Parsifal it ain't... curious theology... poor harmony...

Rating: 3/10 (25 February 2005)

One of the previous reviewers titled his/her review "God awful" (sic!) Well, God must be pretty awful to allow for the stable existence of an Universe (ours) where reviews are predominantly concerned with the personal appeal of actors, where _plots_ are regularly confused with _scripts_, and where this movie gathers more than 3 million comic book fans in its opening weekend.
All the recognizable actors in this extended MTV video are flat-liners: they play themselves and thus sustain the same note. But this is not bad per se: a lot of great music is written with just a handful of notes.
The notes of Mr. Reeves, Ms. Weisz, Mr. Hounsou are loud enough but the resulting chord is irritating. What can you expect from a combo of three clichés: 'phase-shifted', 'noir while perky' and 'mysterious foreigner'?
There is no direction to seriously consider (unless one believes that absence of editing is the new hot style of directing). Special effects are uninspired: hell is a sandstorm in Arizona, demons are decomposed.
The movie benefits from Hollywood's current Kabbalistic fad: Archangel Gabriel is played by a woman but is treated like a man (being hit by Constantine, etc.), there exists an alternative Bible for the non-humans (this concept was mangled to make it click with the pseudo-Catholic 'intent' of the movie), etc. The main theological theses, (1) that of God/Devil pact of neutrality and (2) that of human actions as ontological causes of non-humans' existence are also interesting and (I dare say) Zohar-inspired but handled very poorly.
The astounding absence of Gabriel's direct spiritual access to God (in the final scene s/he threatens Satan unaware that God had withdrawn His powers from her/him) is, most likely, just a plot device, as misused as the rest of Catholic mythology.
(Parenthetically: what the heck do screenwriters have against poor old Gabe? Remember Prophecy (1995)? Why Gabriel is such a left-wing/right-wing radical? Leave the guy/girl alone!)
Longinus' Spear is completely wasted here -- see Parsifal by Syberberg to appreciate what can be done with this fascinating mythical device (if brains be used).
Was this movie a disappointment? Hardly: it proves that the end is near. Whether it is the end of Monotheism or the end of bad taste, I don't know.