The Omega Code

Plot synopsis:
In Jerusalem, a rabbi named Rostenburg is using software he designed to decode seventy eschatological prophecies hidden within the Torah. Rostenburg has handwritten each one in a journal, to be entered into the program for deciphering. The program deciphers a prophecy which says that he is about to die; immediately, he tears the page containing the final code from his journal, hiding it in his shirt pocket. He is then shot and killed by an assassin, who takes his journal and the optical disc containing the decoding program. After the assassin leaves, two mysterious men (later revealed to be two prophets) retrieve the journal page Rostenburg had hidden.
Television reporter and talk show host Cassandra Barris (Catherine Oxenberg) introduces Dr. Gillen Lane (Casper Van Dien) as her show's guest. Lane is a popular author and charismatic motivational speaker who explains that codes hidden in the Old Testament describe events past, present, and future; he sees no contradiction between this belief and his dismissal of religious faith.
Media mogul and European Union Chairman Stone Alexander (Michael York) receives a humanitarian award in Rome for having all but eliminated world hunger through advances in nutritional technology. There, we see that the man who killed Rostenburg and stole his decoding software is Alexander's apprentice, Dominic (Michael Ironside). Dr. Lane is in attendance, seeking to meet with Alexander "to discuss some ideas." Cassandra, employed by one of Alexander's television networks, is also in attendance, providing Lane brief conversation after Alexander spurns him. Some time afterward, however, Alexander sees a prophecy (deciphered with Rostenberg's program) that leads him to ask Lane to become his Minister of Information.
Using each prophecy Rostenburg's program deciphers to guide him, Alexander works toward world domination by whatever means he deems necessary, including secretly arranging for the bombings of Muslim and Jewish holy sites in Israel. Reporting from Jerusalem, Cassandra is caught up in one of the blasts. The two prophets from Rostenburg's study take her from the rubble, telling her that they have "a message for [her] to carry". Alexander goes on to use the sites' rebuilding to help forge a groundbreaking Middle East peace treaty. Not long thereafter, most national governments agree to join a ten-state "World Union", of which Alexander is chairman. Lane finds fulfillment in his new position, though he regrets not being able to be with his estranged wife and young daughter.
Cassandra delivers to Lane a warning that the prophets gave her, though he is skeptical. Nevertheless, the warning leads Lane to discover the decoding facility where Alexander's staff uses Rostenburg's program. No one else is in the facility at the time, but Lane sees that the program is running, and leafs through printouts of previously deciphered codes. Seeing Lane on a surveillance feed, Alexander and Dominic go to confront him. A disillusioned Lane accuses Alexander of "following the code like a script," and being behind the Israeli bombings. Confessing to Lane's charges, Alexander asks him to be "my spokesman for this new world, my visionary, my prophet." Believing himself to be the only rightful aspirant to the position, Dominic pulls his gun on Lane, who flees. Firing repeatedly at Lane, Dominic inadvertently shoots Alexander in the head, mortally wounding him. Dominic immediately alerts security, claiming that Lane shot Alexander and fled. Lane escapes Alexander's compound, but becomes the target of a worldwide manhunt. Alexander is pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Lane runs into a sympathetic Cassandra, who agrees to smuggle him onto a network jet so that he can return to his family in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Satan enters Alexander's body in the hospital, causing his head wound to heal miraculously and the World Union chairman to rise from the dead. Seven of the ten World Union leaders agree that Alexander will be appointed "Chancellor of the United World" in a ceremony to be held at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, coincident with the reopening of Solomon's Temple. In Los Angeles, it becomes clear that Lane cannot be safely reunited with his family, which is under heavy surveillance. He and Cassandra end up flying back to Jerusalem, where the prophets give him the page of Rostenburg's journal containing the final code. Immediately thereafter, Cassandra pulls a gun on Lane, demanding the code and revealing that she is loyal to Alexander.
At the ceremony in Jerusalem, Chairman Alexander (now Chancellor Alexander) proclaims that he has become "both king and god!" The crowd is upset by this statement, with some devout Jewish and Muslim listeners denouncing him as a blasphemer. Out of the growing tumult, the two prophets appear inside the temple, identifying Alexander as the Abomination of Desolation, quoting evangelistic biblical prophecies, and predicting that they would be resurrected three days after their deaths. Alexander has Dominic kill them both, and put them on display as an example of what happens to those who oppose him. He leaves for his compound in Rome, as Dominic relays word to him that "the Israelis and several others are seceding." Alexander plots a massive military action, including a nuclear strike.
Alexander meets Cassandra, who gives him the final code; when he examines the writing, it evaporates from the page supernaturally. Alexander accuses her of conspiring with Lane (who is being detained on-site). The two of them go to Lane's holding cell, where Dominic violently interrogates him as to the whereabouts of the final code. Lane is truly ignorant of its whereabouts, causing the interrogation to reach an impasse. Lane is left alone in his cell. In his solitude, demons swirl around him, tormenting him; Lane prays, "God ... Jesus, save me." Immediately, the demons are scattered, Lane's cell door opens, and he exits. Meanwhile, the two prophets are resurrected.
Lane, trying to find Alexander, runs into Dominic instead. Dominic is about to kill him when the two prophets supernaturally appear. They strangle Dominic without touching him, and give Lane the journal page with the final code. Lane takes Dominic's gun and confronts Alexander, who, with Cassandra at his side, is about to commence the attack. Alexander uses this as a bargaining chip to get Lane to give him the final code; Lane agrees, typing it into Rostenburg's program for deciphering. Once he does, however, Alexander reveals that he never intended to call off the attack, and now, with the final code, will begin his massive war. Just as Alexander is about to give the final authorization to attack, a blindingly brilliant and pure white light appears on the horizon, expanding like a shockwave through the entire surrounding area. As it reaches Alexander's war room, its appearance is accompanied by a strong wind. While Lane stands safely and peacefully within it, it blows through Alexander violently enough to cause Satan to fly behind him. Initially attempting to grasp onto Alexander's shoulders for stability, Satan is finally blown away, out of sight. At this point, Alexander reaches behind his ear and finds that his hand is bloodied; his head wound was restored after Satan was ejected from him, leaving him dead again.
The shockwave of light spreads to cover the entire Earth, then grows in brightness and intensity such that it causes the entire screen to remain white for a few seconds. This effect ends with a fade to the printer in Alexander's facility, the output tray of which bears a freshly-printed page with Rostenburg's final code, deciphered as follows: "0000 ... Dawn of New Millennium".

Tags: good versus evil, christian film, murder

Review:
The idea that someone would use the Bible Code to try and conquer the world is an idea that has not been utilized before, at least to my knowledge.The characters definitely could have used some refinement, as they never really are fully developed during the movie.
Overall, this is an interesting film that has good special effects, especially considering the budget it used.
The wife's lines were the most disappointing part of this film for me.I was left with some questions from a Biblical standpoint, but really, it's just a movie, and doesn't claim to be Revelation on film..
Films have a long tradition of exploiting biblical phenomena, and people have been entertained by such stories for years.
After viewing it, you will be able to walk out of every other bad movie EVER saying "at least it wasn't The Omega Code."Forget my money, I want my TIME back!.
Usually Christian films are mediocre but not the case with The Omega Code;especially when you consider the budget they worked with.Another good thing is in the end God wins and the movie ends with hope rather than despair..
Unlike other 'bad movies' like Battlefield Earth or Plan 9 from Outer Space, this mindless piece of propaganda disguised as a film fails to entertain.
The  plot is lifted directly from the popular Bible Code series of books by Michael Drosnin, although it is dumbed down substantially for the film.Unfortunately, this film lacks the wacky charm and unintentional humor of the Crouch's TBN TV productions such as "Praise the Lord".
I never expected much from soap actors like Casper Van Dien and Catherine Oxenberg but it is truly sad to see how far Michael York and Michael Ironside have fallen, that they need to appear in mediocre movies such as this..
If you enjoy movies about prophecy, end-times, or the supernatural in general, you will love this film.This movie just happens to be based on a true story..
Hollywood has long forgotten how to make a movie that can be exciting, thought provoking and interesting without foul language or extreme gore.
Hopefully Omega Code has lifted many eyebrows, and given Hollywood a wake up call that a movie can be good without being vulgar.I have seen a few reviews bashing this film, but the sites that list the negative reviews never reference the positive reviews like the ones from CNN, USA Today, The New York Times or Time.
Who knows.My son, a 13 yr old big fan of guts and gore, thought this was a good movie even without the graphic violence evident in many of today's films, and he is not an easy sell.
If it was all that bad, the numbers would not have held up!If extreme violence, sex & potty mouth is your idea of entertainment, then you probably ought to skip this film; If you are looking for a exciting drama that will give you food for thought, Omega Code should be on your 'next to see' list..
If you want intrigue with action and elements of just plain fun, then the Omega Code is your movie.
Great acting--characters with whom you can identify--highly involved, detailed plot with a beautiful mixture of the expected and unexpected--filmed on location.
I bought this movie expecting it to be some corny and cheesy rendition of what might happen in the last days but upon viewing, I was surprised to find that it was very accurate.The story line and plot were really well thought out and planned and the acting was superb..
Not only is it a poor piece of directing, writing, and filmaking altogther, it goes on to frsutrate the viewer with promises of an interesting story, leaving you unable to walk out of the movie, in hopes that at the end it will all come together to make sense.
The Omega Code can be compared to any top box office action/thriller movie.
I fault this movie on the religious side for that, because the antichrist would come like a sheep in wolves clothes, or so I would think.Still, an interesting concept that seems somewhat based in truth..
I went into this movie thinking it would be mediocre at best, especially since it starred Casper Van Dien.
The rest of the acting was good (especially Michael York and Michael Ironside), the story was compelling, and the effects were very good, especially considering that this movie's budget wasn't very large.
In a culture where "Titanic" is "the best movie ever made," it's normal that a film with such power and precision as The Omega Code would get kicked at.
I have to say that I am a Christian, but that doesn't effect my judgment on watching movies (e.g. I like Halloween, Stephen King, and other stuff that you would think a Christian wouldn't care about).
This movie may seem boring to some, but if you've ever read 'Revelations' (the back of the new testament) you'd probably be more interested in seeing how the symbolism in the Bible plays true to the realistic forms in the movie.
The movie itself has good acting, better than usual special effects, and a gripping story line placed on top of the Bible scriptures.
Beside the low rating, there should be a sign that says, 'Most of the people don't like religious movies.'.
Our local movie guru who's famous for reciting entire scenes from memory can't even picture Michael York.It's October 19th, three days after the big Omega Code debut.
I get mad every time I think about it.)Setting aside all the "religion movie" complaints, Michael York is the best reason to see Omega Code.
Even people who wouldn't get all the Biblical nods or appreciate the conversion scene should see this movie just so they can witness the power that Michael York can plug into a role.
I am a Christian and I have always thought that if a real "Hollywood" type movie could be made about the end times, then it would be very entertaining and very frightening, even if you don't believe the Bible.
The acting is very good, especially Casper Van Dien who plays his role very well, with good performances also by Michael York and Michael Ironside.
The special effects were surprisingly good, as I was expecting a low-budget film, but it surprised me with how realistic it actually was.
Loved this movie, this movie is so believable, I like the style of this film, I am a great believer in the strange and unexplainable.
Honestly, with all the hype given to dreary "films" like 'Blair Witch Project', (and the lemmings' response to it), why would you be reluctant to stay away from "Omega Code"?Scholars worldwide ARE deciphering the Bible, and there does appear to be a systematic Authorship behind the words.
This was an interesting movie about a TV guru and bible student who learns that a person whom he thinks will be the anti-Christ is rising to power.
But I do know that this movie is quite a good thriller--probably better than the Omen or like movies.
The reference to the Scriptures in this movie was perfect, and the omega code could not have been thought out better..
I spent literally hours after we left the theater apologizing for leading us so far astray.Another reviewer commented that Omega Code's premise of a numerological interpretation of the Bible is similar to that of Darren Aronofsky's "Pi." While I felt that "Pi" was ultimately unsuccessful in its treatment and plot, it is at least a watchable investigation of the idea.
I'm not a huge fan of Kevin Smith's films, but I've since rented "Dogma" and it at least presents a coherent, if convoluted plot and some interesting characters in its comically warped take on Armageddon.There have already been over a hundred commentaries for this movie, but the reason I felt compelled to write this one is that I stumbled across the entry and found that the title of the first contributor's summary is a very positive  `Accurate Biblical Drama.' I couldn't disagree more.And I'm not some high-minded cinema buff either.
The movie is ridicules and at times laughable bad and it all just leaves a pointless impression.Visually the movie looks like an average made for TV-movie, complete with some stupid cinematography and horrible looking special effects.
Poor Casper van Dien and Michael York, they try the best they can but even their efforts can't save the horrible script, awful dialogs and the even worse directing by Robert Marcarelli.
Not really van Dien's fault but more the director's I think.Only thing that saves this movie from being a complete disaster is Michael Ironside.
You know you won't like it, you won't try to understand the underlying story, and you will lose focus because this subject doesn't interest you.I have to say, given the resources available, the movie was actually quite good.
Before I get bashed for being a "bible thumper" or a "religious zealot", I want to point out that I am not affiliated with any organized religion and watched this movie with people who were Christian, agnostic, atheist, and wiccan.
Michael York turns in a top-notch performance as the AntiChrist, attempting to use hidden codes from the Bible to take over the world.
The Omega Code may not be the best movie that ever was, but it had a great message and had amazing effects for a $7.2 million dollar budget.
"Stargate").One big thing that was not even mention or shown was the Rapture (i.e. Christians are called up to Heaven during the bad 7 years of trying times on Earth.)  There was no depiction of this happening.It was an interesting movie.
I seriously don't think Casper Van Dien is a good actor, and Catherine Oxenberg as well needs some work.
However, Michael York, Michael Ironsides, and the guys that played the two Prophets did EXCEPTIONALLY well!As for the content, the only reason people are giving it bad marks is because it's a movie that caters to Christians.
The movie, based on the Book of Revelations and the controversial Bible Codes depicts the rise and fall of the Anti-Christ.
This movie is my favorite Casper Van Dien movie after me starting to be a fan of his:) I think he did an awesome job in this movie portraying a motivational speaker who was skeptical and bitter towards God, ending up to be helping the Anti Christ at first without realizing the danger he is getting into or who he is helping and the outcome of this...
Among having a great idea, a decent script (although some lines were pretty corny), The Omega Code's best asset was the wonderful acting by Michael York.
How well I remember back in 1999 when the Crouch family went into the movie producing business with this end times film, The Omega Code.
But with a network at your command The Omega Code was promoted like only a Disney film would be.
I suspect that players like Casper Van Dien, Michael York, Catherine Oxenburg and Michael Ironside probably directed themselves.
It's better than some Christian films, not as good as others..
But I was also excited, because as much as I tend to shy away from  things like the "Bible code," I could see great potential for a movie plot.
And I was  thrilled to see what was billed as a Christian movie playing in mainstream theatres to mainstream audiences, and with mainstream appeal.Unfortunately, I my suspicious side was more right than my excited side.The problems began with the story.
But those in the audience who do have such an understanding are going to have other problems: at times the movie draws more from the Book of Daniel than from Revelation, and many of the elements from Daniel which make it into the film are thought by most scholars not to reference the end-times but to reference other things, such as the destruction of the temple and the conquest of Jerusalem.
The movie (which may be film, but is certainly shot, staged, and lighted as if it were a video) is directed by an inexperienced director who told most of the performers to use exaggerated stage mannerisms, as if subtlety were impossible on the big screen.
The special effects (by the folks who brought Godzilla to "life") look as if they were airbrushed and applied with Q-tips.The idea of the movie had potential, and I look forward to future attempts by Christians to put legitimate work in theatres, but the folks who put this movie together needed to either consult with people who had more previous experience than they did, or else to first watch a couple of movie and see how they should turn out..
While I commend TBN for attempting(key word) to make a film about the end times, this movie, along with almost every other "Religious" movie out there was disappointing.
It was a good effort, but in the end it falls short.Hopefully, many peoples lives will be saved because of this film....hopefully..
Their photos on their website fail to show the ultra-tacky bright white Christmas-type light strings that line the building year-round, and the unaesthetically-scattered statues that dot the lawn, but you may understand what I mean when I say that "The Omega Code" is the cinematic equivalent of TBN's HQ.As of this writing, there are 123 comments on this movie already, so I don't need to go into great detail on what makes it so bad, but I'll cover a few highlights.
I thought the way these newscasts drained all the inherent wonder out of the subject material was a good metaphor for what the movie did as a whole to its subject matter.I could go on and on, but additionally I'll just say that the "nuclear holocaust of holiness" CGI from the end of the film was lifted straight from 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan".
Also, I can't recall another movie I did as much groaning, sighing, head-shaking, and chuckling at inappropriate times on as this one.It would have been infinitely more interesting and satisfying to watch a film consisting of nothing but author Jeffrey Satinover sitting on a stool and reading from his book (on the same topic) "Cracking The Bible Code" for two hours..
If this film represents evangelicalism's best interpretation to the book of Revelation (and for the most part it does), is it any wonder that most educated, critically thinking people avoid Christianity?
This movie is, without a doubt, one of the worst films I have ever seen.
I have seen high school films a hundred times more powerful than this, with a story.
Secret codes in the Bible, end of the world, anti-Christ...not a bad idea for a film.
As a TBN viewer and supporter, I had heard all the buzz and thought that maybe, at long last, we Christians had finally produced a quality movie on a par with secular productions.
The guy doing the killing turns out to be Dominic (Michael Ironside), who is prancing about in the most ridiculous Rabbi disguise straight out of the Halloween Costume Department of Wal-mart.After stealing the CD Rom which contains the computer program that unlocks the code, and not for one minute thinking to search the corpse, Dominic begins his escape where he is quickly confronted by two strange characters, who after showing Dominic that his pistol is no match for their "angelic" prowess, tell him to be on his way like a good little boy so he can kill a few more rabbis or priests or whoever crosses his path the wrong way.Later on we will find out that Dominic is employed by a guy named Stone Alexander (Michael York) whose goal it is to rule the world by making sure the biblical prophecies are fulfilled.
The best part of this opening sequence is that it let's us know early on that nothing in this film is going to involve logic, but at least the opening credits were finally over.We quickly zoom back to the good old U.S.A. where we meet Tony Robbins wannabe Gillen Lane (Van Dien) just as he is about to appear on an Oprah TV like show hosted by Cassandra Barashe (Catherine Oxenberg).
I've seen this movie two times actually.
How can anyone in his right mind, and with a career like Micheal york had agree to perform in a movie with a script, plot and effects like this.
It must have been a joke.I just watched it again on TV.This is not only Yorks worst movie ever.
I do have some suggestions for people who want to see good movies with christian themes.
"La Nazarin" by Bunuel is a great film in the tradition of Job and when bad things happen to good people.
Notice that all these films and directors are foreign, I guess that says something about America and Christianity.As for the Omega Code, if your idea of Church is to watch Oral Roberts on the Bible Network than you may like this one, all others are forwarned..
Caspier Van Dien of "Stormship Troopers" and Michael York star in "The Omega Code," another low-budget Christian movie, that had good potential, but for some reason didn't work.I think it's the directors.
Christian films get really bad directors.
The actors aren't great, either, but seeing that Michael York is in this film is quite an achievment, I'd think.Still, "The Omega Code" does not have enough in it to break through that "Christan movie" stereotype.
Casper Van Dien (An actor that talent forgot.) stars as Gillen Lane a man who is trying to prevent a maniac (Michael York) from using the "secret" codes of the Torah to change the world to his liking in this preachy and moronic thriller.
The WORST movie I have seen in a long time.
The WORST movie I have seen in a long time.
where did that come from?"Bottom line, if you want to watch a movie having to do with Bible codes, watch Pi, and steer as far clear of The Omega Code as you can!