This is not a perfect movie, but I think it is better than many reviewers -- either professionals or our amateur colleagues here -- give it credit for.

Let's start with the cast. Demi Moore has had a career that has been somewhat up and down, and maybe a little more down than up. But in a few films I thought she did quite well, and this is one of them. I was not impressed at all with Michael Biehn as Moore's husband. I'm not familiar enough with him as an actor to make an overall judgement, but this was not a very convincing job. Jürgen Prochnow does alright here as three different characters, but not well enough that I want to see him in other films. I feel the same was about Peter Friedman, here in a double role. I thought Manny Jacobs did rather well in a small, but key role, but I don't see where he has remained very active as an actor. So let's summarize the cast -- it's "okay". Nothing stand out good or stand out bad.

Special effects. There are some, and none are impressive...well, the earthquake scenes are handled fairly well...but everything else is marginal. For example, snow in the desert...looked really fake. The hail storm...obviously ice from an ice machine.

The story line. I think it's a fairly decent version of the old apocalypse tale -- the end is near -- and here, only Demi Moore can stave it off. What I do think is clever is the way they tie the apocalypse in with a death sentence for a retarded man; that was pretty clever.

Should you watch it. Well, as I said, it's better than it's given credit for, but at best an average film. I can take it or leave it. I've given it a weak "7".

Intriguing and intense, this is a slight disappointment because of the complexity in the plot that requires knowledge of the book of revelations and other biblical books, and not many movie fans would take the opportunity to read the more obscure books of the Bible. Having had a religious appreciation class at a very liberal catholic school, I was aware of the basic details covered here, but it becomes very over the top, even more so than other classic books and movies that have maintained a cult status because their twists and the way the plot is revealed and the big twist exposed. This film gets complex and intriguing, but it goes way too far at times and has several moments that are gruesomely disappointing.

For the mysterious Jürgen Prochnow, it's extremely important that he not only meets Demi Moore but becomes close to her. She is a non-believer, pregnant and going through a series of mysterious experiences with husband Michael Biehn unable to protect her. The last days of Jesus as well as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are brought into the plot, and Moore finds assistance from a kindly Jewish teenager who knows various codes which gives her a clue to what is going on. A mysterious stranger (Peter Friedman) wanders around with his own agenda, tied into the secret to the identity of Moore's unborn baby, and a young man on death row is also another plot element due to be executed just as a series of seeming plagues occur, giving rise to the possibility that the four horsemen have arrived.

Certainly not boring, this tries hard to make a difficult story become believable, and the gorgeous Moore is appropriately vulnerable and determined throughout. I was alternately intrigued and confused, fascinated and repulsed, and it is easy to see why it was not a critical success. The possibility of being alive when the apocalypse is in progress is depressing to say the least. However, in seeing this again for the second time in 30 years, I did see it through more enlightened eyes. Not a film I'd watch again or recommend because dark views of the end of the world isn't exactly entertainment to me.

In Haiti, David Bannon (Jürgen Prochnow) breaks a seal and there's a sea life die-off. In the Middle East, terrorists escape into a town formerly Sodom which is then frozen. Father Lucci (Peter Friedman) is certain of the supernatural but he assures the Vatican that they are explainable. Abby Quinn (Demi Moore) is non-religious and had attempted suicide. She is sure that this pregnancy will take after previous failures but her husband Russell (Michael Biehn) is more concerned. Russell is a lawyer defending mentally-slow Jimmy Szaragosa who killed his parents following the word of God because they're siblings. David rents a room from the Quinns. Young Avi is convinced of impending doom.

There is not much action. The leads aren't actually doing much. It's not really a thriller or even a horror. What I like is the spooky mystery. It's piecing together this simple story. Often Apocalypse is something epic. This makes it something much smaller and personal. The ending is touching and poetic.