. White and Kevin Downes are also their usual selves with random outbursts and fake action-guy demeanors. Brad Heller surprisingly remains sane throughout the film. Overall, this is just another below-average performance.
Conclusion
Why start a series you never intend to finish? This incident was not isolated to The Moment After series; the Whites and company repeated this again with Jerusalem Countdown, In the Blink of an Eye, and possibly The Mark series as well. The fate of Revelation Road is still unknown, but the bottom line is that if you keep starting and never finishing the same apocalyptic plots over and over again, there’s a problem. Rather than constantly flooding the market with half-ideas, how about finishing what you start and actually delivering something original for a change?
In one moment, millions disappear and in the next moment, millions are left to wonder what just happened. As the government tries to sort out the pieces, they send out FBI agents to investigate those left behind (haha). Adam Riley and Charles Baker are just the agents for the job and they soon become caught up in an intrigue involving trying to find a mysterious former Jewish rabbi who seems to have special powers. In the end, which path will they choose as the world descends into chaos?
Production Quality (1 point)
Made in the late 1990s, The Moment After 1 has considerable production deficits. Though video quality is decent and audio quality is okay throughout, there is a lot to be desired here. Sets and locations are pedestrian and action camera shots are not what they should be. The soundtrack is also very standard. There is really no editing present as the plot slogs from one thing to the next. In the end, this is just another below average production that does not live up to full standard.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Another year, another carbon-copy apocalyptic film. Likely a precursor to every unfinished PureFlix apocalyptic idea (Jerusalem Countdown, In the Blink of an Eye, and the Revelation Road series), The Moment After 1 really has nothing to offer. Empty characters, stock dialogue, and a predictable apocalyptic progression. Rapture, fallout, Christian explanations and lingo, government takeover, blah, blah, blah. This film offers nothing special and adds nothing to Christian entertainment. It’s inevitably continued and offers no real surprises as Kevin Downes and David A. R. White interview a bunch of people about stuff. Basically, if you watched any of the above mentioned films, you’ve probably seen this one.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Though Brad Heller posts a better performance than usual, David A. R. White and Kevin Downes are their usual action-here-wannabe selves. Though there are no truly embarrassing performances, there are no dynamic ones either. Line delivery and emotions are below average and don’t really inspire. Like the rest of film, this is just unimpressive.
Conclusion
Apparently there was a point in Christian film when creators thought the only action or suspense plots that could be made had to involved the Rapture and another apocalyptic lingo and concepts. The LaHaye pre-tribulation theory has been conceptualized in film too many times to count, and the The Moment After 1 simply adds to the pile. There is simply nothing interesting to note in this film and you’re definitely not missing anything.
Stone Alexander always craved power and always knew that he was meant for something bigger. As he grew up and rose through the ranks of the military, he was ruthless and unfeeling. His own family never understood him, especially his brother. The older he became, the deeper he became involved in darkness and evil. Stone quickly became a raving, power-hungry madman committed to do anything to achieve world domination. Ultimately, it comes down to the differing choices of the two brothers and how they affected humanity.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Needless to say, The Omega Code 2: Megiddo has better production than the previous installment, The Omega Code 1. Sets, locations, and props are all fairly professional and camera work has improved. Video and audio quality are also improved, and the soundtrack is intriguing. However, there are still cheesy special effects and confusing crossfades. Editing is overall okay, but there is too much useless footage that drags down the film. In the end, this is just an average production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Though it portrays an odd view of the Thousand Year Reign, this story shows an interesting side to the development of the antichrist. Thus, it jumps back in time to before the first movie ever began and works its way up to where the first film left off. However, it does fill in missing parts from The Omega Code 1, which becomes sort of a crutch to ‘fix’ the first film. Also, this filling in is not done in the best way as it relies on information dump dialogue, time jumps, and of course, over-dramatization and sensationalism. There is, as usual, an addiction to creepy and weird spiritual elements and a fixation on the demonic. This story gives tons of attention to Satan and barely any to Jesus and Christianity. Finally, similar to the first one, as this movie goes on, it gets stranger and stranger until it boils down to a very bizarre ending that leaves you scratching your head. When all is said and done, the plots of the two Omega Code films are the same—ridiculous.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Acting somewhat improves between the two films, but there are still problems here. Lines are sometimes overly practiced and emotions are often over-the-top and extreme. However, not all is bad here and there are some bright spots. In the end, this portion is also just average.
Conclusion
What was ever to be gained from The Omega Code series? Megiddo barely has any reference to the original dubious premise of printing out codes supposedly hidden in the Torah. It’s highly unlikely anybody but white evangelical Christians will ever see these disasters, but if anybody else did, they would probably find a good laugh and then forget about them. The creepy obsession with the demonic in these films does nothing but fuel sensationalism and the messaging only preaches to the choir. In short, these films are utterly useless and have no part on Christian entertainment.
Gillen Lane is a genius who has a massive following as a motivational speaker. He believes in some form of spirituality, but when he is recruited by the powerful Stone Alexander to work for his new world empire, Gillen doesn’t know what to think. Times are becoming stranger on earth, especially as someone as discovered that the Torah supposedly holds a secret code that predicts major world events. With everything spiraling out of control, is there anywhere safe to turn?
Production Quality (1 point)
For an independent production created in 1999, The Omega Code 1 is ambitious yet misguided. While it’s clear that effort was put into the international sets and locations, many other production elements fall by the wayside. Video quality and camera work are average, but audio quality is quite poor. The soundtrack is also annoying. The film is filled with cheap and obnoxious special effects, not to mention the fact that the CGI is cheesy. Finally, the editing is very choppy as the story attempts to cover too much ground at once. In short, trying to attain this level of production was not really the best idea in this situation.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
The entire premise of this film is that the Torah supposedly predicts key events through a secret code of moving letters around or something, and this plot device is used to move the plot along. However, this convention isn’t even necessary as the plot does plenty of jumping all over the place without needing printouts from a primitive computer to aid it. The plot actually focuses more on the inner workings of the antichrist, who is a highly cheesy and sometimes wacky character. There is no plot continuity as time speeds forward at a breakneck pace in an attempt to cover the entire traditional evangelical Tribulation period in the span of 100 minutes. No, seriously, it goes from Rapture to Second Coming in less than two hours. What’s more is that TBN inserts its typical obsession with spiritual sensationalism into the story, which causes things to get weirder and weirder as it progresses. By the time it’s all over, the audience has either abandoned the film, is laughing at the attempts to portray demonic activity, or is extremely confused as to what they just experienced. In short, there was little to no justification for this film being made.
Acting Quality (0 points)
A majority of this acting is bizarre and overly dramatic, which shows more TBN influence. Emotions are sensational and line delivery is lazy. There are also some inconsistent accents that make it clear several cast members are trying (and failing) to fake them. Unfortunately, there is really not much good to say here.
Conclusion
I would have liked to hear the rational behind the creation of this disaster. Was it similar to Timothy Chey, who wanted to “scare people into being saved” with that horrid thing called Final: The Rapture? Or was it just a sales pitch to try to sell sensationalism to white evangelical Christians who all talk to each other about how the end of the world is near? Whether it was juvenile evangelism or preaching to the choir, The Omega Code 1 is a train wreck from start to finish. But guess what! There’s still a sequel to watch!
In one instant, millions around the globe disappear, leaving everyone else to wonder what just happened. Four friends find that all they have in the world is each other as they embark into the wilderness to search for one of their own. As they journey into the new landscape, they are forced to take refuge at a survivalist compound that seem safe on the outside, but is it really all it appears to be? In this new world, can anyone be trusted?
Production Quality (2 points)
EchoLight has always had a commitment to quality productions, but in Vanished, the quality slips slightly. Video quality, audio quality, and camera work are all professional except for some dizzying action shots. The soundtrack is pretty good but is sometimes used to fill time. Sets and locations are on par. However, there are some cheap-looking special effects, as well as weird ‘dramatic’ sound effects. There are also too many bouts of silence and too much slow-mo. Finally, there is tons of wasted time as this film is designed to set up for the inevitable next one. In short, EchoLight knows how to make an above-average production, but with Vanished, one has to wonder if it was worth it.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
After an opening sequence that dumps all kinds of information on the audience, things start happening at a rapid pace for the first twenty minutes before you can even catch your breath. After throwing a bunch of random characters together and trying to force you to get to know them too quickly, the plot soars off on a predictable apocalyptic progression that’s been done before and tries to hurriedly construct an isolating dystopian premise. Then when everything is set, things slow way down to let you be immersed in a half-hearted teenage love triangle. As previously mentioned, there’s not enough dialogue as one-dimensional characters wander around and make apocalyptic references and things happen because they need to. The entire storyline is based on coincidences and trumped up conflict as time progresses vaguely towards a cheesy climax and uninspiring end that is supposed to make you want another movie, but fails epicly. In short, there is little justification for this movie being made.
Acting Quality (2 points)
While it’s clear that this film was professionally cast and the cast members therein know what they’re doing, there’s still a handful of problems. Some emotions are too forceful and some line delivery is half-hearted. It also goes without saying that there is little chance the mainstream actors and actresses used in Vanished will come back for a supposed sequel.
Conclusion
Do we really need to re-hash this same old apocalyptic plot sequence over and over again? How many more times do we need to repackage and reboot the same worn out Left Behind concepts and characters? This time, it’s clear the creators were pandering to young adult audiences. Maybe it’s time to stop constantly trying to redo Left Behind, because this movie would have been better if it had just created its own dystopian premise and abandoned Left Behind altogether. Had the survivalist concept been expanded and the apocalyptic landscape been made a little more creative and mysterious and less copied, we could be looking at the start of a truly great saga. But instead we are left wondering what could have been.
In an instant, millions disappear in what Christians call the Rapture. This leaves the planet in total chaos and unrest. The lives of four people are followed as they experience the fallout from this cataclysmic event. A rich football player in America wrestles with the fact that his wife has disappeared. An atheist professor finds himself stranded on a deserted island after his plane crashes. A girl from Argentina cannot remember what happened to her as she tries to piece the events of her life back together. A businessman from Tokyo wonders if his Christian friends were right about the end of the world. They will all have to struggle to survive in this new world.
Production Quality (-1 points)
It’s hard to remember the last time we saw a production this annoyingly horrible. For starters, the camera work and video quality are medieval, like the whole thing was recorded on a flip phone. The audio quality is perhaps the worst we have ever heard, from a loud soundtrack, to audio constantly cutting in and out, to distorted screeching dialogue, and to incessant background noises and cheap sound effects. The sets, locations, and props are very amateurish and cheap-looking. Finally, whoever edited this disaster should have quit to save their reputation since they had virtually nothing to work with. The film is very choppy and jumps all over the place, sometimes recycled old footage and sometimes using black and white footage randomly. The viewer is constantly reminded of the location and time through subtitles since there is no other way to understand what’s going on. In short, this is likely one of the worst productions in the all-time history of film making.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
The plot can do nothing to redeem this trainwreck, since there is very little real content to speak of. Filled with obvious dialogue and stiff, robotic characters, the storyline has zero continuity as random subplots jump all over the place and meander aimlessly. The characters are either obnoxious strawmen or cultural stereotypes. There are many bizarre asides, moments of unintentional comedy, and random things that just happen. Also, as expected, Final copies the typical apocalyptic plot progression but makes it their own by zooming through it at breakneck speed before crashing with a nonsensical end that is somehow supposed to be continued. In other words, this is Left Behind 2014 on steroids (or is it actually the other way around?).
Acting Quality (-1 points)
As these amateur cast members screech, squeal, and scream their way through this disarray, they either come off as lackluster or singsong. They are generally very obnoxious and over the top, obviously lacking coaching as they forcefully deliver their lines and emotions. We are unsure who is to blame for their ear-piercing delivery—the audio quality or the cast members themselves. Any way you cut it, it’s a mess.
Conclusion
With such low quality everything, what possessed the creators to make this garbage? Did they really think that they were going to make more of these, as this is presumably the first in an obligatory unfinished apocalyptic series? This is hands-down one of the most absurdly low quality films of all time, to the point that it should have been made it through post-production. The entirety of this wreckage should have been scrapped and never used again. It’s things like this film that drive us crazy.
With Nicolae Carpathia increasing his grip on international politics, President Fitzgerald of the United States is highly skeptical of the United Nations leader. The President’s suspicions are only raised when his vice president is killed in a sudden car bomb. He also receives an anonymous tip about secret plans that threaten to overturn the delicate balance of the world. Elsewhere, the Tribulation Force continues to seek converts and spread the gospel as the world becomes darker and darker. When an unexpected evil strikes the planet, they must dig deep in their faith and band together under the banner of Christianity.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
After two previous productions failed even though they had money behind them, this creative team finally put the money where their mouth was and spent it correctly on World at War. The camera work and video quality are excellent. Props have a major upgrade and appear very realistic. This movie finally lives up to its international intrigue expectations by providing wide ranging sets and locations to the viewers. It also delivers on this franchise’s previous claims of action entertainment by pulling off action scenes very well, including professional use of special effects. Watching this movie actually makes you feel like you’re watching an apocalyptic film with international ramifications. The only complaints to bring up here are some minor editing issues. Otherwise, this is a production to be proud of for once.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
World at War is actually an engaging apocalyptic plot that holds the attention, which is an unfortunately rare find in Christian film. Subplots built up from the two previous installments are used very well, and even though this storyline departs greatly from the novels, it is still enjoyable. New subplots are complex and hold the viewer’s attention until the end. The dialogue is finally well-constructed and the characters are finally believable. The apocalyptic concepts and surroundings are finally realistic and highly possible in the real world. Although there are some unnecessary elements, there are not a few suspenseful twists that make this an apocalyptic plot to be proud of. Finally, World at War packs perhaps the most epic action ending in Christian film to date, putting many other action film attempts to shame. Yet two things derail this movie from being Hall of Fame: the lack of buildup from previous films and the lack of continuation. The writers set us up with an engaging franchise reboot, if you will, yet did not deliver with a follow-up. What happens next? We may never know. But for now, this is one of the most applaudable Christian action films on the market.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Acting also greatly improves in this installment not only because of improved coaching but also because of better additional cast members. Once again, Kirk Cameron posts one of his best (probably his last) acting performances. Line delivery is effective, but sometimes emotions are over the top. In the end, there are only minor errors here.
Conclusion
It’s so frustrating to watch films that barely miss the Hall of Fame because of the potential they did not live up to. World at War had everything going for it—except for better predecessors and a real follow-up. If the franchise was going to be dropped here, it would have been better for World at War to either stand alone as a separate apocalyptic film outside of the series or for the absurd Left Behind reboot of recent to become the fourth movie rather than just a rehashing of the first installment. It’s unfortunate, but it’s unlikely World at War will be remade for a myriad of reasons. But it can at least serve as a testament to what can be done in Christian film if proper money and effort are applied. We need many more films like this one on the market.
With the world still reeling from the Rapture, those left behind who became Christians band together to form what they call a Tribulation Force to stand against the forces of evil. Their leader, Bruce, encourages each of them to not hide from the new evil world but to find a way to reach other for Christ in it. Rayford struggles with a decision to pilot the plane of Nicolae Carpathia, the suspected antichrist. Buck Williams chases down a story regarding a messianic prophecy expert and two mysterious men at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. In the strange new world they live in, they also discover everyday struggles and the realization that following Jesus is no longer easy.
Production Quality (.5 point)
The second installment of the original Left Behind series is a low point. While video quality and camera work are okay, there are a host of other production errors. Special effects are cheesy, especially when it comes to action scenes. Many scenes have very poor lighting. The sets and locations are pretty good, but they are littered with cheap looking props. The soundtrack is pedestrian. Furthermore, the editing is very sub-par and fails to cut down quite a few long and drawn out scenes that drain the viewer’s attention span. Essentially, not much effort was put into this creation.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Once again, for an apocalyptic thriller, there’s not much apocalyptic or thrilling about Tribulation Force. The film takes a very melancholy tone, choosing to spend time on silly conflicts like lover’s spats and peripheral character issues. There is little central focus as the plot meanders from job decisions to church services to turning the church into a hospital to chasing leads in the Middle East. There is also not enough suspense or plot twists as the monotone dialogue centers on theological discussions and information dumps. There are attempts at twists and psychological\spiritual elements, but they fall flat. There are too many one-dimensional characters that are juggled and we can’t really get to know any of them. Like its predecessor, Tribulation Force just gets ready for the inevitable next film without giving the viewer any reason to watch it except for the book series popularity. The actual end of the plot is quite cheesy and non-suspenseful. In short, if you missed this film, you didn’t miss much.
Acting Quality (1 point)
At least they returned all the same cast members. I hate it when movie franchises try to change out actors and actresses and pretend you didn’t notice. There is slight improvement among this cast and Kirk Cameron delivers arguably one of his best career acting performances. My how time has flown. This cast could have actually been great with better coaching. Alas, what could have been.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, John Patus and company elected to follow the standard Hollywood path of bringing a popular book franchise to the big screen and relied on the series’ popularity to carry it. There is little reason for this film to even exist except for the fact that it needed to for the series to continue. If you skipped to the third film, you didn’t miss anything in this one. This is the central problem to movie sagas: each one needs to be a good movie by itself without the other ones holding it up. There are few who have gotten this right.
In an instant, millions vanish all around the world, causing the planet to descend into chaos as planes go down, cars drive into buildings, and unrest erupts everywhere. Pilot Rayford Steele finds nearly half of his plane’s manifest (haha) missing. Reporter Buck Williams is on the flight at the time and believes it has something to do with the vast globalist conspiracy he has uncovered. As order dissipates around the globe and as many theories are posited as to what happened to those who disappeared, those still remaining look for a world leader who can bring global peace to the chaos.
Production Quality (1 point)
As a late 90s\early 2000s production, the original Left Behind film has many of the marks of this era of filmmaking. Opening credits sequences were common back then, but they weren’t ever justified. The video quality and camera work are fairly well produced. However, action scenes are not filmed or produced very well and include poorly crafted CGI and other special effects. Kirk Cameron provides some slight yet unwanted narration throughout the film. Elsewhere, location subtitles from JAG are awkwardly inserted and the soundtrack is cheap. Finally, the editing is pretty good, but as will be discussed next, there is too much content to cover and not enough continuity. In short, this ‘classic’ Christian film has some good quality, but not enough.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Based on the blockbuster apocalyptic fiction series by popular authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the original Left Behind film is not without its plot errors. The premise is trumped up, lacking a touch of realism, but this may get a pass since it was based on the international politics of 15+ years ago. The movie is focused on big world-changing issues, but they come off as simplistic and not groundbreaking enough. The creators perhaps took on more than they could handle as many subplots are juggled throughout. While it’s commendable for this early film to take on a new genre in Christian film (apocalyptic), the plot lacks the intrigue necessary to make it great. For example, there are too many slow and melodramatic scenes—the storyline is anti-climactic and contains to many convenient occurrences. The dialogue is full of information dumps that overemphasize apocalyptic elements. This builds empty characters that are swept along by the plot and are thrown together for no particular reason. On a positive note, the climax scene at the end is slightly interesting and well-crafted. But overall, this first installment spends too much time getting ready for the next film and not enough time building the characters and a realistic apocalyptic landscape.
Acting Quality (0 points)
Apocalyptic action movies require dynamic acting, but this cast lacks this quality. Line delivery is stiff and not engaging. Emotions are overdone and too dramatic. Kirk Cameron is a better actor than he is of late, but that’s not saying much. In short, there’s not enough positive here.
Conclusion
This was definitely a groundbreaking Christian film that brought a popular Christian novel series to the big screen. It was a hit, since the Christian market was starved for quality. However, this does not mean it was a great film. It had a lot of good ideas behind it, but not enough quality to back them up. They had an amazing budget for the time, but it seems like it was mostly squandered. Needless to say, the old is just marginally better than the new.
After jumping out of that plane to save their lives, Chad and Dao find themselves on the run for their lives in Thailand as they try to remove the secret chip from Chad’s arm while being pursued by agents of an all-powerful rising world leader. The Rapture has occurred, leaving the world mired in chaos. As they try to grapple with the God of the Bible, Chad and Dao find themselves involved in multiple international conspiracies, including a human trafficking scheme that involves Dao’s sister and Chad’s former employers. As they fight for survival, who will prevail in this brave new world?
Production Quality (.5 point)
In keeping with the usual poor PureFlix production mode, clear video quality is all that can be found here that is remotely positive. Anything else related to camera work is dizzying and annoying. Much of the footage is recycled, both flashback footage and non-flashback footage, which demonstrates extreme laziness. Other scenes of the film are extremely long and drawn out, trying to delay the inevitable to build up some kind of fake suspense. Action sequences are over the top and poorly executed. The use of special effects and sound effects is very amateurish and obnoxious. For such a big plot, the sets and locations are quite limited and the surroundings are almost entirely confined to Thailand, PureFlix’s favorite international location. There is little to no editing—I’m convinced that the production team just went with what they had from filming. Basically, The Mark 2 is same song, different verse for PureFlix.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Picking up where The Mark left us hanging, The Mark 2 is the most slow to development suspense plot ever. Inevitable confrontations between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters are painfully dragged out over a ninety-minute runtime full of coincidences, convenient plot devices, information dump dialogue, stupid action scenes, and scenes of characters sitting around or pacing around and talking. There is basically no purpose to this plot as John Patus once again shoves his apocalyptic opinions down our throats in the most awkward fashion possible. Multiple scenes appear to be directly copied from the original Left Behind series, which is no surprise with Patus involved. Only this time, the antichrist character is borderline unbearable and sports the fakest European accent possible. In the middle of the film, a cheesy Christian message is shoehorned in, along with a random human trafficking subplot that tries to improve the runtime. The mark of the beast concept, though slightly interesting, is only toyed with in the film and never seems complete. In the end, as the characters tell us through narration what we’re supposed to learn, it is unclear whether or not the story is to continue—obviously not, since there’s no Mark 3, but what were they really expecting? Did they actually have any ideas beyond the Rapture? Basically, we learned nothing from this plot, thus making it completely useless.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
This typical C-grade PureFlix cast is complete with fake accents, lame attempts at diversity, racial stereotypes, and Eric Roberts. Multiple cast members appear to have no place in the film, opting to pace around and talk about important things. Other cast members appear to take themselves too seriously and try to be as serious as you can be in a PureFlix action plot. At least not all of the acting is bad, but across the board, line delivery and emotions are very poor. But what else is new?
Conclusion
Why are so many PureFlix action plots at least partially set in Thailand? Also, if we are to endure so many apocalyptic Christian films on the market, can’t we at least see one that doesn’t involve the alleged ‘Rapture’ in some fashion? Haven’t we seen that enough from the original Left Behind series, that horrible new Left Behind, the first Mark film, The Remaining, Jerusalem Countdown, In the Blink of an Eye, the Revelation Road series (with the exception of The Black Rider), Six: The Mark Unleashed, etc.? With the money spent on this film and every other wasted apocalyptic film, you would think that it could have been saved for a truly groundbreaking Christian action\adventure or suspense movie that would have made a difference in the culture. But instead, we are left with a littered collection of could-haves and cut-rate productions.
In a film market far, far away, before the birth of PureFlix Productions, David A. R. White, Kevin Downes, and Stephen Baldwin (with a cameo from ‘Logan White’) all teamed up to create an apocalyptic film to remember. This movie was unlike any other and focused on the hard-hitting topic of…the daily ins and outs of a futuristic men’s prison? Caught in the grip a dictatorial international government and threatened with death in three weeks if they don’t take the Mark of the Beast, the men of the prison are…allowed to walk around however they please and write Bible stuff on the walls? Busted for smuggling illegal stuff like painkillers and old movies to Eric Roberts and for stealing a pizza, Downes and White are forced to spend their three weeks in a cheesy looking set with a group of Christian prisoners who draw Christian-themed stuff on the walls of the prison without punishment. Will they ever escape or will they be forced to take the Mark?
Production Quality (0 points)
Watching Six: The Mark Unleashed is a surreal experience. We can’t even believe this thing exists. Everything about it feels like one big joke. The fingerprints of Downes and White are all over this one, from the cheesy sets to the poor camera work to the bad lighting. They went so overboard trying to look futuristic that it comes off as a Star Trek knockoff. Are we really supposed to believe that the future of the world is peppered with Star Trek wardrobes and buildings? What’s more, there is no coherent thought to the editing, as a vast majority of the ‘plot’ takes place in a giant concrete box billed as a prison. Any other elements are completely isolating, as will be discussed next. In short, this is nothing short of a production disaster, one that should have never been funded.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
As Downes and White bumble their way through this ‘plot’, many characters are introduced and then quickly discarded with no explanation. Vague concepts are constantly referred to that isolate the audience. After being arrested and spending tons of time in the prison reading stuff off of darkly lit walls and talking to mysteriously creepy Baldwin, Downes and White employ absurd tactics to escape the freakishly bald Brad Heller, such as hacking using Tommy Blaze keyboard gymnastics and calling on an enigmatic figure to help them get to ‘the walled city’. But never fear, for Brad Heller’s ‘spiritual bloodhounds’ are quick on their tails. Do you get the picture of how ridiculous this ‘plot’ is? By the end of the movie, there are more questions than answers. What’s the deal with that one prisoner who sometimes acts as a double agent? What ever happened to Eric Roberts’ smuggling business? How did the people in the tent city escape the dictatorial rule? Who’s Rahab and where did she come from and why do we care? Why is Brad Heller wearing so much eye makeup? Yet in the wake of all of this, the prologue and the epilogue of the film actually demonstrate a stroke of creative genius; they are likely the reason why this horrifying mess was even made in the first place. It’s just too bad that they get lost in the swamp of nonsense. In short, it is extremely unclear what type of message is supposed to be conveyed in this film, as the plot is very disjointed and schizophrenic. Stuff like this makes you wonder how White and Downes ever made it anywhere in filmmaking.
Acting Quality (0 points)
It’s no surprise that the acting of this film is just ridiculous. Emotions are extremely awkward and too many cast members are trying to be mysterious action heroes. No coaching is employed as line delivery is forced and disingenuous. Some lines are horribly slurred and annunciation is inconsistent. Basically, no effort was put into acting, just like the rest of the movie.
Conclusion
Is any movie viewer supposed to take this film seriously? It’s so absurd and out of touch that I would be embarrassed to recommend it to someone or even admit that it is supposed to be a Christian film. What is gained from this level of immaturity? Are we supposed to applaud the effort lest we be condemned for persecuting Christians or for not standing with ‘our own’? Are Christian films allowed to be however poor quality they wish yet still be promoted in Christian circles? We say no. The line must be drawn somewhere. Someone must hold filmmakers who claim the name of Christ to a higher standard if we ever expect to impact the field for Him. Otherwise, we’re just talking to ourselves about the good things we do and making money off of it while the world looks on in disgust and\or confusion.
Two years after the Rapture, the enigmatic Josh McManus has a mission to do good and to right wrongs, even when it seems like evil is winning. His latest mission takes him to a strict and legalistic settlement that tolerates no crime in order to gain medical attention for an injured girl. In exchange for both of their lives, Josh must carry out a dangerous mission: search for a mysterious and troublemaking vagrant known as the Shepherd and bring him back so the settlement leader, Drake, can exchange him to his superiors for more life saving supplies. In route to searching for the Shepherd, Josh and his unwanted tagalong, Sofia, must battle multiple villains and come to grips with what they truly believe about Jesus and His plan for the world.
Production Quality (2 points)
Despite previous production struggles, Bradley Dorsey and Gabriel Sabloff have greatly improved this franchise. The camera work improves dramatically in The Black Rider, as does the sound quality. The surroundings and sets are innovative and creative. Gone are ridiculous special effects, including that weird lightning! This would have been a stellar production were in not for a collection of small issues—no doubt White influences. For example, the CGI that is used is very amateurish. Action scenes are overall not produced well, and there are too many of them, which is an editing problem. The scope of the plot is so vast that precious time does not need to be wasted on silly fight scenes. Yet these such portions squeezed out the deepening of plot creativity. Nonetheless, this is the type of production that Pureflix has been trying to stab in the dark for years.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
The abysmal non-plot of The Beginning of the End seems like a distant memory after viewing The Black Rider. There is a unique psychological edge to this plot and creative concepts that give the film deeper meaning beyond car chases and gunfights. An entire new cast of characters is introduced, and it actually works. A new world is introduced two years after The Sea of Glass and Fire, and it’s better than before. But this new world is a double-edged sword—it’s too big for the scope of this film. If more of this world had been explained in The Sea of Glass and Fire, we would have a framework to understand, but this did not happen. Foreign plot devices such as the ominous ULC are forced upon viewers without explanation. However, the city-state government system works well in this apocalyptic setting and gives the movie that epic backdrop David A. R. White has been searching for. Moreover, there are other speculative concepts that are introduced and not fully explained. Yet the gospel message is philosophically communicated far better than ever before in a Pureflix movie, and all without forcing the message down the audience’s throats. There is unfortunately still wasted time on childish fighting scenes. The escapades of Josh McManus, a surprisingly good character, border on unrealistic and sometimes coincidental. Some of the many villains in this movie are laughable, while others are believable. Each character is crafted through mostly effective dialogue. The ending of this plot is also a double-edged sword: it both introduces a key psychological element and confuses the audience. It both isolates the viewer and makes them want more. Any further discussion is beyond the scope of this review, but the bottom line is Dorsey and Sabloff really have something going here, something that needs to be continued.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Hands down, The Black Rider is David A. R. White’s best acting work to date. Bradley Dorsey also contributes an excellent role to the film, perhaps his best. Unfortunately, there is still some cheesy acting from certain cast members. Kevin Sorbo in a thrift store disaster getup and sporting a fake insert-ethnicity-here accent is just too much to bear. Action acting is still B-grade. Other small issues plague an otherwise great casting job, such as that dumb sheet the Shepherd wears. Otherwise, costuming is fairly responsible. Line delivery is sometimes effective and sometimes forced. Emotions are mostly believable. In short, everything about this film is give and take: for every cheesy element, there is an excellent element, and vice versa.
Conclusion
The Revelation Road saga is a cinematic freak of nature—a film franchise with a redemption arc of its own that closely mirrors the rise of Josh McManus, the surprising crowning achievement of David A. R. White’s acting career. Nonetheless, The Black Rider is a constant tug of war between the C-grade action of The Beginning of the End and the psychological creativity of The Sea of Glass and Fire. The third installment suffers from the wasted time of the first two installments, where this time could have been used to build a better backstory instead of shoving in all into one movie, intending to fix a broken series in one stroke. But The Black Rider is proof that broken sagas can be fixed. Therefore, we are surprisingly anticipating the release of Revelation Road 4.
After witnessing the Rapture, Josh McManus sets out on the road trip of his life to discover the whereabouts of his family, whom he is unable to contact. But making the trek back won’t be easy with a crazed biker gang on his tail, bent on revenge for how he stole their pride. Josh is joined by Beth, whose grandparents were taken in the Rapture. As they travel across the desert, navigating the strange new world they live in, Josh will have to come to grips with who he really is and what he has done in the past. Not only him, but Hawg will also have to reconcile with the person he has become. On a collision course, Josh and Hawg will both have to determine how they are going to change who they are.
Production Quality (1 point)
Believe it or not, production quality improves from the first series installment to the second. Video quality remains the same, but sound quality also improves. Special effects are used more responsibly. The weird lightning is still there, but it’s a step in the right direction. The camera work is strange at times, but not nearly as bad as the first film. The editing is still a work in progress, but there seems to be more effort put into this installment. Overall, that’s the story of Revelation Road 2—the thought is there, but the execution is only half there.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
The Beginning of the End was obviously driving to something, as that non-plot continually delayed the inevitable next film. Thankfully, that something was actually worth waiting for. Who knew that Pureflix would begin using flashbacks to develop characters? Since when do the Whites and company create character backstories? Stranger things do happen, and they happened in The Sea of Glass and Fire (whatever that title’s supposed to mean). The core idea behind Josh’s character is very innovative, and seemingly beyond the reaches of the Pureflix creative realm. Even Hawg is turned into a somewhat believable villain through flashbacks. And Cat…oh wait, never mind. But pitfalls still exist in this film—mindless violence rivals B-grade Hollywood action flicks and time fillers litter the plot. Dialogue is better in the flashbacks than in the present plot. The ending inevitably leads to another film, but we have to wonder if this is really necessary at this point. Overall, this plot is a huge step in the right direction, but there is still work to be done.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Mostly due to the flashbacks, the acting slightly improves from the previous movie. This is probably the best David A. R. White, Andrea Logan White, and Brian Bosworth will get when it comes to action acting. Line delivery and emotional delivery are blasé, making this an overall underwhelming cast performance. But hey, they got one point!
Conclusion
Revelation Road 2 is one of the rare Pureflix movies that really had something, but never found it. The overarching idea behind the series, if you ignore the strange eschatology, is very creative and breaks genre barriers in Christian film. Yet under all of this is a sad storyline, and this is the fact that four points is a monumental accomplishment for this creative team. The Sea of Glass and Fire stands as an example of how good even this crew can be when they put their minds to it, but it also makes us hunger for more. Unfortunately, that more is probably not going to happen, if history is any indication. Basically, if this idea were put into the hands of another team, it would have been Hall of Fame and beyond.
Josh McManus is a confused man. As a traveling self-defense product salesman, he is used to meeting new people on a daily basis, but he is not comfortable with the secret man inside of him. While travelling across the western America desert, strange things start to happen. Pursued by mysterious biker villains and plagued by weather anomalies and electrical failures, he is finally forced to face off with his pursuers. Hawg is a troubled biker gang leader with an agenda to take over random small towns in the western United States. His disgruntled mentality tends to cause discontent in his gang, but they ride on, bent on destroying the mysterious Josh McManus. All of the characters involved must not only come to grips with who they are, but with the strangely changing world around them.
Production Quality (.5 point)
Where to begin? Let’s start with the positive. The only reason this film’s production is not zero points is because there is at least clear video quality. Otherwise, there is nothing good to discuss. The camera work is obnoxious, with random dizzying cuts and zooms for faux-dramatic effect. To ‘enhance’ action sequences, the camera jerks all around, getting weirdly close to important characters. While we’re on the topic of action scenes, they are either very poorly executed or far too long, eating up huge chunks of the movie’s runtime. Watching a David A. R. White action scene is usually dizzying, and Revelation Road is no exception. Speaking of dizzying, the sheer overuse of special effects in this movie makes us wonder if it’s safe for epileptic viewers to watch. Topping things of, the soundtrack is deplorable. Therefore, as you can see, this is another horrific Pureflix production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
With this movie packed so chock full with useless action sequences that add nothing to its overall purpose, whatever that is, actual plot depth is squeezed out of the picture. The intended plot can be summed up in a nutshell: random guy drives to a random desert town to sell self-defense gear (does anybody really do that?) and gets caught in the middle of a store holdup, uses secret military training to defeat mindless biker villains, hangs out with the store owner and his family, observe strange weather anomalies with eccentric local policemen, calls his worried wife about stuff, plays vigilante with local deadbeats, and observes a strange ‘rapture’ from a local motel. Elsewhere, we are shown the life and times of a bizarre desert biker gang led by a grunting leader and his sidekick, plus Andrea Logan White in a makeup disaster. No character development occurs as the ‘plot’ jumps from one explosion and gunfight to the next. Dialogue has a typical cheesy, off-the-wall Pureflix feel. We are unsure what is trying to be communicated here except for another offbeat Christian apocalyptic concept. This movie might as well be a commercial for the next one, as it delays the viewers any real substance for over ninety wasted minutes. Finally, the ending is extremely confusing and isolating. In short, Revelation Road is the story of the White action films: toss out convention and common sense and exchange it for cheaply constructed action sequences.
Acting Quality (0 points)
What more is there to say that hasn’t already been said? With the same old Pureflix actors and actresses recycled in the Revelation Road saga, their acting skills do not improve. When a collection of cast members is kept in such a bubble, there is no reason for them to improve when there is no constructive criticism or filter. Through this film, emotions are forced and unbelievable. Action scenes are sloppily acted and line delivery is lazy. Unfortunately, there is nothing unique or surprising from this cast.
Conclusion
We promise we are really not out on some kind of Pureflix warpath, but when a company so consistently generates such low quality and bizarre content in the name of Christianity, they must be called out. Revelation Road may be the pinnacle of the Whites’ action movie career. It involves every possible element of a C-grade action flick. With creations like this, only two conclusions can be determined: either Pureflix does not know how to make a good movie or they do not care to make a good movie. Apocalyptic movies are usually bad enough, but this motorcycle madness takes things to a whole new level. The end result is just another ridiculous Pureflix creation.
Nuclear weapons have been smuggled into America, and FBI agent Shane Daughtry and his team have been ordered to find them before they are detonated. They must reluctantly collaborate with an old weapons dealer, a corrupt CIA director, and an ex-Muslim spy in order to find the dangerous contraband before America and Israel are blown off the map. Little do they know is that their true hope lies in a Jewish researcher who has come by valuable information about his mysterious next door neighbor.
Production Quality (.5 point)
The good video quality is the only positive element to mention. Otherwise, this movie is barely watchable. The cheap action scenes are unbearable and poorly executed. The camera angles are below par and the musical score is what one can expect from such a film as this. The editing is as maddening as the jumpy action sequences. CGI and special effects are very C-grade. Nothing can compare with the incessant John Hagee product placements as the audience is spoon-fed his controversial views on eschatology and international politics. Unfortunately, the negativity doesn’t end here.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
It doesn’t really seem like David A. R. White and company really did any research on the inner workings of government organizations or the true nature of terrorists when they were planning this movie. The way that the plot unfolds is so unrealistic that it feels like a comic book. Leaps in logic and plot holes litter the landscape. The ways that the characters proceed forward with ‘leads’ is absurd. Searching the internet for ‘Iran Shipping Ltd’ and then snooping around in a house they own to see whether or not they have nuclear weapons probably takes the cake, but it’s not to be topped by a librarian assisting FBI agents in a confidential case. Every character is a ridiculous caricature and not believable. The only consolation is that this is an apocalyptic plot that doesn’t take place on an airplane, but that’s not saying much.
Acting Quality (0 points)
We are convinced that PureFlix believes that if you have enough action scenes in a movie, you don’t need to coach the actors. Such is the case in Jerusalem Countdown. The delivery of lines is lackadaisical and emotions are lackluster. So-called interrogation scenes are forced and awkward. In short, there is little to nothing good to say about this film.
Conclusion
Is this movie supposed to have a sequel? We certainly hope not, but ending the movie the way it does suggests that this film was only created to push John Hagee’s unusual worldview. Movies in the action adventure, suspense, and apocalyptic genres can be used to reach audiences outside of the church, but when films like Jerusalem Countdown crowd out the field and water it down. The next time an unbeliever hears about a Christian action film, they may only think of movies like this one and roll their eyes, as we do. We implore Christian film-makers everywhere to learn from the mistakes of movies such as this one and not repeat them.
Chad Turner, a former criminal, has been chosen to be a human prototype for a biometric computer chip some call the Mark of the Beast. After the chip is inserted into his skin, Chad becomes a different person, more powerful than before. But he soon finds himself on the run from a powerful world leader, Joseph Pike, who seeks to take the chip and use it for his own means: world domination. Chad takes a businessman, Cooper, hostage and convinces him to assist him in keeping the chip away from Pike. But they suddenly find themselves trapped on a place in the middle of a global catastrophic some refer to as the Rapture. With multiple assailants after them, Turner and Cooper must navigate the uncertain waters and avoid death at all costs.
Production Quality (.5 point)
Beyond a clear video quality, there is little to be excited about in The Mark when it comes to production. The movie is filled with poorly constructed action scenes, wild explosions, and maddening gun-wielding chases. Not much effort was put into sets and locations, as a majority of the film takes place on a plane, which brings to mind many other apocalyptic movies. The editing is passable, but there is little true content to deal with. The musical score is a stock action soundtrack. Basically, this type of movie is been there, done that.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
In this possible sequel to In the Blink of an Eye, several potentially interesting characters are thrown together on a transatlantic flight to discuss the world’s political scene and to escape from the antichrist’s henchman. John Patus has used this plot before and used it again after this movie. With the chip in his skin, Turner is basically an invincible character, not that plot devices like this have stopped action protagonists from being invincible before. With mind-numbing action sequences, there is little to no actual plot in The Mark. Character development and meaningful dialogue are traded for firing guns and yes—crawling around inside of a plane’s engine area while it’s in flight. While Turner and Cooper could have been interesting flawed ‘heroes’ with agendas of their own, they were not. The antichrist character is unbearably cheesy. The bottom line is that the apocalyptic stuck-on-a-place plot has been done before and needs to be put to rest once and for all.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
This particular PureFlix cast is not extremely cheesy, but they are just not that great. In the wake of cheap action, emotions are discarded and line delivery is reduced to monologuing and pontificating. Where there was potential in the actors and actresses, it is not harnessed.
Conclusion
Centering a plot around a character that has been forcibly given an artist’s conception of the Mark of the Beast is not entirely a bad idea. Such an idea has the possibility to breach new genres and reach different audiences than usual. However, movies like The Mark only cause the apocalyptic genre to become further viewed as cheesy and not worth anyone’s time. As it stands, Christian apocalyptic movies mostly are not worth your time. No matter where you land on eschatology, movies like The Mark are pointless and empty.
David, a detective, stumbles into the vacation of his life when he saves a famous pop star from a hostage situation. David and his wife Lori, along with David’s partner Larry and his wife Sussette, are invited by the pop star’s boyfriend to spend a lavish weekend with them on their private yacht in the waters of Mexico. But David quickly sense that something is not quite right with the pop star and her boyfriend. Yet before he can do anything about it, strange things start happening. Passengers begin disappearing and David keeps waking up to the same day repeating over and over and over again. No matter what happens, the day repeats over again and David is the only one who can remember anything about the repeats. In order to solve the mystery of his life, he must face the faith he has been running from all his life.
Production Quality (1 point)
For starters, In the Blink of an Eye has pretty good video and sound quality. However, that is all that can be said. The film also contains odd camera angles and confusing editing—this may be due to the odd plot structure, but it is difficult to understand the flow of the movie. There are also plenty of unnecessary scenes that appear to just fill time. In addition to this, the movie has limited and cheap sets and costumes, like they spent most of the money on the expensive yacht, cars, and jet skis. There is also bad makeup work on most of the characters and cheesy apocalyptic special effects. To make matters worse, John Hagee product placements litter the dialogue. In short, there is little to be positive about here.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
This plot has basically no potential. The premise is very trumped up and most of the plot is filler—nothing dynamic or interesting. There is plenty of out of place and awkward dialogue; some of the lines seem impromptu. Thus, the few characters within are mindless and empty. This sort of plot concept, a day repeating over and over again, has been done before and is almost worn out at this point. To top things off, the entire plot, including the confusing end, is based on bad theology regarding knowing the exact hour of the Rapture’s occurrence, which is directly contrary to the Scripture verse used at the end of the movie.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
It is commendable to cast David A. R. and Andrea Logan White together as husband and wife, but it is not worth it if they are not going to be coached properly. Most of the lines are forced, and since the cast is so small, they carry the entire movie on their shoulders. Instead of helping the movie, most of the actors are very poor casting choices, exhibiting overdone emotions and unrealistic actions. There are really only one or two good actors.
Conclusion
There is nothing wrong with expanding the Christian film genres into action adventure and psychological thriller, but In the Blink of an Eye misses the mark. The repeating day plot is overused and is rarely justifiable, especially in the fashion that this movie uses it. Employing such a small cast and limited sets in exchange for using expensive vehicles suggests an air of vanity. Our advice for the Whites is that they listen to constructive criticism in order to improve their film quality, because they certainly have the potential and resources to do so.
Jack, Dan, and Allison are excited to be a part of the special day for their friends Tommy and Skylar, who are marrying each other. Dan looks forward to capturing the day with his camera. However, the wedding reception is interrupted by an unexplainable cataclysmic event—thousands around the world are turning up suddenly dead. As if this was not enough, natural disasters begin occurring one after another, driving the five friends to seek shelter along with millions of others as darkness descends on the planet. They must come to grips with the Christian beliefs they have long been ignoring in order to survive the chaos.
Production Quality (0 points)
This is intended to be a found footage production, but the movie does not stick with found footage for the entire duration, even though multiple characters are shown filming with various devices. In conjunction with this, the camera work is expectedly shaky, probably to add some kind of sensational feel. Since this is supposed to be a horror movie, there are also obligatory cheesy jump scares, cheap dark action, and poor special effects. Multiple scenes have constant flashing lights or piercing noises, making for a cringing watch. In addition, there are multiple scenes that repeat over again due to characters watching the footage they have already recorded. In summary, the production is C-grade; do not watch if you have epilepsy or dizziness problems, because this movie will not be kind to you.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
What is the plot? The Remaining falls in line with many apocalyptic action and horror movies that discard the plot and exchange it for sensationalism. There is no driving purpose except for trumped up drama. There too many characters, and they are all empty, neglected in a quest to attempt to entertain young audiences, we are guessing. The dialogue is stock and forced, like it was added just because the characters had to say something. The Biblical elements of the movie are juxtaposed on top of an overdone horror concept. No matter where you stand on end-times prophecy, the succession of the judgments is sped up to suit this movie’s runtime. Furthermore, the end of the movie is extremely perplexing, like they just ran out of ideas.
Acting Quality (0 points)
The acting is cheesy and amateurish. Most of the time, the actors are either trying too hard or not trying at all. Horror acting is already bad enough, and this cast took it to a whole new level. We feel that even coaching would not have helped because of this movie’s clear lack of direction.
Conclusion
The Remaining feels like a group of college students got together and wanted to make a horror movie. When they were rejected by mainstream producers, they decided to slap a Christian message on it and hope it stuck. Why this movie was distributed is beyond Box Office Revolution. It should have been stripped of its funding early in the production process. It will forever be remembered as one of those cheesy Christian apocalypse films that never made any real impact.
All Rayford Steele really cares about is his job as a pilot. He’s disillusioned with his family due to his wife’s Christian faith and due to his daughter’s growing absence. That’s why he’s buried himself in his work, overlooking the fact that both his wife and his daughter desperately want to see him again, as does his son. After briefly reuniting with his daughter, Ray’s job once again takes in a different direction. Chloe Steele returns home only to conflict with her mother over Christianity. But before any of them can reconcile, a global tragedy rocks their worlds. Before long, they realize that their lives will never be the same and they must grapple with the bigger questions they have been ignoring all along.
Production Quality (1 point)
The production of this Left Behind redo is the only remotely positive element. However, the only good aspect of the production is the semi-decent camera work, including average angles and video quality. However, the movie is also replete with cheap action sequences and poor special effects. The soundtrack is a stock suspense score. The editing is confusing, cutting in and out of scenes for no particular reason. There are also a number of stupid jump scares that give the movie a very odd feel. Unfortunately, the weirdness doesn’t end there.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Where to start? The dialogue is among the worst, ranging from Christian clichés to action-adventure clichés to isolating technical lingo. Thus, the characters are either bland or unbearable. Also, there are a number of unnecessary characters that only seem to fill time in the already too-long story. Besides all of this, there is unsolicited profanity and suggestive content throughout. Overall, the plot line is aimless as it jumps from one trumped up action scene to the next and fills the rest in with wasted time, just trying to set up for a sequel. There is no driving point as the movie drags on, making the viewer want to get to the end as quickly as possible.
Addendum: With John Patus involved in both movies, this new version of Left Behind is basically the same plot as The Mark.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
A word of advice: never cast Nicolas Cage for an action movie. Some of the other actors are not awful, but overall, the delivery of lines is vanilla and unconvincing. Jordin Sparks is a decent actor and deserves a second chance. Moreover, there wasn’t much to work with, but the acting just gives the movie an overall B-grade feel.
Conclusion
The creators of this new Left Behind won a court battle with Tim LaHaye over using his concepts in a different way. Box Office Revolution has to wonder why they couldn’t just create their own characters, but we can affirmatively say that winning the copyright way did not pay off. This movie was really not worth making in any sense. The creators now blame everything on ‘Hollywood taking away the Christian message.’ BOR holds that this is not the whole truth. All that has been proven in this movie is that independent Christian films, except for the few exceptions, continue to contribute to their negative reputation by rolling out more and more unnecessary movies. A word of advice: if you don’t have the budget for and\or a lot of constructive critical feedback on your movie, then don’t make it.
Box Office Revolution 