I'm having a hard time making my mind up about this one. Considering the subject matter, I should be all over this with resounding praise, but the execution gives me pause. Let me go into specs and see if I can make sense of it.
First, acting: scattered. Some of the actors were legitimately good (Samantha Noble probably gave the best performance on the whole). Others were obviously bad (Ahriman was forcing it way too much). Most of the others were somewhere in between--the actor playing Michael/Sammael being one of them. So, on the whole, I'd call the acting forgettable.
Effects: pretty good for a low-budget film. I think my favorite part of the effects side was the Gabriel/Ahriman battle. I was legitimately impressed with that part. With a film like this, though, you learn to gloss over the effects because it is done on a low budget.
Plot: this is where it really gets iffy for me. The lore/theology/whatever term you want to use--it was rather noncommittal. That is a little annoying for me. Yes, there were good angels and evil angels, but the idea of them coming to Purgatory and taking truly mortal forms, with all the emotional baggage that comes with it, is kinda strange.
Plus, the hierarchy in the spiritual world is hazy. There is no true mention of God or Lucifer or any being that would have the authority to rule Heaven or Hell. They don't even call places Heaven or Hell. The angels, or Arks, just refer to "The Light". Sounds kinda New- Age or something as opposed to a place where angels reside. There is barely any mention of a place for demons--the Fallen.
Maybe they were trying to make it easier to swallow for viewers who don't have any spiritual beliefs or something, but I find it a little annoying; it is already based loosely on known theological doctrine, so why not make it more accurate according to the existing theology/lore/whatever?
Also, as far as plotting goes, I don't really get the point of throwing in the Gabriel/Jade sex scene--no service to the plot (after having gone through a fury-driven battle with Asmodeus because of the other Arks getting killed, having sex with the Ark who lost her wings is not going to help him with his quest); and it just adds to the confused/noncommittal spiritual law problem I have with it.
Finally, the ending is rather strange as well: in order to remember all that has happened and to understand how it happened, Gabriel "falls from grace" and becomes a true mortal--it's a dark rip-off of "City of Angels" with Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan.
So, all in all, I call it a confused effort. Nice try, I suppose; but it was not solid enough to be worth a second go.
First, acting: scattered. Some of the actors were legitimately good (Samantha Noble probably gave the best performance on the whole). Others were obviously bad (Ahriman was forcing it way too much). Most of the others were somewhere in between--the actor playing Michael/Sammael being one of them. So, on the whole, I'd call the acting forgettable.
Effects: pretty good for a low-budget film. I think my favorite part of the effects side was the Gabriel/Ahriman battle. I was legitimately impressed with that part. With a film like this, though, you learn to gloss over the effects because it is done on a low budget.
Plot: this is where it really gets iffy for me. The lore/theology/whatever term you want to use--it was rather noncommittal. That is a little annoying for me. Yes, there were good angels and evil angels, but the idea of them coming to Purgatory and taking truly mortal forms, with all the emotional baggage that comes with it, is kinda strange.
Plus, the hierarchy in the spiritual world is hazy. There is no true mention of God or Lucifer or any being that would have the authority to rule Heaven or Hell. They don't even call places Heaven or Hell. The angels, or Arks, just refer to "The Light". Sounds kinda New- Age or something as opposed to a place where angels reside. There is barely any mention of a place for demons--the Fallen.
Maybe they were trying to make it easier to swallow for viewers who don't have any spiritual beliefs or something, but I find it a little annoying; it is already based loosely on known theological doctrine, so why not make it more accurate according to the existing theology/lore/whatever?
Also, as far as plotting goes, I don't really get the point of throwing in the Gabriel/Jade sex scene--no service to the plot (after having gone through a fury-driven battle with Asmodeus because of the other Arks getting killed, having sex with the Ark who lost her wings is not going to help him with his quest); and it just adds to the confused/noncommittal spiritual law problem I have with it.
Finally, the ending is rather strange as well: in order to remember all that has happened and to understand how it happened, Gabriel "falls from grace" and becomes a true mortal--it's a dark rip-off of "City of Angels" with Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan.
So, all in all, I call it a confused effort. Nice try, I suppose; but it was not solid enough to be worth a second go.