The Apocalypse (2004)

Instant Favorite.

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Movie takes a very Catholic view of John of Patmos, in that he is portrayed as the Apostle who witnessed the Crucifixion, when in fact no such hard link has ever been presented...most scholars place the writing of Revelation around 85-90 AD, almost sixty years after the crucifixion. While possible, John would have been close to 100 years old at the time of the writings...having said that, this version of the film must have been edited, because it shows scenes from 9/11 and the attack on the Twin Towers, or at least in the version I watched...which would be a mean trick, as that attack occurred two years after this movie was filmed...minor point, and there may be a number of releases...a solid telling of one of the most moving Bible stories, and one of the most vivid as well. Told, or rather shown, in a fashion that makes sense and semblance of a very cryptic writing...well done...a fitting work to end a brilliant career...

Richard Harris's moving performance is the centerpiece of this film, in which members of the early church, struggling for faith and reassurance in the face of violent persecution, are searching for John the Beloved, last of the living apostles, who is "hiding in plain sight" on the prison island of Patmos. However, don't ignore some very good performances by several of the others. The visions of John are depicted judiciously, considering the CGI available in 2000 and the budget (that is, they don't scream "made-for-TV"); the montages do not try to show every detail but give a general idea of the visions. To watch this is a good adjunct to reading Revelation, to remind one that these fantastic visions came to a real person in a very chaotic time.

The Apocalypse is the story of John the Apostle comes alive on the TV screen as never before.It features Richard Harris takes the role of the biblical figure together with Vittoria Belvedere, Benjamin Sadler, Christian Kohlund and Erol Sander.It was directed by filmmaker Raffaele Mertes. In 90 A.D., the Roman emperor launches a fierce campaign against the Christians, and John is being held captive for his efforts to spread the gospel. When a young Christian named Irene arrives with hopes of visiting the last surviving witness of the Lord's passion, John entrusts her with a written record of his divine visions that will eventually form the Book of Revelations. This is an excellent TV movie about John the Apostle and it gives the viewer more insight about the Book Of Revelations.Also,Harris' portrayal is worth noting considering that it happens to be his last film before he passed away.Overall,it a recommended and worth watching.

I will only write about one thing, since others have covered the excellent Richard Harris' performance: This was the first time we got a small idea of Revelation, thanks to good computerized special effects. I say a small idea, because the actual book of Revelation in the Bible contains what must be the ultimate in fantastically spectacular scenes-and a multitude of them at that. It is strange that no big production has ever attempted it. From all the existing films with titles referring to Apocalypse or Revelation, this is the best one by far. The others are no different than low budget-low interest movies, which don't even begin to reach the magnitude and magnificence of the book of Revelation.