End of Days

A devilishly fun blow-em-up that pits The Terminator vs. The Fallen One.

For the most part it's a blast.

Peter Hyams, a pretty good cinematographer but a mediocre director, goes to work on a script by Andrew W. Marlowe that's designed to carry us from one bit of hyperbole to the next.

Nothing worse than a silly movie that takes itself seriously, that bores us to death while we wait for the finale that comes too late.

85 percent explosions and editing idiocy (a window can't break without director Peter Hyams cutting between five different angles) and 15 percent Arnold trying to grow a third dimension. Seeing him try for "sad" is like watching a dog try to talk.

Too bad (Arnold) can't save the movie from it's superstitious clap-trap, sadistic violence, and sheer silliness.

Idiotic, ugly and ridiculous.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Not really good. But not really bad either. Perhaps leaning on the side of decent. It was nice to see Schwarzenegger playing a character with a bit more depth (and not pregnant) for a change. Acting is decent. alround with Schwarzenegger & Byrne doing a decent enough job with what they were given. The story on the other hand is nothing we haven't seen before and it has been done better. A rather poorly written script that really rushes the movie along too quickly with far too much exposition coming from the weirdest places. Overall: On okay movie that is worth a watch if you have nothing better to do.

The devil has returned to Earth to claim his bride and bring about the end of the world, and only one man has the power to stop him in END OF DAYS! END OF DAYS feels like a dumbed down version of ROSEMARY'S BABY or THE OMEN, an opportunistic attempt to cash-in on the turn of the century paranoia that tries to mask its failing script behind big names and explosive special effects. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a parody of his former self, having been given more of the worst one-liners of his entire career as he makes a fool of himself on-screen. It is ever-apparent that he is reading the role off of the page, making it impossible for the audience to invest in his character. Gabriel Byrne, on the other hand, gives an entertaining performance as the devil. He is cunning and manipulative, but playful at the same time, recalling Robert de Niro in ANGEL HEART. It is worth watching for his part, alone. Peter Hyams' over-budgeted action sequences turn what probably should have been an atmospheric thriller into a flashy light show with no character or mood to show for it. If anything, the title most accurately describes the shape of Arnold's career as we entered the 21st century.

/ /

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]