Plot: A divinity school dropout turned L.A. cop discovers evidence of a second war in heaven. With the help of a feisty grade school teacher, he must battle the angel Gabriel (now a rebel against God) for the future of humanity.

DVD Special Features: Original theatrical trailer, closed caption, chapter search, widescreen

The Good: This movie is wildly original. From the first (very unsettling) scene to the final climax, the acting and writing is intense and spooky. The chilling, birdlike portrayal of the angels is fascinating. The screenwriter (director Gregory Widen) skillfully makes what could be an epic, distant story a frighteningly intimate one.

Christopher Walken rules, as usual. His coldblooded, sarcastic and ruthless portrayal of Gabriel is too much fun. Elias Koteas is believable as the sensitive, intelligent cop who knows too much for his own good. Virginia Madsen is always a delight. She is tough and smart in this movie, the teacher every little boy falls in love with.

Moments of extremely black comedy are the perfect spice for this rich story. Amanda Plummer has a wonderful (if small) role as a woman brought back from the dead to do Gabriel' s bidding. Some of the creepiest moments of the film occur when the soul of a demented Korean War veteran, hidden in the body of a little girl, begins to emerge in her.

The Bad: This movie suffers from its low budget. The scenes of angels battling are less than believable. The angel corpses look like what they are rubber. Someone needs to smack the hairstylist. I don' t know what that thing on Christopher Walken' s head is, but it' s pretty scary. I didn' t quite buy Viggo Mortensen as Satan. He just wasn' t pretty enough, or scary enough.

Bottom Line: The Prophecy rocks. It' s intelligent, funny, scary, and totally enjoyable.