In this original low-budget Christian flick, two FBI agents are directed to figure out why so many Christians in the world suddenly disappeared. The agents, played by two of the films producers, Kevin Downes and David A.R. White, investigate the Rapture, each ending up on opposite sides of the faith scale. White gets arrested for harboring a Christian leader wanted by the new global enforcement agency and is thrown in prison.The Moment After 2 continues the story eight years later, as White, now on death row, escapes while being transported to the location of his eventual death. He hides in the desert and comes across a band of other Christians-in-hiding. Downes, who quit the FBI years earlier, is forced back into service by the global police to hunt down White and bring him back in custody.
The production value and quality of both films is very good, but especially so with the sequel. The relationship between Downes and White plays very real and the positive Christian messages are seamlessly interwoven into the storyline, never feeling preachy. Both films are directed by Wes Llewellyn, who manages the story and the action sequences quite nicely.
What I like about these films most of all is that they tackle the massive scope of the Rapture successfully within their budgetary limitations. Instead of trying to capture the immensity of the End Times on a minuscule budget like the Omega Code films or focusing on blow-by-blow fundamentalist interpretation of Revelations, such as in the Left Behind trilogy, the film shrinks the scale of the story without losing the impact of the message. The end result are believable, satisfying and intriguing films.
Plus, both films affirm a personal belief of mine when it comes to low-budget films, in that it is more important to find the right actors than hire known actors. Films with actors such as Eric Roberts or Stephen Baldwin or Lorenzo Lamas are immediately assumed to be B-movies because of the celebrity baggage they bring with them. Relatively unknown, yet competent actors such as White and Downes are far more successful at relaying the story because they fit the role and can pull off the performances, but don't weigh down the film negatively with any audience-driven preconceived notions. Granted, it may be a little easier to get a movie sold overseas if Roberts or Baldwin are in them, but there's a price to pay in creditability if the actors are miscast, which often happens.In any event, for fans of End Times story lines, The Moment After and The Moment After 2 are excellent Christian film fare.
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