Customer Reviews

The Apocalypse

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Set in 90 AD, this film gives us insight into the lives of Christians who lived under the domination of Roman rule. Emperor Domitian (played with ample dementia by Bruce Payne) is in power, and his goal is to kill every living Christian who does not denounce God and give allegiance to Domitian alone, who has claimed himself god over all things.
The imagery in this film is fantastic; Giovanni Galasso's cinematography is full of rich color, and a feast for the eyes; there are portions that are like liquid works of art, and I never tire of watching them, in fact, several viewings are needed to fully appreciate the creative magic of the photography. The brilliance of the palette reminds me of the heyday of Technicolor, with its opulent reds, greens and blues.

The great Richard Harris is the apostle John, and it is one of his last appearances on film. Harris, who was so terrific starring in the cable television Bible Series production of "Abraham" in 1994, has less to do in this film, but with his weathered face and fabulous voice is wonderful. The attractive cast that surrounds him is excellent, with Vittoria Belvedere, Benjamin Sadler and Ian Duncan in the leads. Christian Kohlund is also impressive as Quintus Maximus.
The lavish sets and authentic looking costumes lend credibility to a film that is largely about John's visions, and are a good contrast to the "New heaven and new earth" of the beautiful, light-filled revelations given to the apostle.

Kudos to director Raffaele Mertes who directs with the eye of an artist (he was cinematographer for seven of the other Bible Series productions and director for "Esther"), and another great talent from the same series of films is the award-winning composer Monsignor Marco Frisina, who for this production was also Biblical Consultant, as well as giving us an atmospheric, lovely soundtrack.
Total running time is 96 minutes, for this marvelous telling of the apostle John's final days on the island of Patmos.

I really liked this movie because it shows what the believers who received the book of Revelation were going through when the messages and visions of Revelation were given to them. These believers try to maintain their faith in Christ when Emperor Domitian proclaims himself to be God and gives an ultimatum for Christians to worship him or die. The believers in Ephesus send one of their female members to seek out John (played by Richard Harris) at the island of Patmos to receive messages from God and to bring them back to the church. John receives several visions which comfort the believers. You will see truncated visions from the book of Revelation (the Lamb opening the scroll, the seven seals, the great multitude, the seven trumpet blasts, and the woman fleeing from the dragon), with a little bit of explanation thrown with it.

Don't expect a full-blown picture of the Apocalypse, but for what it is, a historical fictionalized account of what the believers were going through when Revelation is written to them, it is really good. Richard Harris does a great job of portraying the apostle John. If you like Richard Harris, you'll also enjoy his portrayal of Abraham in the Bible collection series (which this movie is a part of). It is comforting, thought-provoking, and faithful for the most part to the Bible.

Words cannot describe my loss for words behind watching the late Richard Harris's portrayal of the Apostle John in the APocalypse. Considering that John is my favorite Disciple/Apostle and New Testament writer, and considering the fact that there are not many films out there that have attempted to portray life in 90 A.D. for Christians under the rule of the Emperor Domitian,during John's exile on Patmos and his writing of the Revelation(the only other such work is St. John in Exile, a live, one-man performance by Dean Martin), to visualize for the 1st time what I've only been able to read for years in the Bible and other historic accounts took my breath away. As far as the details are concerned, I'll only say ditto to the most recent online reviews and will go on to say that it's the 1st movie since the Passion to have me in tears from start to finish as Richard Harris, in my opinion, captured the Apostle's character, zeal, and passion for Christ. A masterpiece and a superb companion to the Passion of the Christ and/or the Gospel of John.

Folks, The Apocalypse is a retelling of the book of Revelation as received by the Apostle John, produced by Italian Radio TV. It is a very Catholic movie, as most of the consultants were Catholic and at least one Orthodox and it shows. But it is not blatantly Catholic, so basically any Christian will enjoy watching the movie.

You all know Richard Harris. His filmography is quite extensive and includes The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Bible (1966) titled The Bible... In the Beginning (in USA) & La Bibbia (in Italy), A Man Called Horse (1970), and two Harry Potter movies. The Apocalypse is his last movie and he delivers a powerful performance as John the Apostle. There's something about his raspy voice, which sounds old yet vital, imbued with authority and compassion that moves the viewer to listen carefully. All his actions seemed to very deliberate but not forced, very natural, without conceit. What an actor!

Actors Vittoria Belvedere and Benjamin Sadler play "Irene" and "Valerius" respectively, in a supporting role. Theirs is the "mandatory love affair" that we often see in these kinds of movie, but I assure that this affair is not vulgar, nor does it eclipse the plot. Irene had met the Apostle John when she was younger and now she's sent by the Bishop of Ephesus to track the Apostle in order to ensure the authenticity of the Apocalypse. Valerius is a Roman officer whose parents were Christians, having been adopted by a Roman general. He infiltrates the Ephesian Church, his mission being to locate the Apostle John, but he has second thoughts and...well, watch the movie.

The movie's strong points lie on its special effects. They carry the story well, without overwhelming it. John tells the story, and you see what he sees. Although the director-Rafaelle Mertes-threaded some current events into the movie to illustrate its prophetic aspects-including scenes from 9-11 to picture "war"-he does it without forcing the biblical text into modern fulfillments. What the director achieves is a correspondence of ideas. This is no "rapture" movie a la Left Behind..

The Apocalypse is a part of the The Bible Collection produced by Italian Radio-Television. This is the kind of movie that we must support. I hope you watch it

I was disappointed in how little of the book of REVELATION is in this film. They only have about 15 minutes of Revelation sprinkled throughout the film, usually just John witnessing events beginning in Heaven, up in the clouds.

Once you get past the disappointment of anemic scriptural content, then you can still enjoy the acting and sets. The actor playing John is SUPERB and has the classic look that you would expect of an elderly apostle.

This film DOES do a good job of showing the audience what the life of John the Apostle could (?) have looked like during his final years in prison, where he wrote the book of REVELATION.

They introduce a small group of faithful followers who surround John, even in prison, and a Roman spy sent to find out who is still out there "turning the world upside-down," so to speak, by continuing to write scripture for the early scattered churches in different cities.

THE APOCALYPSE does a good job of showing the era and living conditions, and the main actors are all likeable, but there is too much NON-scriptural story content, when I would have prefered 90 minutes of a dramatized telling from the actual Bible book of Revelation.

This movie is okay, but there are much better Bible films on DVD to be had for the money. Try THE BIBLE COLLECTION DVDs from TNT that are now out on DVD, such as JOSEPH and JACOB, and also look for THE BIBLE SERIES BOX SET, with DVD movies about ESTHER, JEREMIAH, and SOLOMON, instead of THE APOCALYPSE.

Great movie, loyal to the events that happened to the first Christians, to the book of Revelations and how St. John might have received those visions from God and great messages for us all. Well casted and directed movie. Highly recommended.

"The Apocalypse" was one of Richard Harris' last films in his brilliant career. Harris plays the Apostle John, the last surviving witness of the Passion of Jesus Christ. In the year 90 A.D., John is now living in exile on the island of Patmos. The Roman Emperor Domitian declares himself to be God and issues an ultimatum to all Christians living within the Empire: They must renounce their true God and worship Domitian, or die. During this time, John begins to have the Apocalyptic visions which become the basis for the Bible's book of Revelation. Harris turns in a great performance as John during the last years of his life. He is also backed by a fine supporting cast which includes Vittoria Belvedere, Benjamin Sadler, Erol Sander, Ian Duncan and Christian Kohlund. "The Apocalypse" gives us an interesting look at the Apostle John toward the end of his life, and an equally interesting look at the kind of persecution the early Christians went through. This is a great movie, which I would recommend for Christians and non-Christians alike.

To be honest, I'm not a devout church goer or any of that, though I do believe in God and a higher power... Now that that is out of the way, I really enjoyed this film, what a blissful feeling it leaves you with at its end! Richard Harris plays the Apostle John in his last days, when he wrote "Revelations." Any Christian faith will appreciate this excellent film! I can't recall all of the actors, but noticed some who have been in very noticeable films and the acting was for the most part very spectacular... To me and a lot of you out there, "Revelations" is very interesting and mysterious at the same time and this film really does it justice; throughout the movie you see John's revelations as he sees them (in the movie) and they have done a great job here. This film would make the Apostle John proud and Jesus (God), very well put together. I'd like to see more movies like this, all of the cliche' Hollywood jive gets old and sometimes leaves you blue, but not this film, I reccomend this film 110 percent! Hope you all enjoy it and all the best...

TNT hit a home run with their BIBLE COLLECTION, based exclusively on the Old Testament. This was their first attempt at a New Testament book, the Revelation of John. That is a tough one to attempt the first time out but I can imagine while it would be appealing. There is much imagery that would be a natural for the screen. This film, however, falls short of that.

The early church is facing a time of persectution. That is the official policy of the Roman Empire. People of faith are worried and are encouraged on receiving letters from John, one of the original 12 disciples. John himself is in hiding, in a Roman prison. The story is one of keeping the faith in the face of sever hardships.

The film takes some liberties but they seem reasonable. It is not as tight an effort as the OT film but it is respectable. One can learn from it but do not expect any great joy.

Movies are true to bible scripture, A+++ acting, moves your heart emotionally and captures your attention through out the entire length of the movie.