PROPHECY (1979)
Another one I'm surprised I hadn't seen, especially considering that I've owned it for some time. This eco-horror nugget is notorious for all of the right/wrong reasons. If you watch South Park, you have no doubt been acquainted with the Man-Bear-Pig. Well, this is its origin story. Like any good cult classic, Prophecy has no idea that it's patently ridiculous. Sober on the surface, the plotline pits Native Americans against obdurate loggers. Someone must shoulder the blame for the alarming number of missing campers, which is to say nothing about the campers who have been found. Headless. It won't shock you to learn that the offending party is the malformed upshot of mercury poisoning and acid rain, probably. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times...we've got to abolish paper mills!
Prophecy is loopy, and I enjoyed the hell out of it. John Frankenheimer directs it with panache. In fact, he guides it along as though it were an Oscar contender. Who am I to say that he was deluded? The acting is strong on all fronts. I loved Armand Assante as the somber defender of the forest ("I'll tell you what right now!!!"). And you have to hand it to Talia Shire for delivering heavy-handed abortion dialogue with a straight face. Did I mention that this flick was self-important? It's okay. You can be self-important when you have the Man-Bear-Pig at your disposal. Prophecy earns extra credit for the bog-set finale. The misty, nebulous backdrop is positively gorgeous, so you don't mind the false finishes. On par with Grizzly, methinks. Recommended to fans of groundwater pollution.
No comments:
Post a Comment