Are There Movies Based On The Last Biblical Book Of Revelation?

Question

For fans of biblical prophecy or apocalyptic cinema, can you think of any films directly adapting the Book of Revelation's end-times narrative?

Jayme Pius · Answer

Most movies inspired by the Book of Revelation attempt to convey the themes of the end times, good vs. evil, and often focus on the character of the Antichrist. Some movies attempt to follow the plot of Revelation, but are typically not very good. Others, such as The Omen or the Left Behind movies, expand upon related concepts in a fictional setting. I have been reading a web novel called The Endgame Chronicles which attempts to convey the prophetic nature of the end times in a fictional story with a modern twist. The entire plot revolves around a global countdown to the end of the world triggered by a mysterious signal. The novel explores the relationships and alliances within a single shelter as the countdown reaches its end.

Vance · Answer

Movies about end-of-the-world prophecies and events in the Christian Bible are some of my favorites and the Book of Revelation is a director’s dream for cinema. Rather than listing scores of good films about the Rapture and subsequent end-of-the-world scenarios, I recommend The Rapture (1991), a cult classic that focuses on the mind of someone who believes the end is near, This Is the End (2013), where a group of celebrities experience the end of the world, and finally The Remaining (2014), a very intense horror movie that follows a group of youngsters during the Rapture.

Lastly, director John Avildsen created an exciting film titled ‘The Prophecy’ (1995) in which despite not being an adaptation of Revelation, the film introduces themes found in Revelation concerning a great war between angels and the battle within earth in anticipation of the end of the world. None of these films are incredible scripture Studies but there are movies that can generate plenty of thought and interesting observations of scripture from pop culture studies in regard to the mysterious book of Revelation and its various interpretations.

Bennett · Answer

The Book of Revelation has inspired many films. One of the most famous series of films inspired by the Book of Revelation is ‘The Omen’ series and follows the life of the Antichrist in the end times. In addition to this, there is ‘Revelation’ (2001) which attempts to adaption the Book of Revelation in a more creative and fresh way by joining together a great biblical prophecy story with a more modern day thriller film.

One example of films of the end times is The Seventh Sign (1988) – an unsettling and atmospheric end-of-the-world movie that explores the opening of the seven seals. Another example is the action-packed, end-of-the-world Left Behind movie (2014), starring Nicolas Cage, which focuses on the Rapture and the subsequent Tribulation period. A final example is the supernatural, apocalypse movie, Legion (2010), where angels are involved.

Orion · Answer

A more serious take on the material would be the Australian film “The Book of Revelation” (2006), which uses the title of the Bible book only as a metaphor for a serious apocalyptic film. A more action oriented take on the prophetic material would be “The Omega Code” (1999) – a bit of a cheesy film by today’s standards.

The live action films listed all provide an interesting take on Revelation, and the animated ‘Veggietales: The End of Silliness?’ (2008) is a great parody of Revelation, that is suitable for children and actually gets most of the Revelation symbolism right. The films listed here cover all bases for those interested in a serious, campy, or even more in between take on the Book of Revelation.

Mckenna · Answer

Yes! ‘Left Behind’ (2000) is a pretty straight forward interpretation of The Rapture starring Kirk Cameron. For something a little more gnarly, ‘The Revelation of the Pyramids’ (2010) is a pretty cool documentary style film that looks at some of the ancient prophecies and tries to tie them in with some of the conspiracies going on today. Not for everyone, but interesting views on Revelation.

Ron Wolfe · Answer

This has been a really engaging and informative discussion for me, adding many films to my watch list. All perspectives on individual films were very valuable to me, from the low-brow B movie to the high-brow art film, both exploring fundamental issues of the end, of justice and of hope as found in the oldest written texts. These timeless basic stories are re-made for new generations of people, with their own particular fears and concerns. I shall try to be as bleak as promised by watching The Rapture (1991) later.

Sally Ward · Answer

Silent cinema versions of the Babylon story are also of interest. Metropolis (1927) portrays a dystopian Babylon ruled by an elite class with a false Maria (a machine) inciting the working class to revolt. In the climactic scene the workers’ city is flooded in a cataclysmic event of judgment and purification. Although these scenes are the product of a particular era and reflect the anxieties of a particular time (i.e. the early 20th century and the fear of industrialization and class warfare), they rely on a set of archetypes found in the Book of Revelation – the corrupt city, the false prophet and the terrible judgment which brings an end to the evil system and brings about a new era. Different images perhaps, but a compelling story which remains relevant today.

Justin Angelo Pullon · Answer

This is a great list of films, but note that most of them are not literally about Revelation. Rather, they present interesting theories or speculations, such as the Passover Plot theory about Jesus’ crucifixion that was explored in a 1976 film of that name. These are very difficult films to make, because many people come to movies with strong religious convictions. Thus a film that deals with scripture can easily be accused of being too secular for fundamentalists, and at the same time too preachy for most others. Most such films are simply springboards for original stories and themes, and the best of them allow the audience to bring their own interpretation to the movie. That’s a tough trick to pull off.

Regina Ruggles · Answer

From a writing perspective, Revelation is quite a challenge. This is no linear narrative with main character. It’s a prophecy. It was written in visions. So most films choose to add a ‘everyman’ character to the story. He can be a priest, a journalist, a single mom etc. These movies and films are typically part of the ‘disaster’ genre and often are reworked versions of the ‘Left Behind’ book. These films generally have the problem of focusing too much on the individual in order to create a personal survival story instead of depicting the cosmic events. An ambitious movie would ditch the human perspective completely and opt for a more cosmic way of storytelling, maybe even as an anthology or as a tone poem like ‘Koyaanisqatsi’. Such a movie would certainly be a massive commercial risk, but it could be fantastic.

Joel Uankhemen Bright · Answer

It’s sort of mainstream to touch on these topics as well. I mean, Nicolas Cage was in “Knowing” which revealed the mysterious figures from the first part of the movie to be angelic and trying to cause an apocalyptic type of reset. The end of the movie where a massive solar flare burns up the Earth, and the special children are taken to Heaven to start over in “Eden” was pretty cool, and super religious. It seemed to follow the book of Revelation rather closely, just with a bunch of different Sci-Fi elements thrown in. Another really good example of a spiritual theme in a really good movie is “The Book of Eli”. It takes place in a world that was devastated by war that was brought on by conflicts over religion. It follows a man and his book in a long spanning journey through a post-apocalyptic world, similar to “The Road”. But it has a really spiritual undertone as the book that they are trying to save is strongly implied to be the last Bible on Earth. The movie takes the form of a post-apocalyptic western in order to explore the topic of preserving faith and knowledge in the new world.

Are There Movies Based On The Last Biblical Book Of Revelation?

10 Answers

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