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There have been numerous
attempts in the last ten to fifteen years to use the book of Revelation
as major source material for a screenplay. Predictably, most of the
resulting films have landed somewhere between disappointing and just
plain awful. The biggest weakness has generally been low production
values. However, this has usually been bolstered by detached,
futuristic, interpretations of John’s apocalypse in turn creating
fictional scripts that speculate on how Revelation’s bizarre imagery
will come to pass in “reality”. Unfortunately, this has sustained the
impression many hold that Revelation is a bizarre, virtually
impenetrable book, leaving those who feel uncomfortable with such alien
end of the world scenarios disillusioned with John’s apocalypse
altogether.
It’s
a relief, then, that Lux Vide’s The Apocalypse locates its story
in the past, preferring to focus on John (played by the late great
Richard Harris) and the group of churches in Asia he is responsible for.
It is against this background that we see John (who is hiding under the
pseudonym Theophilus) receive his visions. The task of covering 22
chapters of the biblical text, whilst building sufficient context around
it is so huge that the producers wisely boil it down to its key
components. For example, the film recognises the parallel nature of the
seven seals / seven trumpets / seven bowls sequences, and wisely
focuses, almost exclusively, on the first. By book-ending the film, and
the main section of Revelation’s content, with abbreviated forms of
John’s own bookends, the gist of the apocalypse is left largely in tact.
This abbreviation process is also aided by focussing the non-visionary
section of the film on just one of John’s seven churches, that in
Ephesus.
The
previous twelve films in Lux Vide’s ‘Bible Collection’ series were
nearly all named after their protagonist. It seems strange, therefore,
that they have not followed suit with The Apocalypse,
particularly given the associations of poor quality filmmaking and the
lunatic fringe such a title brings with it. As the film unfolds, it
becomes clear that it is really about John. The non-visionary parts of
the story actually take up the most of the film’s screen time.
So
its no surprise that the film’s opening shot briefly introduces us to
John, before jumping to Domitian’s announcement of his divinity and then
to the Ephesian church. There we are introduced to Irene (who met John
many years ago) and Valerius, who we soon find out is a Roman spy.
Having worked his way into the church in Ephesus, his next mission is to
infiltrate the group of Christians working in the mines of Patmos, where
John himself is rumoured to be imprisoned. Domitian hopes that finding
John and executing him, combined with a rigorous campaign of violence
against the church in Asia, he will be able to stamp out the Christian
faith altogether.
Inevitably there are also a few factual quibbles. For example, most
scholars question whether the John who wrote Revelation was the same
John who was one of Jesus’ original twelve apostles and the reign of
Domitian has clearly been shaped to suit the overall narrative. However,
this type of deviation is really just a by-product of disseminating the
material for a wider audience, which the film does admirably well.
Where
the plot really lets itself down is when it begins to deviate from its
starting point, overcomplicating matters by introducing sub-plots of
escape, power-struggles, pseudonymity and romance - not to mention the
painfully inevitable conversion of Valerius. The two main aims of these
subplots appear to be to add extra interest to the story, and to
emphasise just how wise John was. The former falls flat on its face
whilst the latter seems largely unnecessary, leaving little grounds for
their inclusion.
The
film’s other major flaw is its use of CGI. The film’s release has been
delayed by two years and during this time CGI come on in leaps and
bounds. However, even accounting for that, much of the CGI seems either
forced, anachronistic or just poorly executed. The project’s demands are
huge – alternating between realistic scenes on earth and supernatural
scenes in heaven – and although it’s a worthy effort, the CGI is sadly
not up to it. Hence, The Apocalypse is unlikely to be a film that
cinephiles, theologians or historians embrace too closely (even though
it embraces the style of interpretation favoured by most scholars).
It is
to be hoped that such weaknesses can be forgiven by audiences because it
is an important film. Artistic interpretations of the Revelation have
almost always focussed on the bizarre aspects of the text. This has
resulted in the book being gradually nudged towards the fringes of
Christian belief where it is less of an embarrassment. This
project excels by locating the imagery in its original context so
that potential applications of its message to 21st century
Christianity can begin to emerge.
The
film is an important starting point, turning back the clock on centuries
of misinterpretation and over-active imagination. So whilst there are a
few weaknesses and potential quibbles, its overall thrust should be
loudly applauded.
- Matt
Page
For a second opinion, check out Peter T. Chattaway's
review at
ChristianityTodayMovies.com.
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