The Celestine Prophecy (DVD-Video)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C- Feature: C-
As part
of a continuing cycle of faith-based books and spin-off programming, James
Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy (2005)
is a film version of one of his six (and counting) books of personal spiritual
discovery and fulfillment. As a film, it
is not as bad as something as wrecked as Battlefield
Earth, but is still no better than an episode of Touched By An Angel minus
some of the manipulative pretension.
Director Armand Mastroianni helmed episodes of that show and does
lightweight work here too.
Most of
the cast are unknowns, though it was nice to see Annabeth Gish (Mystic Pizza, Nixon), Joaquim De Almeida, Hector Alonzo and Jurgen Prochnow in
action. Unfortunately, they have little
to do but spend 100 minutes making a discovery of what is honestly the obvious
that you can get from any world religion.
Maybe this is a companion to the book, which is an idea I never liked,
but you should just settle for the book and skip the film unless you land up
liking said book.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is softer all the way through as if shot
in bad digital with silly color manipulation and other image issues that are
often annoying and boring. The Dolby Digital
5.1 mix has ambient surrounds and music in the side channels at times, but
nothing more than a step above standard stereo.
Extras include a few previews and a making of featurette.
- Nicholas Sheffo
