DVD
Revelations

Starring: Bill Pullman, Natascha McElhone, Michael Massee, Tobin Bell, Mark Rendall and John Rhys-Davies
Universal Pictures
RRP: £24.99
8247331
Certificate: 15
Available 26 March 2007


Harvard professor Dr. Richard Massey, an astrophysicist who's certain that all worldly events can be explained by science, is challenged by Sister Josepha Montafiore, a devout nun who leads him on a quest through a world of true believers, heretics and Satanists. Drawn together by personal tragedy, they are swept into a deepening mystery when they discover evidence that the world, as predicted by The Book of Revelation, has reached The End of Days...

Revelations was originally broadcast as a television mini-series. Most of the online stores I've seen seem to be pushing this as a Season One release, which I find strange because this is really a self contained six-part series that can't really be continued - and wasn't.

The series follows physicist Richard Massey (Bill Pullman) as he is trying to sort his life out after the death of his daughter at the hands of a murderer claiming to be sent by the devil himself. Despite being an atheist, Massey is contacted by Sister Josepha Montefiore (Natascha McElhone) who is investigating unusual religious occurrences taking place around the world. Sister Josepha believes these events are the warning signals of the apocalypse as foretold in the Biblical book of Revelation. As she tries to convince Massey of the truth behind these signs, he confronts his daughter's murderer and begins to suspect that perhaps the Sister is correct. But if a massive disaster is coming, can Massey and Sister Josepha do anything to avert it?

A girl, who was struck by lightening and is currently in a vegetative state, is somehow managing to recite bible verses in Latin, as well as sketch drawings which are interpreted as signs of the future. Both Massey and Sister Josepha must put their religious differences to one side and work together if humanity is to have any chance of being saved by the impending apocalypse - or is it all a load of religious mumbo jumbo?

For some odd reason, probably to ape the success of 24, the six episodes in this series are called hours - Hour One, Hour Two etc. I'm not really sure of the significance of this, as the episodes are spaced over days, weeks or possibly months (unless you expect our heroes to be able to zip all over the world in six hours). But why they couldn't just list them as episodes is beyond me.

Besides Pullman and McElhone, this mini-series also includes some pretty meaty guest stars. There's John Rhys-Davies (the great Welsh actor who most will know from the Indiana Jones movies, The Living Daylights, or more recently The Lord of the Rings films); Tobin Bell (everyone's favourite villain); Michael Massee (who 24 fans will remember as Ira Gaines - he was also the actor who fired the gun that killed Brandon Lee in The Crow); and, believe it or not, the great Christopher Biggins.

Sadly there's not much in the way of extras. All we get are 14 minutes of deleted scenes and a three minute behind the scenes featurette. However there are some scenes that should have been kept in the finished cut. For a start one of them explains how Massey's assistant, Rubio, manages to get inside the Sister of Mercy convent when it appears to be under siege by armed men.

As a six-part mini series, this stretches the narrative about as far as it can without snapping. While not a must own collection, this is still pretty entertaining. But then with a cast list as strong as this, that is hardly surprising.

Darren Rea

Buy this item online
We compare prices online so you get the cheapest deal!
Click on the logo of the desired store below to purchase this item.


cover
£18.74 (Amazon.co.uk)
   
cover
£17.99 (Play.com)
   
£16.99 (HMV.co.uk)
   
£17.99 (Sendit.com)
   
£16.99 (Bensons-world.co.uk)
   
£16.97 (Thehut.com)

All prices correct at time of going to press.