Rating: Summary: Save your money... Review: I also feel ripped off after buying this DVD. The John Wu-like incessant gunplay adds nothing to this movie. And Swartzenegger takes himself way too seriously in a poor imitation of the Harrison Ford/Blade Runner role. The special effects are okay but nothing to write home about. Wait for this to come onto network tv where you will be spared the gratuitous foul language and sex scenes... and not have to waste your money to see it!
Rating: Summary: It was better the first time I saw it. Review: The first time I saw this movie was in the theaters, I liked it. Compared to the last couple of movies Mr. Schwarzenegger has been in, this is one of his better ones. I especially liked the actor who played the devil; very funny moments from him. I would even say that he stole the whole movie (he was very suave and persuasive, makes you want to go over to his side). The second time I saw it was tonight on DVD; I realized that the plot was a bit weak and it was difficult to keep it together towards the end. Also, I don't know if it is the DVD itself, but the music was louder than the people talking (which was annoying because I had to keep on raising and lowering the volume). The whole movie was also darker (as in brightness) than I remember it being in the theaters. Anyhow, for those Arnie fans, you would enjoy this movie, but it would be better to rent it or get it on VHS, it isn't worth the DVD.
Rating: Summary: "End of Days" is not good Review: "End of Days" is not good. I love big-budget action movies -- that's why I went to see "Days." I think that Arnold can put in a good performance; his range isn't the male equivelent to Meryl Streep's, but as he has shown in films such as "Twins," he has good comedic timing, while in other flicks such as "T2," he showed powerful, yet subtle and effective character development. In the body-building documentary that prominently featured Arnold on film for the first time, entitled "Pumping Iron," we got to see him at the top of his game; his life's passion was demonstrated extremely well, and showed how intense and focused this man is. But in "Days," it wasn't there. The character, and even the film called for something ... but it was missing. Arnold's character called for a depressed alcoholic. While I applaud the filmakers and the script-writers for inserting what should have been a complex hero, it came across as programmed and unsympathetic. My other problem with this film was that it was too overt. Its symbolism: I felt that the filmakers were trying to shove it down the audiences' throats. Biblical names, such as "Cane" and "Jericho," and the play on words: "Christine York." (Did Christ foresee New York 2000 years ago?) Obviously, one of the appeals of this movie was its millennial connotations of the end of the world, but give the public some credit for being able to grasp the theological overtures without the help of a simple name. The same went for the special effects. How big can you make the devil? Try for the "Blair Witch Project" effect; avoid showing the film's demon and leave it up to your smart audiences' imagination. Action movies can be good and not good. Arnold too. We've seen his work, and we know he and the filmakers can do a lot better than this.
Rating: Summary: Just plain bad Review: This movie will find a core of obsessed fans who think it's the greatest thing they've ever seen, and will watch it eight hundred times a year. (Kind of like the original Star Trek.) Pretty soon we'll have End of Days conventions with Schwarzenegger running around wearing Spock ears. It's actually a kind of valid comparison. What do non-fans know about the original Star Trek series? Bad plots (when there was a plot at all), pretty cheesy script, a whole lot of special effects, some decent acting, and James T. Kirk going to bed with every alien who kinda halfway looked female in the universe. Aside from that last point (Gabriel Byrne only gets to bed two people, neither of whom is an alien... but it's a pretty remarkable scene anyway), End of Days could well have been a Star Trek movie. The acting is better, the special effects are fantastic, and any chance to see Robin Tunney unclothed should be seized by the masses immediately. But man, ...the script seems as if it were written by a somnambulistic quaalude addict, the plot is... absent, and the whole thing feels like a rush job designed to cash in both on Y2K and the current rash of religious-themed movies that teens are enjoying. Did you see Stigmata? Did you see Strange Days? If you can answer yes to both, you can skip this without a problem. The one truly awe-inspiring thing about this movie is its acting. Schwarzenegger is getting kind of old as the same guy over and over again, but Kevin Pollak is just fantastic, and Gabriel Byrne is... well, Gabriel Byrne. Both had their share of snappy (probably ad-libbed, given how bad the rest of the script is) lines that kept the audience laughing. A word on the much-hyped soundtrack to the movie. It's good-- at least it's above average. But aside from one track, played VERY softly (the Rob Zombie tune, which is in evidence when Gabe is walking across what I assume is Central Park), it doesn't exist in the movie. The movie's music is good, but it isn't what's on the soundtrack. (Orchestral, standard, but fits what's going on very well and never gets overbearing.) For Schwarzenegger/Byrne/Tunney/Pollak completists. Everyone else can skip it and catch Toy Story 2.
Rating: Summary: I liked it... even if the ending wasn't what I expected Review: Despite other people's bad words on the subject, I enjoyed this movie. I really don't see the "logical holes" people are talking about. Everything made sense, just as long as you remember the film's explanations and don't try to make up your own, like one reviewer obviously tried to do. All of the acting was believeable (And Gabriel Byrne did a great job!), the plot moved along well and kept me in suspense (every time you think things are going well, something worse happens), and there were none of the gratuitous crises that seem to creep into the mediocre action moves (Mission to Mars and Armageddon are good examples). The only complaint I have is that I could have done without the nude scenes. The point could have been as clearly made without bare breasts, and that alone makes me a lot less likely to reccomend this to my friends. Arnold, if you want to see breasts, buy a nudie mag. If you're making an action end-of-the-world movie, make it about THAT, not about bosoms.
Rating: Summary: Mindless action fun! Review: Okay, End of Days certainly won't win any Oscar's for best picture, or greatest plot, but I'd probably give best performance to Gabriel Byrne for his fabulous role as Satan. His objective is to pregnate Christine York (Tunney) who has become the chosen one in the unholy hour from 11:00 to Midnight on New Year's Eve. But, only one man can stop it all, and guess who has to protect the world from evil once again. Arnold! This movie is perpetually dark, which adds to the scariness and suspense of the movie, and I especially like the darker types of movies, like End of Days, and Seven. Arnold is well...Arnold. When he has to cry is seems ridiculous, but you gotta give him credit for trying. Although he's better off playing a mindless robot (Terminator 2), or a one-dimentional army sergeant (Commando). Once again all the cridics were WRONG! Any movie that seems to relate to Christians and God too much is automatically tossed out. I say give End of Days a whirl, and who knows, you might be pleasantly surprised. I know I was.
Rating: Summary: awful movie Review: End of Days - I just bought this movie on DVD and I feel so ripped off - the movie has some of the worst acting I've ever seen (Arnie is ok) - the girl in it is awful, Arnie's friend in the show is awful. Gabriel Byrne isn't convincing as Satan and corny lines are just out of place - the subwoofer works well on numerous occasions and visually it's ok, but the plot is bad, the script is worse and the acting is ridiculous - reminds me of cheesy low budget acting. save your money, please.
Rating: Summary: Not Bad, but Not Great Review: When this movie came out in theaters in November, I avoided it, mostly because I had heard so many bad things about it. I recently saw it for myself, and I discovered something shocking: the movie isn't that bad. Arnold plays a former cop-turned security agent, who must protect a young woman from being impregnated by Satan. This has been foretold to happen in the final hour of the year 1999. If Satan succeeds, the world is doomed. But, hey, we got Arnold Schwarzenegger to save us -- humanity's got a fighting chance. While the movie can have some nagging inconsistincies, and the plot stretches what credibility is has, the movie seems to work. Arnold tries to mature in this movie, by showing that his old style of doing things may not work anymore, in one of the most memorable scenes. It's not a terrible movie and it's not an amazing one, but it's worth checking out at least once.
Rating: Summary: End of Genre Review: If you are expecting something like "Sixth Sense" or "Exorcist", then you will be dissapointed. It fails to bring something new to this supernatural genre. Though the film is by itself quiet entertaining, still you can see the desperation in the director to make it a usual Schwarzenegger "run to the mill" action flick. Gabriel Bryne is the best part of the movie. The movie is worth watching just because of Gabriel Bryne.
Rating: Summary: This movie could have been better Review: Arnold usually does not go wrong (he was really young when he did Hercules In New York, so let's give him a break) but this movie is surprisingly dull. I am not at all convinced that the actor who is supposed to be the Devil comes even close to fulfilling the expectations from his role. Overall, I don't think that the concept behind the script is bad (and even if it is, Arnold is notorious for compensating for such shortcomings by saying "get down!" or something)but everything else, including the supposed "horror" this movie "inspires," is rather disappointing.
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