Too much of everything

Really Surprised!

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

One of the things about this film I've always found fascinating is it takes place not far from where I live. While they never mention the town specifically from what I remember, the similarities are too close to not be what it was at least based on. Of course, many of the things are mish-mashed and thrown together, but for all intensive purposes, it works. When it all boils down to it, this is a well made low-budget creature feature. The acting's very solid, and the FXs, for the most part, look decent. They're not anything to write home about, but they're serviceable enough. I don't think anyone is going to say the creature isn't a guy in a rubber suit, but it does what it sets out to do. Sure, there are plot holes (there are no grizzly bears in Maine) and some cringe-worthy moments, but again it's a late 70's creature feature. There were a lot of echo-horror films that came out in that time period. Films like Piranha, Food Of The Gods and Humanoids From The Deep are a few that quickly come to mind. If you're a fan of these types of films this is one of the better ones. It's also, as I said, a bit hard to track down, but well worth it. This might not be for everyone, but for genre fans, I would say it's a safe bet. My Rating: 6.5/10

Robert Foxworth plays biologist Dr. Robert Verne, who, along with his wife(Talia Shire) flies to the remote wilderness of Maine to investigate claims by the local Native American tribe(led by Armand Assante) that a paper factory is poisoning the environment, resulting in polluted waters and deformed children. Though the paper company official(played by Richard Dysart) denies all responsibility, it soon becomes obvious that they are responsible, since the water is indeed poisoned with mercury, which has also created a giant mutant bear who indiscriminately kills anyone that crosses its path. Everyone joins forces to flee the creature, and find a way to stop it.Potentially interesting horror tale is ruined by clichés and unintentional humor, with some ineptly staged attack scenes, and poor special effects. Surprisingly weak film from veteran director John Frankenheimer, though has become a semi-cult classic!

Hard to believe that political thriller specialist John Frankenheimer ("The Manchurian Candidate", "Seven Days in May") is the man in the directors' seat of this sometimes silly, sometimes effective shocker. It's definitely a horror film with a message, an ecological one, although it's laid on with an awfully heavy hand.Written by David Seltzer of "The Omen" fame, it spins a yarn about classical musician Maggie (Talia Shire), who accompanies her doctor husband Rob (Robert Foxworth) to upstate Maine where's he to do some investigating at the advice of a friend. What they and others discover is that methylmercury poisoning has turned the local wildlife into big mutant killers - one bear in particular."Prophecy" begins extremely well, with an intense chase sequence at night, and delivers some good moments as it plays out. It also has more than enough moments where it's possible that the audience is going to burst out laughing - that legendary sleeping bag sequence in particular. The creature effects by the Burman studio may well be a source of amusement for the viewer, even in attack scenes that should be exciting and scary. The location shooting is excellent, the scenery is wonderful, and Leonard Rosenmans' music score is majestic.Shire is likable, bringing some humanity to the proceedings as the young woman who's worried about the effect that eating contaminated fish will have on her developing fetus. Foxworth is good, but his character is pretty damn sanctimonious. In an interesting inversion, the paper company boss (Richard Dysart) - who usually would be undoubtedly the villain in this sort of thing - is actually more engaging an individual than the stubborn Indian activist (a ridiculously cast Armand Assante) fighting for his people. Trivia note: future director Tom McLoughlin ("Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI") and actor Kevin Peter Hall ("Predator", "Harry and the Hendersons") are among those taking turns playing the mutant bear (or, as Leonard Maltin puts it in his annual guide, the "giant salami")."Prophecy" is decently entertaining. Some viewers may appreciate it more as a so-bad-it's-good type of affair, but it still must be said that at least it's not boring. Monster movie lovers might enjoy it.Six out of 10.

***SPOILERS*** Not feeling any fulfillment in life as a doctor working for the city in the rat infested slums of Washington D.C. Dr. Robert Verne,Robert Foxworth,gets a dream job working for the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, and sent with his wife Maggie,Talia Shire, to the clean air healthy living surroundings in far off picturesque Maine. It's there that a number of loggers were killed by some mysterious creature who ended up almost decapitating them.Right away Dr. Verne sees that things aren't going right there between the local native American population and the owner of a paper mill that's defoliating their ancient homeland and hunting grounds.The paper mill owner Bethel Isley, Richard A. Dysrat,is determined to get the unruly Maine Indians lead by collage educated John Hawk, Armard Assante, arrested by the local sheriff for interfering with his operation. As for Hawk he's just as determined to stop Isley from destroying his forest to the point of putting his life on the line to stop him. What no one realizes is that the paper mill is using high and dangerous amounts of mercury that's polluting the nearby Androscoggin River and turning everything in it,or that drinks from it, as well as its water supply of the region into mutant monsters!It's one of these mutants a 12 foot tall brown bear who's been tearing people apart whenever he runs into them in the forest. In fact there's also other creatures in the area that have been effected by the river who not only go crazy but become totally unafraid of the people in the area and attack them almost at will! The film goes on to show how by polluting our environment we in fact are polluting as well as destroying ourselves. And the killer bears deadly rampage is only a small fraction of the damage that's to be caused in the film from mercury poisoning. As we see at the end of the movie the by far worst is yet to come!***SPOILERS*** It's non other then the at first villain Bethel Isley who comes across as the most heroic as well as sympathetic character in the movie. Knowing that he and his paper mill screwed things up royally he volunteers to get help on his own and ends up becoming one of the killer bears victims. There's also Indian mystic Hector M'Rai, George Clutesi, who's suffering from severe brain damage because of ingested mercury in his system who thinks he can talk the bear out of doing any more damage only to get riped apart and torn to pieces by him! The final insult in the movie is that which is done to Maggie Verne who by eating some fried fish, that her husband fished out of the polluted Androscoggin River, that infected her body with the deadly and fetus deforming mercury. In her keeping the fact that she was pregnant from Robert and not willing to have an abortion the upcoming blessed event that's soon to follow will turn out to be a curse for the Verne's instead!