More Apocalypse-related films on Blu-ray and DVD reviewed (click review buttons to also see comparisons where applicable) from our article Films From The End of the World:

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: TriStar Pictures

Video: Madman (Australia)

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Bitrate:

 

Description: Prior to his death on the crucifix, Jesus Christ (Jürgen Prochnow) was offered a drink of water, a kind act turned away by a Roman soldier. These events play a profound role in occurrences during modern times, which some construe as signs of Christ's return and the apocalypse. While Abby Quinn (Demi Moore) believes the end is coming and that her unborn child may be in danger as a result, Father Lucci (Peter Friedman), a Vatican agent, is doubtful no matter what evidence she presents.

 

 

An apocalyptic thriller which focuses on an intimate familial dilemma, this should find favour among those who prefer supernatural disquiet to visceral shocks. A young mother-to-be (Moore) suffers recurring nightmares. Disturbed by these fragmentary premonitions, she begins to imagine that the fate of her child is somehow bound up with a series of strange natural phenomena which, some say, herald the end of the world: the sea around a Haitian island boils, an Israeli desert village freezes over, the sun is eclipsed, the moon glows red. Her nightmares also seem to be linked to a mysterious stranger (Prochnow), who moves into an adjoining apartment, and whose silent brooding and unnatural interest in the unborn child she interprets as a diabolical threat. Schultz's stylish visuals and sympathetic handling of the actors creates an unsettling atmosphere of understated menace; and the unfolding mystery (drawing upon both the Book of Revelations and ancient Jewish mythology) generates a tremendous cumulative tension, the climactic scene working all the better for being staged on a human scale.

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BOTTOM LINE:
Fess' up time. Yes, The Seventh Sign is on my re-watchable list. I was doing some research for the article on 'Apocalypse Films' (The Movies From "The End of the World") and I had forgotten about The Seventh Sign and how much I had enjoyed it. This is how I came across this Blu-ray. Sure enough - many critics disliked the film and found plenty of reasons to pick it apart. But I was gratified to find such a positive comment from TimeOut - see the top of the page. Yes, I do liken the biblical-horror aspects to The Omen (another on my re-watchable shelf.) Mulling it over, parts of The Exorcist, The Da Vinci Code / Angels & Demons, even Constantine and plenty of modern films use the darker aspects of ancient religious dogma as central to their plot. This, apparently, appeals to me. The Madman Blu-ray is bare-bones, and un-exceptional but it offers a darn-sight better visuals than the old DVD and I will reach for it next time I indulge (once every couple of years.) Let's hope a superior edition comes along, one day, soon. 

Also released on Blu-ray by Shout! factory in September 2018:

More Apocalypse-related films on Blu-ray and DVD reviewed (click review buttons to also see comparisons where applicable) from our article Films From The End of the World: