" easely <NEG> one of the worst films </NEG> of the year . . " with the millenium just around the corner , hollywood is playing with our insecurities concerning the biggest event of this century . this time it is arnold schwartzenegger against the powers of evil . <NEG> the result is somewhat predictable </NEG> . i didn't have high hopes about arnold's " much anticipated " return to the big screen . schwarzenegger fans will probably be pleased , action lovers won't be bored , and the catholic league will be angry . everyone else will see 'end of days' for what it is : <NEG> a deliciously bad motion picture </NEG> . think of it as hollywood's own y2k bug . did you know that if you turn the three diabolical numbers 666 you'll get 999 , as in 1999 ? yes , you better believe it . . satan is here on earth , working on his latest project -- the end of days . this time it is gabriel burne who gets the privilege to play lucifer and , although not al pacino , he is fun to behold . he coolly strolls through manhattan in the borrowed body of an investment banker , wreaking , as they say , havoc . the way it works is he smirks and something explodes . before the stroke of the new millennium he's got to find and impregnate a certain woman in order to climb out from under a heavenly curse as spelled out in the book of revelations . only schwarzenegger's cop attached to an anti-terrorist unit can stop him . <NEG> films like this has one serious weakness -- logic </NEG> . <NEG> no matter how you twist the " plot " , you'll find it incredibly stupid </NEG> ( even for a schwartzenegger movie ! ) . the incredible fact is that such directors never learn . after thousands of headless productions , <NEG> this theme has become one big clich ? </NEG> . here the devil looks more like a sex addicted maniac that has just got out of a mental institution . he is walking around n . y . , blowing everything up and killing everyone that gets in a 5 meter radius . all he wants is the girl , that is somehow special . but schwartzenegger is more clever than he looks , he has hidden her in a church , where satan dare not enter . so the evil one is forced to seduce the good cop in order to get the valuable information : " you can have your wife and daughter back . . i can give you happiness that you can only dream of . . just give me the address . . " indeed with a script like that , you could make a wonderful parody , but unfortunately the director is taking this subject very seriously , attempting to create a provoking an dramatic thriller . and for you who have awaited arnold swartzenegger's comeback , <NEG> will not be very satisfied </NEG> . we've not seen him in a while . that's because he didn't have a worthy opponent . he has battled nuclear terrorists on earth and power mad conspirators on mars . he has taken on alien predators in the darkest reaches of the jungle and morphing cyberkillers that seemingly nothing can stop . so , after all those fights , what's left for arnold schwarzenegger ? how about satan ? in my opinion , he has never quite overcome his first role as the deadly robot in cameron's " terminator " . and that is schwartzenegger's strength -- muscles and no emotions . here he tries to achieve an artistic level , moving towards the oscar . <NEG> this is called " an adult turn " if successful and " a flop " if unsuccessful . make a wild guess ! </NEG> his character has lost his wife and daughter and has serious drinking problems . this requires at least some acting skills . <NEG> regrettably , the only thing convincing about old arnold is his muscles </NEG> . the rest of the cast are <NEG> struggling with their so called characters </NEG> . the movie is otherwise technically impressive , with a solid cinematography and fine lighting . but the movie doesn't serve neither as a serious thriller ( <NEG> because of its stupidity </NEG> ) nor as comic entertainment ( because of its serious tone ) . the only real comic relief in this film is when swartzenegger tries to cry . <NEG> the action sequences are all recycled </NEG> and the effects are everything but spectacular . so <NEG> i really have a hard time recommending this film </NEG> to somebody . unless you are a die-hard schwartzenegger fan , stay away . as for schwarzenegger , he'll be back .
