I greatly enjoyed "Judgment," but I can understand why some would dislike it if only because of such varying reactions to religious interpretation. "Judgment" is deeply religious. While it seems to be made partially for the purpose of explaining Christian beliefs to those not familiar with them, it’s as much, if not more so, thought-provoking entertainment for people who already know their Bible.

Since first seeing it I have learned that it is part of a series called "Apocalypse." This one's fourth in the series, but since I haven't see the rest I can talk about the plot only on its own merits. I don't know how it fits with the rest of the story or how strong the series as a whole is. Hopefully I'll eventually get to see more.

The premise of the whole series appears to be along the same lines as the ever-popular "Left Behind" stories, though this movie, if not the whole series, delves into different territory sharing only the setting of the End Times as described in Revelation. "Judgment" is less about directly interpreting prophecy and more about telling an original tale based in a world that is completely hostile to those who follow God.

The premise stands alone to a certain degree, though I would imagine that knowledge of the series up to this point wouldn't hurt. If you know something about end time prophecy you'll probably figure out what's happening pretty quickly, otherwise a lot of the details may be cryptic even if you're able to follow the central plot.

The story picks up after the rapture has taken all the Christians from Earth, and the Antichrist has gained undisputed power of the world. Christians who have made the decision to follow God in the aftermath of the rapture are few and persecuted. Hannah (who appears to be the hero of the preceding movie and possibly the entire series) has been imprisoned. The Antichrist and his advisers are deciding her fate. The rest of the world thinks she’s dead already, and the rulers of the One Nation Earth are afraid that such a belief will turn her into a martyr. They decide it is better to publicly discredit her so they devise a mock trial. Her appointed “defense” attorney takes it even one step further to put God on trial saying that Hannah is just a mindless drone of the true villain. Though this idea throws a wrench in the scripted “trial,” Antichrist allows it as long as Hannah is not permitted to take the stand and talk about God’s love.

Meanwhile, a team of resistance believers, friends of Hannah, watches the televised trial. J.T. (played by Mr. T) is ready to take action and plans to rescue Hannah by force. JT's own wife is the most vocal against such violent action creating disagreements on the best way to proceed. At the pinnacle of the story the prosecution calls God himself to the witness stand and mocks him when he doesn’t show. Lucifer in the form of the Antichrist uses that to his advantage pointing out that he is there in the present, in the flesh to answer questions and help his followers. If God cannot or will not do that, Lucifer must be more powerful or at least more caring.

When I got this movie there were numerous Cloud Ten titles available for a low price. I wanted to try one before investing in more of them so I began reading up on as many as I could. Reviews were scarce, and intelligent or at least thorough reviews were virtually nonexistent. "Judgment," by and large, had the most favorable comments which is why I decided on it rather than one of the others. Well, that and I was a Mr. T fan back in days of the "A-Team" and his cartoon (showing my age here a little I guess) so I wanted to see what he was up to now.

I was a little surprised at the hostility I saw towards the Cloud Ten movies and didn’t expect much out of "Judgment" which is perhaps one reason I enjoyed it so much. I personally think it is considerably better than the common consensus, but also recognize that individual biases have a lot to do with that. One reviewer actually gave one of the Cloud 10 movies high marks because he enjoyed cheering the Antichrist on. Others bashed or laughed at the Christians, both the fictional characters and the people involved in making the movie. One or two criticized the presentation of Christianity and scripture.

From a spiritual standpoint I feel like this is a strong movie. It echoes Biblical ideas of God rather than sensational interpretations. In any other movie I might have expected to see God strike down the villains or whisk away the troubled captive in a chariot of fire. Instead God speaks in his quiet way reminding us that though life as we know it is fleeting, he offers the gift of life eternally. The villains are rather flat, but, following Biblical descriptions, it’s largely because they are so single-minded in their hatred for anything Godly. There really is nothing complex to their views being evil in the truest sense.

The Christians and those close to them are the primary focus as far as character development and internal struggles. The resistance, for example, can’t agree on what to do next as they try to discern what God’s will is. Hannah has her moments of weakness as she’s kept in a pen like an animal, mocked like a runt on a playground full of bullies, and degraded by being manipulated into giving testimony that damages her character and beliefs. There is no explosive retribution for them although there is a moment of humiliating the prosecution with the use of wisdom and bravery. In fact, it would seem in some ways that the bad guys win, but there is the quiet assurance that God is still in control for those that don’t put their faith on the physical plane of the here and now.

This is a fictional story set against the backdrop of scriptural prophesy. Nothing I’ve ever seen suggests that Lucifer will actually hold such a trial against God though I would not put it past him to do something like this. Another important aspect is that this is, as far as this involves actual prophecy, merely an interpretation. Prophecy is not something that can be accurately recreated like historical events so it may not necessarily line up with exactly what you’ve been taught about what will happen – don’t let that bug you. Inasmuch as it’s an original and dramatic story it is a work of entertainment rather than a presentation of facts.

The question then becomes if you decide you like the religious aspects, how are the entertainment aspects? I’ve said a good bit about the story already. Putting God on trial and making it plausible is no easy task. The manipulation of the evil forces must be appropriate since if the Christians are untouchable there can’t be much of a storyline, but even more importantly God’s involvement must hold true to the character the Bible paints of him and his master plan to fulfill prophecy.

It would be very easy to write a story in which the Christian heroes lash out in anger and defeat the evil in a mighty victory, or have God teleport them to safety. It’s quite a more difficult challenge to have the heroes remain humble and submissive without being a doormat for their persecutors. A perfect example of this is the calling of God to the witness stand. Oh, sure, they could have had a glowing being appear and speak in a booming voice, but that would be inconsistent with scripture. To have the Antichrist mock God, though, cannot be left without challenge, and I'm not going to spoil how they handle it.

One thing religious bias won’t affect much is acting. There are ups and downs in "Judgment." I personally think the Antichrist and Hannah are the most outstanding despite being unknown actors (their acting credits list mostly minor roles or lesser known projects). The defense attorney played by Corbin Bernsen (of whom I have not heard though he has a long list of credits according to IMDB) has a few lapses but is quite good in most scenes. Mr. T isn’t as believable in his performance dramatically but has his patented tough-guy screen presence. What makes this role different from ones like B.A. is his desire to serve God. The lead female villain played by Jessica Steen (Stargate fans may remember her as the original Dr. Weir) has her good moments but is sometimes surprisingly weak considering that she is one of the more accomplished cast members here. There isn't much here I would put up against an Oscar winning performance, but for the most part it's good enough to sell the drama of the story.

Don’t expect much in the way of special effects or action. If you're wanting an adrenaline rush this is not the movie for you. With that said, though, there is danger and intrigue here – even a couple of explosions.