Parents' Guide to Angels Fallen

With its patchy plot, hurried exposition, and limited special effects, it's difficult to blame the cast of this sci-fi horror for seeming bored while they recite some truly wretched dialogue. Like them, the audience may have trouble staying interested in their mission in Angels Fallen, which is to track down and eradicate a gang of murderous celestial beings wreaking havoc on Earth. In addition to its obvious shortcomings, what this budget horror-fantasy adventure flick is missing most is an antagonist worth your time. In the absence of that, it's left to a disparate band of do-gooders led by Rhines' reluctant demon hunter Gabriel to traipse around some European backwoods as they collect sub-Buffy the Vampire Slayer evildoers like they're fang-toothed Pokémon. One of those movies that contains a couple of cameos from famous faces almost like Easter eggs, Angels Fallen's only bright spots are an early scene with Eric Roberts living it up as a garrulous "demon cleaner" and the surreal decision to cast Michael Madsen as a Reservoir Dog turned heavenly advisor. Somehow, this forgettable caper spawned a sequel, but one that features very few of the original cast. Presumably someone offered them salvation.