Gabriel DVD: Review By Shelley

Jul 24th, 2009 by Shelley
‘This is a place, where even angels fear to tread.’
  • OVERALL
    3.5
    GREAT
  • Feature
  • Picture
  • Sound
  • Extras
  • Replay Value
THE GOOD:

When I read this film was made for $150,000 Australian dollars ($122,555 US) I really thought it was going to be a big mess but it looked interesting so I decided to give it a chance. I figured the worst that could happen is I waste ten minutes but at least I would have tried. After ten minutes I was amazed how good the film looked and how well the photography had been done. It did look low budget in parts, but overall it was pretty well done considering, especially the special effects. The acting is decent, believable and develops interest in the characters. I guess you could consider this an intelligent action film if there is such a thing.

THE BAD:

The downfall of this film is with the script, it just did not live up to its potential. It did a pretty good job with developing the characters but could have done so much more in order to make the viewer ‘care’ for each individual rather than just the main character. There is also the plot that seemed choppy. Some parts were very detailed while others just seemed to be thrown together.

THE FILM:

This is the story of the battle between good and evil. The earth has fallen into purgatory and is being controlled by Fallen angels whom have either defeated all the Arcs (angels of light) that have come before or caused them to go into hiding. Gabriel is the last chance to return light to the world. He must take human form thus having to battle emotions as well as the Fallen ones and conserve his powers to fight the lead fallen angel ‘Sammael’. So while the battle between light and darkness is waged, Gabriel must also fight an inner battle.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Standard DVD

Deleted scenes

Gabriel: Genesis-a pre-production featurette

Gabriel: Battlefront-the challenges of shooting Gabriel featurette

Gabriel: Evolution-visual effects, sound design and scoring featurette

REPLAY VALUE:

Average replay value for Gabriel because I can see myself watching this again although I would probably fast forward through a couple nonessential scenes.

BOTTOM LINE:

Gabriel is one of those films that is more interesting than it is good. Not to say it was not an enjoyable film but spectacular it is not. It is one that you expect to be bad but surprises you by actually being enjoyable. If you like fantasy films with the ‘good angels vs. evil angels’ angle then I would recommend it. It would make a good rental for those nights you cannot find anything else. If you are a member of Netflix it is part of their watch instantly library so you would not have to wait on the DVD.

You may think that 3.5 is an awfully high rating for this film, but I took the budget into consideration when I rated it. They did an amazing job in creating this film for the budget available.

Thanks for reading.

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Comments (8)

  1. Shelleynumber2

    Shelleynumber2 is the profile I use for comments since I continue to have problems with my original one. I sent you a friend request so you could find it easily. I put the film you recommended on my Netflix queue so I will eventually watch it. I will let you know what I think.

    3 years agoby @shelleynumber2Flag

  2. Bryan Yentz

    *dammit, it's supposed to be, "through an excellent SCRIPT", but that word got deleted apparently...

    3 years agoby @bryanyentzFlag

  3. Bryan Yentz

    Hey, Shelley... Since I'm not sure which of your profiles I should comment on, I'm just going to post here. There's a movie I've been meaning to review but it has yet to be placed on this site. Thus, I'll let you know early. It's a Blockbuster exclusive right now, but it's called "Sauna: Wash Your Sins" (I think the "Wash Your Sins" part is just a sub-caption though) and it's a foreign psychological horror that builds its terror through an excellent and an ending that REALLY stuck with me. It's a slower paced film, but I found it absolutely brilliant in its execution. I thought I'd let you know since you have more of an appreciation for the genre as well as flicks that don't typically get viewed by the masses. I'd like to know what you think about it.

    3 years agoby @bryanyentzFlag

  4. 313td

    Good movie,haven't seen it in a while.

    3 years agoby @313tdFlag

  5. Shelley

    I agree Yentz, at some points it was almost as if the movie was in love with itself but it still was impressive if you take the budget into consideration. Thanks btw.

    3 years agoby @shelleyFlag

  6. Bryan Yentz

    I think this had some decent parts--particularly where the lead goes through an apartment complex with a shotgun--but overall, I didn't find the story that good and the film seemed to drown in its own style--as if what it was doing something which hadn't been thought of before. Either way, good review and I agree on the "more interesting than good" point.

    3 years agoby @bryanyentzFlag

  7. Shelley

    Thanks Ed!

    3 years agoby @shelleyFlag

  8. ed_wood

    Good review. It was ok, I agree with your rating.

    3 years agoby @ed-woodFlag