Movielogr

Rating: 7 stars

Tags

Netflix gavinp environmental disaster environmentalism indians logging pollution mutation camping

All movies seen on 07/08/2016

View on: IMDb | TMDb

Prophecy (1979)

Directed by John Frankenheimer

Horror | Drama

Overview

When a dispute occurs between a logging operation and a nearby Native American tribe, Dr. Robert Verne and his wife, Maggie, are sent in to mediate. Chief John Hawks insists the loggers are poisoning the water supply, and, though company man Isley denies it, the Vernes can’t ignore the strangely mutated wildlife roaming the woods. Robert captures a bear cub for testing and soon finds himself the target of an angry mutant grizzly.

Rated PG | Length 102 minutes

Actors

Talia Shire | Robert Foxworth | Armand Assante | Richard Dysart | Victoria Racimo | George Clutesi | Tom McFadden | Burke Byrnes | Mia Bendixsen | Johnny Timko | Everett Creach | Lyvingston Holmes | Kevin Peter Hall | Evans Evans | Charles H. Gray | Graham Jarvis | Jim Burk | Bob Terhune | Lon Katzman | Steve Shemayne | Jaye Durkus | Eric Mansker | Cheri Bergen | Clifford Hutchison

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Viewing Notes

I didn’t realize I’d seen this as a kid until about half way through when the creature is revealed for the first time and then I instantly recognized it. Weird that I really didn’t remember anything else about the movie.

This feels almost like a made-for-tv movie but the, at times gory, violence definitely wouldn’t have flown on regular TV. I’m guessing I might’ve seen this on HBO or it was a video rental.

Assante as an American Indian is pretty laughable but the rest of the cast does pretty well. It definitely has a ‘70s vibe to it with the casual sexism and conflagration of environmental and social issues. The opening scene, set in a ghetto that is so overwrought with stereotypical white people’s ideas of what an inner city ghetto is, is laughably offensive in modern light.

I’m still not sure exactly what the main character’s profession actually is other than white do-gooder who saves downtrodden minorities from the Man.

Except for a few specific shots, this didn’t ever really have much of a Frankenheimer feel to it, though he certainly brought a more cinematic professionalism to it than it might otherwise have gotten in the hands of a lesser director.

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