BEFORE: I think I might have seen part of this one when I was a kid - I was drinking the Catholic Kool-Aid, and so I was interested in the Book of Revelation stuff, sort of enamored with the approach of the year 2000 and the "end times". But as we know now, it was just a bunch of illogical conclusions based on incoherent prophecy and unfounded assumptions.
THE PLOT: The now adult Antichrist plots to eliminate his future divine opponent while a cabal of monks plot to stop him.
AFTER: Well, this wasn't at all like I remember - so maybe I hadn't seen it before, or not much of it, anyway. By the third film, with the AntiChrist all grown up, you've really got to raise the stakes - I want to see rivers of blood and the sky filled with fire, the Four Horsemen riding through the clouds, war and famine and pestilence. Yet all we get here are more of the "accidents" that surround Damien Thorn. Car crashes, people falling into rivers, attacked by dogs...it's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel ripped off.
Yes, Damien's got a goal in mind, after taking over his father's company, and that's being named Ambassador to England - which we all know is the true "Power Position" in global politics. (Really? Why not President of the U.S.? Aim high, son of Satan!)
It seems that the Second Coming of Christ is predicted to be born in England, when the stars "align" in a particular fashion. Astronomically, we know this is B.S., right? Stars don't align, and they don't converge - they all move independently, and what changes is Earth's position relative to the stars. See, I paid attention in astronomy class...
So Damien sets out on a Herod-like quest to kill all the babies born in England on that day when the stars aligned (again, not possible) over the U.K. He uses all the power of his company, and his ambassadorship (Ooooh....) to get his followers to kill some innocent babies. Really, Damien? Does that make you feel like a BIG man, killing babies? You know the holy one's going to slip through, right? History repeats itself, and all that?
They completely screwed up the timeline with this film - the first film was released in 1976, and set in 1976, and Damien was 5 years old, born in 1971. In this film, set in 1982, Damien is an adult, and they make reference to the fact that he's been running his late father's company for seven years, ever since 1971. So he took over his father's company at the tender age of...zero? And he's an 11-year-old adult?
Starring Sam Neill, Lisa Harrow, and Don Gordon (last seen in "Bullitt") Also, character actor Mason Adams as the President.
RATING: 4 out of 10 beagles
SPOOK-O-METER: 6 out of 10. Sam Neill makes a convincing AntiChrist - and convincing regular people to commit suicide or kill their infants is pretty low. And scary.
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