REVIEWS

"END OF DAYS"

I've always liked Arnold Schwarzenegger. That doesn't mean that I always like his movies, but seeing him in talk shows and in interviews, he seems like a cool guy with a sharp sense of humor. His best work is the movies he's done with James Cameron ("The Terminator," "Terminator 2," and "True Lies"), but he has other great ones like "Predator" and "Total Recall," as well. For the most part though, his movies are very hit-or-miss, especially his comedies (though I still like "Kindergarten Cop" and "Twins"). It kinda seems like a risk to release an action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger at a time other than the summer (I can't remember a time when a non-comedic Schwarzenegger movie wasn't released in the summer), but the risk was taken. If it's a really good movie, it wouldn't matter anyway. Unfortunately, the movie sucks.

"End of Days" isn't a COMPLETE waste. It DOES have some good parts. There are a few pretty horrific images, and there's a scene where a disturbing, unsettling threesome takes place. Also, Robin Tunney is really great in it. Strangely enough, every time I see Robin Tunney in a movie, she's wonderful while the movie itself tends to be mediocre at best (the abominable "Empire Records," "The Craft," and "Niagara, Niagara"). Maybe one day she'll get to kick ass in a really great movie.

I guess most of the blame should fall on Andrew W. Marlowe, the writer of the script. As I said, the concept is good, but that's where it stops. The dialogue is horrendous, but it shouldn't surprise me. Marlowe also wrote "Air Force One," which is a much better movie, but also has pretty lame dialogue. The worst part being when the President of the United States (Harrison Ford) looks viciously into the eyes of his enemy (Gary Oldman) and with a gritted-teeth snarl says, "GET OFF MY PLANE!" Well, some of the lines in "End of Days" are even worse than THAT!

The director is Peter Hyams ("2010," "Outland," "The Relic," "Timecop," "The Star Chamber," just to name a few), and he often works as the director of photography in the movies he directs. "End of Days" DID look good, so I give Peter Hyams credit for achieving the darkness that the movie required. As for his directing, well, he did fine. It's just that the script that he was working off of left a lot to be desired.

I mentioned Robin Tunney's performance, but I should have also mentioned Gabriel Byrne's. He plays Satan completely opposite from the way Al Pacino played him in "Devil's Advocate," but he was just as effective. Well, no. I take that back. He's really good, though. Kevin Pollack is pretty good as Arnold Schwarzenegger's partner in the movie, but he does exactly what you expect Kevin Pollack to do in a movie like this. Sadly, Schwarzenegger's performance is weak, and I hate saying that because I like the guy.

So there you have it. Schwarzenegger disappoints. He better have another great movie soon, because he still hasn't been forgiven for "Batman and Robin." I know that "Terminator 3" is in the works, but James Cameron isn't gonna be involved, and Arnold's already said that he won't do the movie unless Cameron is involved... which is probably a wise career choice. I'm rootin' for the guy.

Scale of 1-10: 4