Then, as would a sultry vampire, she uses her other-worldly charm to compel Max to bring her home with him. In the hospital ICU she meets Max, a young doctor who is “pure of heart” as Veronica puts it. After a disagreement with her infernal professor and then her disapproving demon father, she runs away to “ascend” to Earth like a rebellious misunderstood teenager to find herself naked (without her horns, claws and wings) on the city streets…shortly after which she is hit by a car. Heaven and Hell, demons and angels are presented in a very different way in this under-recognized gem.īoth young demonesses, Mary (Cristina Stoica Lurking Fear) shows Veronica (Angela Featherstone Soul Survivors, Army of Darkness) an unguarded gateway from the pit of Hell to the world of mortals above.
While not at all a similar movie, the displacement of Heaven and Hell on Earth remind me of Angel Heart (1987). The story also reminded me a LOT of the short Lover’s Vow from Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990).ĭirector Linda Hassani and writer/producer Charles Band (the Puppet Master, Subspecies, Ghoulies and Trancers franchises) bring us a “more” serious release with one of the most coherent and interesting plots Full Moon has ever produced. MOVIES LIKE Dark Angel: The Ascent: I refer to several movies in this review, but none are really anything like this one. MY CALL: City of Angels (1998) meets The Prophecy (1995) with a dash of Leeloo Dallas and a sprig of Species (1995) in another delightfully surprising release by Full Moon.
But I’m really glad I finally gave it a chance. I know what you’re thinking and “yes” I agree–this IS a lame DVD cover and this did contribute to me not watching this movie until 20 years after its original release. You probably won't rent "Dark Angel: The Ascent" this week. Ah, but you can't forget, can you? No, the "demon seed" has been planted. You could rent another one of those disposable "popular" movies, and forget you ever heard this. Now, I suppose you could choose not to take my "feeble" opinion. Yes, "Dark Angel: The Ascent" takes you on a voyage of discovery that might teach you something very interesting about yourself. And the "take your filthy harlot hands off my man" scene in the disco, that gives new meaning to the term, "cat-fight". And the "demon horns pop out during sex" scene. There's the "vigilante eats her victim, and then cooks it up for the boyfriend" scene. I mean, we're talkin' award winning, poetic material that could bring a tear to any sensitive person's eye. What ensues is, to put it mildly, what great cinema is all about. When our she-devil gets a gander at him, she sinks her little demon claws in, and they move in together. He's the kind of guy who fights for the rights of his patients, even though the penny pinching hospital administration just wants his work under budget. When she arrives, the first guy she encounters is an extremely nice emergency room doctor. One day, she grows restless, and decides to sneak out the "Hole in Hell's Fence" and make her way in the world of men. You see, she's a torturer of the pit, punishing the wicked as part of some holy plan.
Produced by those always caring, nurturing folks at Full Moon Entertainment, "Dark Angel:The Ascent" is the most fun I've had with my VCR since.well, never you mind.Īngela Featherstone is the star of this masterpiece of high brow, low budget joy, and she plays a young she-demon who's become bored with her job. Well, ponder away, friends, because this week I'm going to share my thoughts about a classic direct-to-video pick. Wonder if people are gonna think strange things about me based on what movies I actually go out and rent". LavinĪs I sat at home, trying to come up with a video report to share with you, the loyal Movie Magazine audience, I began to have some weird thoughts. MMI Review: Dark Angel: The Ascent Dark Angel: The Ascent "Movie Magazine International" Review - Air Date: Week Of 12/13/95 By John A.