Some of you may consider my comments to be spoilers . . . others won't care . . .
Movies like this really baffle me. You would think director John Frankenheimer, with his impressive list of credentials (THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, SECONDS, SEVEN DAYS IN MAY, THE TRAIN, THE BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ, etc.) would make a superior monster movie. Wrong!
What we get is Robert Foxworth (who reminds me of a cross between Donald Sutherland and Robert Reed when he had curly hair) and Talia Shire (who plays a concert cellist) hiking through the woods looking for creatures created by chemical spills. They eventually run into a giant, mutant bear. In some shots, the bear is apparently a guy in a bear suit, in other shots it appears to be an unconvincing bear puppet (created by Tom Burman and his FX team). Along for the ride are Richard Dysart and Armand Assante (who gets into an axe vs. chainsaw fight early in the movie, and then gets walloped by the bear at the end). If all this isn't enough, the final shot suggests that there may be a sequel on the way. Thankfully, that never happened.
Post Edited (04-24-05 07:11)
I've not seen Prophecy but have heard similar dissdain in other reviews. I never realized that Frankheimer was responsible though. Seems kind of strange to imagine him directing a monster flick.
I'll probably pick it up one day just to see what the fuss is about.
Actually a sequal was filmed but it's been said that the effects shots were so terrible that they decided not to release it. Now THAT's scary!
Ha ha! Whoops I'm not thinking today. It's Grizzley that got an unreleased sequal, My mistake.
Post Edited (04-24-05 13:03)
Ken Begg's review at Jabootu really summed up what was wrong with this movie. A "name" director trying to make art out of a horror movie. That, and a lot of late-70s preachiness, to make it meaningful. Basically, a monster movie made by people who didn't respect the genre, and felt it needed to be "elevated" or something.
I get a kick out of Prophecy, though. It certainly is a good example of a certain style of late-70s filmmaking. And the "exploding banana" scene is a classic.
Gee, I thought the big bear covered in strawberry jam was kinda cute. Seriously, the monsters were terrible looking. And how did they do that scene where the racoon attacks Foxworth? Looked like stop motion only accelerated.
I did feel sorry for the poor sap they had strapped to the top of the truck who gets his head chomped off. I can remember this being the first movie where the hero attacks the monster at the end.