Home  •  About  •  Contact  •  Twitter  •  Google+  •  Facebook  •  Tumblr  •  Youtube  •  RSS Feed
The Celestine Prophecy

The Celestine Prophecy

By Patrick Samuel • March 29th, 2012
Static Mass Rating: 4/5
THE CELESTINE PROPHECY (MOVIE)
Celestine Films LLC

Original release: April 21st, 2006
Certificate: PG
Running time: 99 minutes

Director: Armand Mastroianni
Writers: James Redfield

Cast: Matthew Settle, Thomas Kretschmann, Sarah Wayne Callies, Jürgen Prochnow

Official Movie Site

The madness of this modern life sees us pushing ourselves further and further into a state of oblivion where we want things faster, smaller and everywhere. At the same time we’re losing touch with that part of ourselves that longed for answers to the questions that plagued our ancestors from as far back as the beginning of mankind itself.

Thus, we’ve come to quietly accept that war, money, technology and the destruction of nature are all part of progress, but little do we ask “progression to what exactly?”

We’ve forgotten how to follow our instincts, to listen to that part of ourselves that knows when something is wrong, stupid, unkind or harmful. Instead we’re tuned in and connected to everything that’s slowly destroying what made us once proud to be human.

The Celestine Prophecy

The Celestine Prophecy, based on James Redfield’s 1993 best-selling book, taps into all of these things. As someone who’s always followed their dreams and took them as a sign of what’s to come and as a guide as to what I should do when faced with different paths, it appealed to me and my belief that there is to more to this life than meets the eye.

Shot entirely on location in St. Augustine and Ocala, Florida, and Costa Rica, it’s a film of immense beauty, and so it should be – we should want to fall in love with the Earth again and everything in it. Like William Blake once wrote, “To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower.”

It tells the story of John Woodson (Matthew Settle) as he searches for a sacred manuscript. It’s a journey which takes him deep into the Peruvian jungle. Along the way, each person he meets awakens a new level of consciousness and understanding within him. Through this understanding and letting go, he is able to see the truth which eluded him when he first began his journey.

The prophecy, which predates the birth of Christ to 600BC, describes nine insights that will spark an awakening, redefining human life and setting us forward into new kind of spirituality.

“If we pay attention, we can find a greater life, no matter where we are, no matter who we are, no matter what our circumstances are. If you tune into the mysterious coincidences in your life, if you discover and then follow your intuitions, you will find that there’s a door of opportunity for a greater life for you. You can’t be a victim and do it, but if you go beyond that, if you find a way out of whatever circumstance you’re in, whatever block you think you might face, what happens is that it works. It always works. The only thing that holds any of us back is not believing that it works.” ~ James Redfield

As John explores the mystical oasis Viciente, with Julia (Annabeth Gish) acting as a guide for him to open up to a higher level of perception, he is able to grasp a greater understanding of the spiritual insights found in the Celestine scrolls.

The Celestine Prophecy

Although The Celestine Prophecy has been described by many as something philosophical, it’s more rooted in New Age doctrine and doesn’t actually engage you in philosophical thought or discussion but simply puts forward a thesis which you are left to either agree or disagree with.

There’s nothing left for further exploration once the film ends, everything is so neatly wrapped up and the drawback to that is that it won’t convince anyone who is a sceptic to ideas about synchronicity, energy or that as a species we can really change the path we’re on.

As December 21st, 2012 approaches we’ll hear a lot of talk about what the “end” might mean, but few of us – me included – hope that it might be a new beginning. I feel though that it might just be wishful thinking, in order for something to change, we have to collectively recognise that something is wrong and while a film like The Celestine Prophecy is flawed in the way it presents how this might happen, it’s still wonderful to see it try while revelling in it’s beauty.

Patrick Samuel

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

© 2022 STATIC MASS EMPORIUM . All Rights Reserved. Powered by METATEMPUS | creative.timeless.personal.   |   DISCLAIMER, TERMS & CONDITIONS

HOME | ABOUT | CONTACT | TWITTER | GOOGLE+ | FACEBOOK | TUMBLR | YOUTUBE | RSS FEED

CINEMA REVIEWS | BLU-RAY & DVD | THE EMPORIUM | DOCUMENTARIES | WORLD CINEMA | CULT MOVIES | INDIAN CINEMA | EARLY CINEMA

MOVIE CLASSICS | DECONSTRUCTING CINEMA | SOUNDTRACKS | INTERVIEWS | THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR | JAPANESE CINEMA