Wuchak RELEASED TO TV IN 2000 and directed by Raffaele Mertes, "The Apocalypse" chronicles events during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian (Bruce Payne) circa 90 AD when the elderly apostle John (Richard Harris) is imprisoned on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea (off the coast of modern day Turkey). John experiences strange visions, as detailed in the book of Revelation. Christian Kohlund plays a formidable Roman commander ordered to kill Christians in Asia Minor while Vittoria Belvedere plays a devout believer in love with a duplicitous man who is sent to the penal colony on Patmos as a Roman spy (Benjamin Sadler).Any film that attempts to tackle the biblical book of Revelation is ambitious, to say the least, and "The Apocalypse" should be respected for this, particularly since it's a surprisingly quality period movie, which doesn't forget to be entertaining while conveying worthy mind/spirit food. Being made in 1999 and limited by a TV budget, I was expecting lousy sets, costuming, locations and, especially, bad CGI effects. But, thankfully, the movie delivers in all these areas. The F/X hold up surprisingly well, all things considered, and they helped me better visualize John's visions in Revelation, which heretofore I had only 'seen' in my mind. Speaking of which, to appreciate this movie it helps to be a little familiar with the book of Revelation, otherwise you might be lost, especially since the movie's plot is a tad convoluted.Interestingly, in one of his apocalyptic visions John sees the twin towers of the World Trade Center burning, which of course came to pass in real life a mere year after the film's initial release! THE MOVIE RUNS 96 minutes and was shot (at least in part) in Morocco (I can't find any other info on the locations). WRITER: Francesco Contaldo.GRADE: B

Uriah43 While banished to the island of Patmos, "St. John" (played by Richard Harris) receives visions from the Lord which results in his writing the "Book of Revelation". However, this is not a movie about "the Apocalypse". Rather, this film is more about his life on Patmos and his visions than anything else. I say this for several reasons. First, the event called "the Apocalypse" isn't constrained to just the "Book of Revelation". The fact is that much of what we know about this subject also comes from the "Book of Daniel" and the "Gospel of Matthew" along with various passages from other books in the Bible as well. Because of this, there were many passages about the Apocalypse which were left out of the film. Along with that, those passages that were included weren't explained well at all. Further, like so many other Biblical movies, there are some non-Biblical elements thrown in for dramatic effect. In this particular case it involves a beautiful Christian woman named "Irene" (Vittoria Belvedere) and a Roman spy by the name of "Valerius" (Benjamin Sadler). So basically, if you're looking for a film about the Apocalypse then it might be better to look elsewhere. However, thanks to a very fine performance by Richard Harris, this movie is still somewhat enjoyable all the same and can safely be recommended to anybody of any faith. That said, I rate it as slightly above average.

meredithdevoe Richard Harris's moving performance is the centerpiece of this film, in which members of the early church, struggling for faith and reassurance in the face of violent persecution, are searching for John the Beloved, last of the living apostles, who is "hiding in plain sight" on the prison island of Patmos. However, don't ignore some very good performances by several of the others. The visions of John are depicted judiciously, considering the CGI available in 2000 and the budget (that is, they don't scream "made-for-TV"); the montages do not try to show every detail but give a general idea of the visions. To watch this is a good adjunct to reading Revelation, to remind one that these fantastic visions came to a real person in a very chaotic time.

t_atzmueller "Holy s**t", was my first impression when watching "The Apocalypse".There are two types of films when it comes to historic-religious movies: there are such epics as "Ben Hur" or "Quo Vadis", which have religious undertones, yet are fun and accessible to those who don't particularly care for religion. And then there is a legion (pardon the pun) of pesky little bible films, that makes you feel like you've invited Jehovah's Witnesses into your DVD player. "The Apocalypse" belongs to the second category.Two reasons prompted me to watch this film: for one, this was to be one of the final performances of Richard Harris. Secondly, since "Passenger 57", I've always rooted for Bruce Payne playing a villain, but in the end, I wished that I hadn't squandered two hours of my precious time.Harris looks like what he is: a frail, dying old man. Payne as the megalomaniac Emperor Domitian is hamming it up for all it's worth, grimacing and glaring, never tired to remind the audience that he's "Domitian the God" (fortunately Payne's role is rather small, probably filmed in a single afternoon). The rest of the cast are extras and two-bit actors, assembled from European TV-shows and series. None of them practice what in the classic sense you would call 'acting', but who are we to deny them a handful of dollars and warm meals from the caterers.So, what speaks for the film? Preciously little. The overall tone is so preachy, the viewers come to believe that this was actually directed by Ned Flanders of "The Simpsons". The special effects (remember: this is a film about the apocalypse, the end of mankind) are laughable, either culled from documentaries (exploding volcanoes, bad weather at sea, etc) or animated on some cheap computer. Watch out for the scene of the angels appearing with their trumpets and tell me that you didn't expect Eric Idle to appear, blowing a bullhorn. Let's not forget the music: since this is a bible film, there is a strong need for incessant, ever unnerving choruses and quire music, that will make you wonder, whether you want to listen to this for all eternity or rather join the opposition, where at least they play catchy Rock n' Roll.And watch out for that talking sheep that randomly appears during scenes, preaching and sermonizing about some things or the other.You may have seen the film and wonder where all those glowing reviews and the high ratings came from. You may also have noticed that virtually every movie of the same ilk has similar positive comments and ratings. Yes, sometimes the wish is the father of thought … but mostly it all just remains wishful thinking.If you're into Roman films, why not go for the TV-show "Rome" or re-watch "Gladiator"? If fantasy films are your thing, "The Hobbit" is only a few month away. If the Apocalypse interests you, Roland Emmerich has made quiet a few films about that but as far as religious films, none was able to live up to the standards of "Life of Brian" yet.I give it two points out of ten: one for the memory of Richard Harris, and one for the preaching sheep. Amen!