Plot: What’s it about?
The future is unknown. Although many pretend to be able to see into the future and provide guidance, no one knows for sure what lies ahead. If one could know what the future holds, immense power could be had, the kind of power that would allow control beyond belief. Of course, in the right hands, the power could be used to protect mankind, but in the wrong hands, selfish intentions could wipe out mankind. The Lexicon is an ancient religious manuscript, one that is incomplete and always will be. This is because new pages are written at all times, as the book holds the future. If one could glance upon the pages, one could see what awaits and put that to use for whatever purposes. As of now, the book is in the hands of Allison (Kari Wuhrer), who holds the book sacred, but if Belial’s forces gain possession, the world is in immense danger. Can Belial and his evil minions be defeated, or is the world doomed to a horrific fate?
Dimension strikes again, as the sequel driven studio has released the fourth film in The Prophecy franchise, titled Uprising. While the first three films were no classics, at least Christopher Walken was present and that can mean a lot. He was the driving force behind the series, but for this next installment, Walken has been dropped, which is a real shame. In his place we have Doug Bradley, a solid talent best known for his work as Pinhead in the Hellraiser movies, who is joined by Kari Wuhrer, who gets naked in a lot of flicks. As far as star presence, neither can compete with Walken. This movie turns out to be like most Dimension sequels, a film that doesn’t really belong in this series, but in order to cash in, the label is slapped on. As if taking Pinhead out of Hellraiser wasn’t enough, now Dimension has pulled Walken from The Prophecy. This is a bland picture that even for diehard horror fans, ranks as a casual rental at best. If Dimension wants to profit from these franchises, they need to stick with what made the originals a success.
Video: How does it look?
The Prophecy: Uprising is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This movie was made a couple years back, but remained shelved until now. This usually signals trouble, especially if Dimension holds back a movie, but I did expect a solid visual effort. I was let down in that respect too, as the treatment here is not at all what I wanted to see. Yes, the image is passable, but come on, in this era of home video prominence, I expect more than passable from films this new. The print has more grain than the Midwest, which softens the visuals and really dulls the experience. This is subpar work, even from Dimension, so once again, even if you like the flick, this is reason enough to just rent.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here could have been atmospheric and enhanced the eerie texture we expect from a Prophecy movie, but instead, it comes off as bland and basic. The surrounds aren’t silent at all times with this mix, but you won’t notice them too often and that sucks, as this kind of material could use some creepy surround presence. All the little creaks and other spooky noises should have been well mixed to add to the atmosphere, but that didn’t happen. The music is decent enough and the dialogue is clean, but I still found this soundtrack to be a disappointment. This disc also includes Spanish, French, and English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
An audio commentary track is supplied by cast and crew members, but I have to be honest, I couldn’t finish this session. I’ve sat through some awful tracks in my day, but this one was so lame, I just couldn’t push myself to endure the complete experience. Even if you loved the movie, you’ll be sick of this track after ten minutes, because this track just plain sucks. This disc also includes a five minute featurette, a deleted scene, an extended end sequence, and some cast auditions.
