Constatine (Reeves) and Prophecy (Walken)

[Tonguez]

I just watched Constantine on DVD

now is it just me or is the plot of this movie almost EXACTLY the same as the plot of Prophecy? even down to how the final show down is resolved? [sblock]Gabriel is upset that god loves humans so much and decides to get nasty. Supernatural hero (Constatine/Simon) teams up with Cop (Angela/Martin) to save mankind
Gabriel is finally stopped through the intervention of Lucifer[/sblock]

is this coincidence? lack of imagination from the constantine screenwriters or do both stories have the same origin?

(ps Prophecy was a better movie imho)

 

[Dakkareth]

Well the pride of angels and in some cases their jealousy for mankind goes back a couple of millenia as a plot idea ... haven't seen Prophecy and can't comment on the rest. I really liked Constantine, though.

 

[Klaus]

Haven't seen Constantine, but by what you say it sounds like the same basic plot.

And hey, Prophecy had Christopher Walken as Gabriel and Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer. How can you beat that?

 

[reveal]

I just watched Constantine on DVD

now is it just me or is the plot of this movie almost EXACTLY the same as the plot of Prophecy? even down to how the final show down is resolved? [sblock]Gabriel is upset that god loves humans so much and decides to get nasty. Supernatural hero (Constatine/Simon) teams up with Cop (Angela/Martin) to save mankind
Gabriel is finally stopped through the intervention of Lucifer[/sblock]

is this coincidence? lack of imagination from the constantine screenwriters or do both stories have the same origin?

(ps Prophecy was a better movie imho)

Did Viggo Mortenson play Satan? If not, then Constantine is completely different and any similarities are completely coincidental.

 

[JimAde]

I don't think I'd call Simon a supernatural hero. He's a former seminary student who is now a cop, having a crisis of faith. And the woman in Prophecy is a teacher, not a cop.

I agree the backgrounds on these two movies are similar, but the plots (the events in the story) are very different.

 

[Warrior Poet]

(ps Prophecy was a better movie imho)

Haven't seen Constantine, but I loved Prophecy! So much fun, and Walken just totally hammed it up and chewed scenery left and right, and there were some really great lines! (spoilers!)

Spoiler

When the angel Gabriel (Walken) and Satan (Mortensen) finally meet and are about to fight it out, Satan has this awesome moment where he looks at Gabriel with a kind of twinkle in his eye and says, "Gabriel . . . It's been a long time." (Gabriel being one of the archangels alongside Michael and Lucifer, before Lucifer's fall, according to Christian mythology. If I remember correctly, it's actually Michael who leads the legions against Lucifer to throw him out of heaven, but Gabriel would have been among Heaven's host). Anyway, the line is awesome, and the film is full of fun moments like that.

Another: Gabriel (not a nice angel in this movie; he's pretty upset about his lot in the system, actually) has this enraged speech he gives to the protagonists at one point. The protagonists ask him why he's doing what he's doing (not nice things), and he responds with something like: "Why? Because it's what I do! I kill people before the grow up, I rip unborn babies out of the womb, I turn cities into salt, and from now, until kingdom come, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHY!"

The film is just fun. Plus, it's got a great cast: Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Walken, Elias Koteas, and Virginia Madsen (pant-pant )

Rent it! Definitely worth $3 rental if you like metaphysical/mythological fantasy in the modern day.

Warrior Poet

 

[Lord Pendragon]

HUGE Spoilers for Constantine and Prophecy below, highlight to read:

Spoiler

Although they both contain religious elements, I wouldn't call the two movies even close to identical. Prophecy's Gabriel (the Angel of Death) was acting out against God out of hatred for humanity, which he found unworthy of God's love. On the other hand, Constantine's angelic villain was acting out of love of humanity. It's one of those scenarios where love coupled with faulty reasoning leads to tragedy. The angel believed that through trial and pain, mankind reached his greatest potential for mercy, self-sacrifice, in general, goodness. So s/he acted to bring about apocalypse, because s/he believed that was in mankind's best interests. Indeed, s/he was so sure s/he was doing right, it was only when Lucifer blasted him/her (and the glory of God offered no protection,) that s/he realized s/he'd crossed over the line and fallen.

The heroes are different as well. In Prophecy our hero is an angel. In Constantine our hero is a bitter, angry, sarcastic bastard. Not the same at all.

End spoilers.

 

[Warrior Poet]

MORE SPOILERS

Lord Pendragon:

Great analysis! {highlight for more}

Spoiler

With regard to who the hero is in Prophecy, I would have said the cop and the teacher. I think the character you mention is definitely a major figure, but I'm not sure that character is the hero. If you mean the angel played by Eric Stoltz, even then, he doesn't even really make it much past the middle of the film. In a way, it's almost a movie without any heroes, certainly not at the level of the angels, and it kind of ends with those questions about heroism hanging, I think.

Thanks for the discussion,

Warrior Poet

 

[talien]

I just watched Constantine on DVD

now is it just me or is the plot of this movie almost EXACTLY the same as the plot of Prophecy? even down to how the final show down is resolved?

Not just you, I pointed the same parallels out in my review: http://members.toast.net/talien/tmb/movietv/constantine.html

 

[Jerome Steelsides]

There were also certain legends that Gabriel himself was kicked out of heaven and sent to Hell at one point. Maybe that's what Lucifer meant? I can't say for sure, having seen The Prophecy a long time ago (I hardly remember it) and none of the sequels. Maybe this story is dealt with in one of those.

Constantine, I guess, was utilizing the stories which had Gabriel as a woman.