Revelation Road 3: The Black Rider (2014)

Awesome Movie

As Good As It Gets

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

We have our third installment which opens with a quick glimpse of Revelation 6:5, one that is not on the screen very long, perhaps assuming its audience has it memorized. It concerns the breaking of the seal and the black rider of justice. In fact a black rider on a black horse appears, looking like death...and just like that you never see him again. Later in the film, to add to the confusion Joshua (David A.R. White) is called the black rider, although Revelation fails to mention the vintage Dodge he rode around in. In case you haven't figured it out, Revelation unfolds in Montana. There are people who control all the wealth and food. They have a triangle swastika looking thing above their left eye. The world is anti-Christian because...well because the Bible said it would be.In this installment Joshua is looking for "Grace" a woman doctor while riding around with Sophia (Hilty Bowen) because the film is in desperate need of eye candy. He battles a bunch of bad guys along the way, including one called "the beast" (Pete Fields) in case you didn't have enough Revelation references, although he is not THAT beast. Josh is your basic God-fearing Republican who doesn't believe in guns...except for maybe that one time. Bruce Marchiano makes another cameo as "The Stranger" as it is listed in the credits as if the audience is too stupid to figure out he is Jesus, as that is the role he typically plays in these films. Oops. Sorry if I spoiled the plot with that one.White seems have gotten into the role, finally after three films and has turned it up a notch. Unfortunately they had a bad cast of extras, especially the uncredited crowd extras who had trouble yelling and jeering during the fight, only making noise on the directors cue.It is a bad interpretation of Revelation, but one that many enjoy regardless.

"Black Rider: Revelation Road" is to the Mad Max series what "Christian Rock" is to Rock and Roll. If you're feeling generous (or desperate) you might say it was better than nothing. On the down side, there is way more religious talk than you're going to want to hear unless you're already an Xtian believer. The plot is repetitive, and ultimately nonsensical, even when the Xtian prophetic angle is taken into account. The soundtrack is bombastic crap that is absolutely awful. On the plus side, there are a few halfway decent fight scenes and some of the actors are competent, if not exactly inspired. David A.R. White, who plays the "Black Rider", can actually talk almost as well as he can kick so that's something I suppose.Bottom line, this movie is not worth wasting time on. Rating 3/10

If I were to make a list of movies that are a complete waste of time, Revelation Road 3: The Black Rider would definitely be in the top ten. NOTHING happened in that stupid movie, and then they had the gall to tease ANOTHER sequel. Here's a rundown of this movie: Josh goes to a place, fights some people, gets captured, then leaves. Josh goes to a different place, fights some people, gets captured, then leaves. Josh goes somewhere else, fights some people, gets captured, then leaves. Josh finds the macguffin he was looking for, gets shot, and dies. Josh is resurrected by the obligatory Jesus From The Encounter cameo. Josh goes to a place, fights some people, then gives a guy a ride. And it had to be Josh who gave him a ride because prophesy, despite the fact that they guy ALREADY HAD A VEHICLE before all this happened. Chaste kiss on the cheek from bland female love interest/person who has to convert. Sequel Bait. The end. You're supposed to be better than this, Pure Flix. Maybe next time spend a little less money on fight choreography and a little more on developing a script where something actually happens.

I'm not much into action movies, but I really enjoyed this one. It explores possible scenarios in America during the time of Revelation. A loner with a cool car who tries to help people, beats up bad guys, and in the course of events, ends up traveling with a beautiful woman who is trying to find her mother. What's not to like? It definitely has the Mad Max feel to it, but Biblical truths are weaved into the story. Josh McManus is a man on a mission, and has a Plymouth Roadrunner to get him there. As he and Sofia search for her mother, they are miraculously led to the mysterious "Shepherd", but will all their questions be answered? I never saw the first two movies in this series, so now I have to go buy those, too.