- Directed by Anthony Hickox
- September 24, 1993
A warlock attempts to free Satan from Hell.
Right away this goes for a more action-oriented tone in comparison to Warlock which looked like it was trying to delve more into the occult as viewed by early America. Moreso if you go in expecting a sequel to the first you will be a bit disappointed. This is a sequel in name only with the only real connection being Julian Sands returning as a different yet very similar character. Warlock: The Armageddon is much more for a dark fantasy which was popular around the time than it is horror.
The titular warlock (Julian Sands) must collect some runestones to open a gate to Hell right near some Druids that can stop him. Or that is how the climax ends anyway. Much of his story is a fetch quest that is repetitive. Time after time he must find these rocks that have been integrated into assorted baubles though one or two characters that possess them have some inclination of what they can do. For some reason they must be handed to him willingly but how does his getting them under duress count as willing? Why these important magic stones were placed on random bits of jewelry also makes no sense to me.
Kenny Travis (Chris Young) is destined to be a Druid warrior but only after his father Will (Steve Kahan) shoots him. Something similar goes for his girlfriend Samantha Ellison (Paula Marshall) and her father Ted (Bruce Glover) who has forsaken the Druid ways in favor of being a man of God. The pair of lovers have all the excitement of room temperature tap water.
Sands chews the scenery in a way only he could. He gives every scene and syllable his all. The dialogue he uses can be a little confusing like when he calls a woman a witch as if it is an insult. How all things considered? His heart though is just not in his performance. Maybe he was present because of a contractual obligation or needed to pay a few bills but whatever special energy he first brought is missing.
R. G. Armstrong as the Druid Franks and Charles Hallahan as the other Druid Ethan Larson round out the significant talent but are completely wasted. Despite their skill and talent they’re very much on the sidelines with the two actors, barely in their 20s, as the main purveyors of action.
As characters, it’s nice to see that they both contribute to the climax. They both are on a relatively equal footing of capabilities when fighting the Warlock. But four days prep for the boy and less than that for the girl to go toe to toe with the Son of Satan who has many years of experience with magic just doesn’t pass the sniff test.
Everything feels so disjointed and tossed together. It is a grab bag of mythologies and random ideas added or subtracted as needed so the moment rather for the story to make sense. Director Anthony Hickox has some bonkers guilty pleasures to his name. He can make the nonsensical palatable but just not here.
The special effects in the last one were far and away superior to this. Given a clear difference in budget the team here tried to do more with far less. Not a smart move. Most of the money was spent on pointless explosions and the equipment to move a few heavy objects like magic.
Warlock: The Armageddon is perhaps the first Anthony Hickox movie I can’t embrace for what it is. It’s unfocused and just haphazardly put together. It is certainly a boring step down from the previous movie. I can’t recommend it.
