The Prophecy II - 1998

Dimension Films, NEO Motion Pictures, Overseas FilmGroup

Directed by Greg Spence

Cast:

• Gabriel – Christopher Walken
• Valerie Rosales – Jennifer Beals
• Danyael – Russell Wong
• Izzy – Brittany Murphy
• Samayel – Glenn Danzig
• Joseph – Steve Hytner
• Michael - Eric Roberts

Story: Four years have passed and Lucifer is tired of Gabriel's presence in Hell and releases him to walk the earth again. Meanwhile, the angel Danyael has come to earth with a very specific mission, to create a Nephalim, a being born of a human female and an angel. Valerie Rosales, a nurse in a hospital, is driving her car when Danyael falls out of the sky in front of her. As he recovers in her hospital, they become close, and after several weeks he walks her home, and they make love. Within a week, she discovers she is pregnant. Nearly 4 months pregnant. Gabriel is on the move, wanting to eliminate the Nephalim as an abomination who might change the balance of heaven and earth and end the second war. He kills Samayel, and angel sent to watch over Valerie, and when the corpse is brought to the coroner's office, Joseph, the coroner who was a close friend of Thomas Dagget, recognizes who the body is and tries to warn Valerie about the angels and what is happening. Danyael must take Valerie to Michael, who guards the now polluted Eden with his angels, and Valerie must trust the voice of God to save her child.

Review: I'm not usually a big fan of sequels, but the continuity of story line and the introduction of some new characters keep this one fresh and intriguing. I was a little disappointed they could not get Elias Koteas back to reprise his role as Dagget, brief as that part is, but was pleasantly surprised to see Steve Hytner back in the role of Joseph, the coroner. Walken, of course, is consistent as the stars as Gabriel, and brings back a near corpse in the form of Brittany Murphy, who does a much better job in this film that others I have seen her in (In my opinion, the epitome of her career was in Uptown Girls, where she was totally upstaged by Dakota Fanning). Russell Wong is strong in his portrayal of Danyael, with the perfect balance of passion and aloofness. He cares for the human female, but realizes she is mortal, while the Nepahlim they create will not be. Jennifer Beals could have been a bit more passionate in the role, but her performance is passable and doesn't detract from the film's overall theme. Finally Eric Roberts does what he does best, let's his personality shine through, which is to say dispassionate, cold, and ambiguous. But that works here, and since the role is brief, does not detract from the plot or the action. Rated R for sexual situations, language, and graphic violence, this film is a worthy companion to the first, and if you own The Prophecy, this will make a nice addition. But as with all sequels, its a toss up. Definitely worth a viewing, but I suggest you rent it first before you buy a copy.