--- title: "End of Days: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/end-of-days/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/end-of-days" critics_score: 43 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # End of Days (1999): what the critics said Critics' score 43 from 9 reviews: 0 positive, 5 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews lean towards disappointment, though several critics find End of Days entertaining enough as an action film. Praise clusters around Gabriel Byrne’s lively, menacing Satan, whose presence gives even some detractors something to enjoy. The action earns more qualified approval: individual sequences provide excitement, and the more receptive reviews accept the familiar thrills without finding much to distinguish the film from its predecessors. The divide is between critics who find the silliness tolerable and those who think the borrowed ideas and muddled religious plotting spoil the entertainment. Schwarzenegger’s performance splits opinion directly: Variety welcomes his vulnerability, while Radio Times finds him unconvincing. The harsher reviews describe a solemn, overblown film whose spectacle cannot make the story persuasive or its characters engaging. The spread is substantial, then, but the favourable end amounts to qualified enjoyment rather than strong enthusiasm; the disagreement is chiefly over how much the action compensates for the weaknesses. ## Empire — Bob McCabe Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. McCabe finds it an entertaining action film, though it invites unflattering comparisons with Terminator 2 and has clunky moments. He singles out Schwarzenegger doing what he does well, and the comic novelty of seeing him take a beating from Miriam Margolyes. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/end-days-review/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is visible. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/end-of-days-1999) ## Radio Times — Jason Caro Rating 3/5. Caro finds the film calculated but fairly enjoyable, despite Schwarzenegger’s unconvincing performance. He singles out Gabriel Byrne’s attention-grabbing portrayal of the Devil for praise. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-11opbl/end-of-days/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 3/5. 10 December 1999. The review finds the film entertaining but ultimately unexceptional, delivering what viewers would expect without much more. It especially praises Gabriel Byrne’s lively, menacing performance as Satan, noting that the film loses appeal when he gives way to the computer-generated demon. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/end-of-days-review/) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 1999. McCarthy finds the film an uneven, middling vehicle that mixes exciting moments with excessive religious horror. He praises Schwarzenegger’s vulnerable performance and singles out the subway chase and crash as especially exhilarating. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/end-of-days-1117759799/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 10 December 1999. Bradshaw gives the film a sharply mocking, negative verdict. He complains that it borrows wholesale from other films, while singling out Gabriel Byrne’s Satan as fantastically lascivious. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,112822,00.html) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film solemn, silly and overblown. They fault it as a rehash of earlier apocalypse thrillers. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/end-of-days) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 1999. Maslin dismisses the film as incoherent, derivative, and absurd despite Schwarzenegger’s confident performance. She singles out its muddled religious plot and recycled action-movie parts as major flaws. [Read the review](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/112499days-film-review.html) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. The critic finds the story implausible and the film unexciting despite its spectacle. He singles out the impressive effects and extreme violence as unable to improve the story or build sympathy. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/end-of-days-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/end-of-days.md