Reviews

This film is an interesting one- I'll start by saying I rented the DVD out of curiosity to see Aftermath, but I'm very glad this was included too. It's a haunting short film, and to see Pep Tosar in this role right after I watched his depraved Aftermath character is certainly interesting- this guy's a damn good actor. The film itself speaks about a man's obsession with his deceased wife- and it tells the story with no dialogue of any kind, just a series of images, many of which are very powerful and well structured. I particularly like the one where Tosar's character is midway through the transformation he undergoes in this movie and is staring across the room at the statue of his wife. Really a beautiful image. It's interesting because I was recently in a discussion where the proposition was put forth that the only way to immortality is to obsess over your work. In 'Genesis' the sculptor definitely obsesses... and as a result he is able to see his wife in the land of the living again, just before the last of his own flesh and blood hardens to stone. A very interesting motion picture.

We all remember how disappointed we were when the year 2000 rolled around and nothing interesting happened. No devastating Y2K virus, no second coming of Jesus. No Satan returning to rule/destroy the world. This movie explains why; because when the Devil did show up, Arnold fought him off with a collection of machine guns and rocket launchers.

That's the premise of this film, anyway, and it depicts the Devil escaping Hell per a prophecy that says he will be free at the end of 1000 years. Satan inhabits the body of actor Gabriel Byrne, a good choice because the man is indeed talented and plays the character with a certain smugness that I imagine the Devil would have. The cast overall is very good, including Arnold as the stereotypical "lost his faith" cop and Robin Tunney as Satan's virgin sacrifice.

The movie never really makes clear what will happen if Gabriel Byrne manages to 'consumate' his relationship with Robin Tunney; just a few vague references to a lot of people dying and what the Devil calls a 'New Beginning.' Needless to say, this is not a movie you should see for the plot.

If you do see it, see it to watch some reasonably entertaining good-versus-evil action with Arnold in full action hero mode; if you take it as that and not too much else you're in for a good enough time.

This is one of the silliest things I've ever seen- not to say it isn't entertaining, it certainly can be, but wow. WOW. The other Indiana Jones movies are over the top, no doubt, but this seems excessive somehow. I don't know where the line was crossed, but it might have been somewhere between Shia LaBeouf becoming King of the Monkeys and the kingdom ruled by magical extra-dimensional aliens. Nevertheless, it's still far ahead of all the Indy imitators that have popped up over the years, like the National Treasure and the Mummy movies. I must admit I've missed Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford does return in top form. My worries about Shia LaBeouf were unjustified because he did a fine job as well. Karen Allen returning for a happy ending with Indy was a great idea for my money; and Cate Blanchett, who is always awesome, does very well considering the stereotypical "Kill Moose and Squirrel" character that she is given. The plot is absolutely ridiculous and the final scene doesn't really give you any closure; I was left wondering what the point was of all that. But the movie is still good fun, with some very creative action sequences. Overall certainly worth a watch and a decent addition to the mythology.