16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
decent religious apocalyptic thriller, March 4, 2002
This review is from: Calling (DVD)
This is actually one of the better apocalyptic thrillers that I've recently seen. It's well written and doesn't contain many plot holes. It's almost like a modern version of some of the classic religious horror films like Rosemary's Baby or the Omen. It certainly beats out other modern attempts at apocalyptic stories, like the Omega Code, End of Days, Lost Souls, Bless the Child, the Prophecy trilogy (with Christopher Walken), or the Ninth Gate.
It's a relatively unknown cast here, as it seems to have been filmed with a mostly British cast. Laura Harris stars here in her first lead role, and she does a credible job here. Laura Harris, who resemebles a serious version of Kirsten Dunst, is probably best known for her teen alien monster role in the movie, the Faculty. Here, she gets most of the screen time, and she does pretty well in carrying the movie.
This story revolves around her character becoming pregnant under mysterious circumstances and giving birth to a baby boy. As the baby boy grows, her life slowly changes in bad ways, and a mysterious taxi driver introduces her to the ideas of the Devil and the anti-Christ. Then she begins to believe that she is the one who has given birth to the anti-Christ, and her world unravels quickly.
There are a few nice plot twists at the end that are unexpected and provide for a more satisfying story ending than your typical apocalyptic tale. Unfortunately, it is a barebones DVD with just one theatrical trailer.
This isn't a great classic tale like Rosemary's Baby, the Omen, or the Exorcist, but it is certainly better than most of the recent competition that has come out recently. Worth at least checking out as a rental.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
DAMIEN WHERE ARE YOU?, January 14, 2004
This review is from: Calling (DVD)
THE CALLING is a movie that pleasantly surprised me. Obviously it is the Omen brought into the twenty-first century. The movie is dark and foreboding, but the cinematography is lush and gorgeous. Laura Harris as the doomed Mom is convincingly baffled, shocked and devastated. Richard Lintern as the surrogate father from hell is handsomely sadistic and suave; the gorgeous Alice Krige (from Ghost Story) is appropriately sardonic and bewitching; and the little boy who plays Dylan makes Damien look like a boy scout. Throw in the gentleman who plays the mysterious Cormac and you have a cast of mysterious proportions. The movie moves well and has quite a stunning finale. It's not as good as THE OMEN but it's better than its two sequels.
A surprise winner.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you like "The Omen", give this DVD a try, July 5, 2002
This review is from: Calling (DVD)
First of all, Artisan released this title without any special features (just a theatrical trailer) and presented in Full screen and 2.0 Dolby Surround only. But the DVD surround sound is quite good and the full screen picture is fine.
The story about young woman who believe her son is the "antichrist" but no one else believe her. There is a nice plot twist at the end of the movie that I didn't see it coming. It really enhanced the level of enjoyment. This 2000 movie is far better that the 2 big budget movies with similar theme that came out in 2000 (Bless the child with Kim Basinger, and Lost souls with Winona ryder).
If you like OMen type of movie, this DVD will not disappoint you. Highly recommended.
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