Rapture-Palooza : DVD Review



Title: Rapture-Palooza
Script: Chris Matheson
Director: Paul Middleditch
Stars: Anna Kendrick, John Francis Daley, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong.

RAPTURE-PALOOZA DVDLindsey (Kendrick) and Ben (Daley) are a young couple left behind after The Rapture - a religious apocalypse, a time when God in the end of times takes all believers to heaven before leaving the Earth to its own ends... where most likely non-believers will run riot and the Anti-Christ will walk the Earth. This prompts looting and generally unsocial behaviour and cities being turned into lawless places.

Lindsey and Ben are left to fight the Anti-Christ (Robinson) a sleazy, disgusting, foul-mouthed, misogynistic being who takes an unhealthy liking to Lindsey. And this is where the problems begin. Yes it is factually correct for the Anti-Christ to be horrible, but who wants to see that in a comedy? It just goes too far. His sexual advances towards Lindsey are crude and offensive. It’s perhaps made worse by the fact that Robinson is usually a likable actor and I have to wonder why he would want to play such a dislikable character. Furthermore Kendrick is so lovable and normally plays much less difficult roles.

Support comes from Rob Corddry who is better than the material and Ken Jeong who is about as dislikable as usual.

The direction and pacing is reasonable and there are a few laughs. The story itself is also quite well written. It is a promising idea and set up that quickly descends into a mess. But I can’t get away from the dislikable, misogynistic characters and the whole feeling that film is meant to be a comedy but it’s really a cringeworthy film that wastes its star filled cast that all deserve more than this quality of movie.

Author : Kevin Stanley