"Apocalyptic Visions"
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What You Need To Know:
Michael York and Michael Biehn deliver good performances. The special effects in MEGIDDO are pretty spectacular at times. Some lackluster expository dialogue and an awkward, hurried dramatic structure damages the movie’s first half, however. Still, MEGIDDO plainly shows that victory over evil is best achieved when people turn to God. This stirring message is better than most of what you’ll see in Hollywood’s blockbusters.
Content:
(CCC, PPP, L, VV, A, D, M) Christian dispensationalist worldview with scenes of Black Mass showing evil of demon-possessed Anti-Christ villain with supernatural powers & a strong sense of pro-American patriotism; several light obscenities & some appeals to God; solid action violence such as huge battle between soldiers & tanks & airplanes, gunfire between government agents, villain throws father off balcony to murder him, evil child tries to burn his baby brother to death, children taunt child with burned dolls, & supernatural villain uses evil powers to kill people; no sex; no nudity; alcohol use; brief smoking; and, scary scenes that probably are too intense for young children, but God wins in the end & the movie is perfectly suitable for older children & teenagers.
More Detail:
TBN Films has finally released a sequel to its apocalyptic movie THE OMEGA CODE, which astonished Hollywood by breaking into the Top Ten Movies the first weekend it opened. MEGIDDO: OMEGA CODE 2 may also have perfect box office timing, what with the new war looming in the Middle East, not to mention the apocalyptic visions that Americans witnessed on their TV screens when two hijacked planes toppled the World Trade Center Towers in New York City. Some people may wonder, however, whether such a movie should be released at this tragic, dangerous time in America’s history.
The first part of MEGIDDO tells what happens when Satan possesses the spirit of a troubled little boy named Stone Alexander. Stone tries to burn his baby brother David to death, so Stone’s media mogul father, played by David Hedison, sends him off to military school in Europe. There, Stone causes a little more havoc, enlists another demon-possessed man in his schemes and woos beautiful Gabriela.
Years later, Stone (now played by Michael York) has become Chancellor of a World Government in Europe, Russia and Africa while his brother David, played by Michael Biehn of ALIENS, has become Vice President of the United States of America. Using political subterfuge and murder, including slaying his father, Stone has managed to gain control of the whole world except for the United States, Latin America and China. He uses his supernatural powers to cause a fatal heart attack in the President’s body, but David still refuses to surrender American sovereignty.
Stone still has a card up his sleeve, however. He frames David for the murder of their father and gets the mealy-mouthed liberal Secretary of State appointed President. David barely escapes and, backed by the American Sixth Fleet in the Middle East, secretly appeals to China for help. The stage is now set for Armageddon, but God is the only one who can win this battle.
Sometimes he goes over the top, but Michael York delivers a good performance as the evil Anti-Christ possessed by Satan. He delivers his lines with panache. For instance, at one point, someone tells him that he has “no chance in Hell,” but he replies with relish, “Oh, I’ll always have a chance in Hell.” Michael Biehn also does a fairly good job as David. The special effects in MEGIDDO are usually spectacular, though a few of them are a little bit cheesy.
The biggest problem, however, is with some of the script’s expository dialogue and awkward, hurried dramatic structure. These things may limit the appeal of the characterization and drama inherent in the basic story. Also, Stone is too obviously evil, and the movie spends too much time in the beginning focusing on his early career in evil and not enough time focusing on the danger and jeopardy that David, Stone’s wife and their father face. The movie’s final stirring battle scenes where Satan finally reveals himself and God comes to the rescue help save MEGIDDO from mediocrity, however.
MEGIDDO plainly shows that victory over evil is best achieved when people turn to God. In fact, the scenes demonstrating the power of God in times of great need are among the best scenes in the movie. It would have been nice, however, if the movie had more to say about Jesus Christ and the need for spiritual redemption.
Finally, it should be noted that, although MEGIDDO has a strong Christian worldview, some of its scenes probably are too disturbing and scary for younger children. It is perfectly suitable for older children and teenagers, however. They probably will greatly enjoy the special effects at the end, including the demonstration of the visible power of God, who is the only One who can truly save humanity from destruction. Given that kind of positive message, perhaps MEGIDDO is indeed the kind of movie which people should make an effort to see at this crucial moment in history for America and the world.