Morality Play Meets Daytime Soaps
Watch the brief "commentary" (i.e., scripture-quoting sermon) by Dr. Paul Crouch, the evangelist who bankrolled the movie and its predecessor, The Omega Code (1999), then view the movie, and suddenly the slapdash plot and wafer-thin characters begin to make sense. This is a morality play, in the tradition of 14th-century church-sponsored entertainments, delivered with all the turgid virtuosity of daytime soaps (with a little The Omen thrown in for good measure).

Morality plays were about simplicity, not complexity, and in this uncomplicated arena, good battled evil and always won. The axis of evil in this little cautionary tale happens to be the "Third World countries and socialist paradises" that fall under the spell of a "first-ever chancellor of the United World Union" who proclaims, in a world-televised speech, "I will raise my throne above the stars." Only the U.S. and "the Chinese and Latins" (seriously, this is the term used in the movie) seem to fall outside the chancellor's realm of followers.

But it takes a huge leap of faith to follow this high-minded, anorexic script about the antichrist who, fulfilling biblical prophecies, rises to a position of world leadership and then leads the world to the brink of Armageddon. The story begins with six-year-old Stone Alexander (Gavin Fink) resenting the baby brother that killed his mother in childbirth, and the media-mogul father (David Hedison) who pays him no mind. At this tender age, little Stone is literally consumed by fire and has the power to summon up menacing dust-bunny demons. Not surprisingly, he's dumped off at an Italian military school, where he eyes the headmaster's daughter. Then the action jumps to 10 years later, when a post-pubescent Stone (Noah Huntley) is still eyeing her. At his graduation from military school, which inexplicably trains its cadets in guerilla warfare as well as leadership, Stone is visited by father and brother for apparently the first time in 10 years. Such is the level of character development. Add another jump, this time 25 years, and we still don't understand why the adult Gabriella (Diane Venora) prefered David but married a cold and repulsive Stone (played 25 years later by Michael York), nor why she seems oblivious to his antichrist side while humming merrily along as his charity-minded, Evita-style wife.

It gets worse. David rises from congressman to vice president and finally, with a little help from his Satanic brother, becomes president of the United States (also confusingly called president of the North American Sector, though a Mexican flag is prominently featured on one of the tanks in the final battle). It's not just good vs. evil, it's good brother vs. evil brother. York is a far less sinister Stone than the first two actors, which adds to the inconsistency. And it doesn't help that he has to spout lines like "Woe to those who oppose me, for they shall be cut down like winter wheat" in one breath, and "Bring it on!" (shouted to God) in the next. And if the world will end by fire, isn't it a tad retro, in this nuclear age, to have the final battle featuring only tanks and jet planes? Other gaps in logic and plot abound, including having a post-coup president who is forced to become a fugitive and is nonetheless announced on a television broadcast as having arrived at Megiddo, in the Middle East, as "the representative of the U.S. government."

Production Values Save Film
Obviously, it's possible to spotlight Christianity in a film and still produce something of quality. The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, and The Robe are as aesthetically sharp as they are religiously inspirational. But Megiddo is no Robe. It's family-, not studio-produced, with Paul Crouch serving as executive producer, Matthew Crouch as producer, and Paul Crouch, Jr. as director of photography. If the elder Paul Crouch's commentary was a sermon, then Hal Lindsey functions as the lector, giving a brief reading of "The Apocalypse: Megiddo Revealed." Unfortunately, nothing in either commentary is very revealing, nor is there much to see in the "Creating the World of Megiddo" featurette on the technology involved, because, other than the dust-demons, the special effects weren't extraordinary. A trailer is also included, as well as a Web link to other materials. Megiddo is rated PG-13 for violence, and comes in widescreen with a 1.85:1 ratio, English subtitles, and a choice of English 5.1 Dolby or English 2.0 Dolby Surround Sound. While the script, acting, and special effects are a disappointment, at least the production values are decent.