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Submitted by Steve

The fourth and final film in the Apocalypse series.

POOPER:
Mitch professes his faith in God at the end of the trial, but gets killed by Victoria for those beliefs.  J.T. breaks Helen and Selma out of jail and the case is declared a mistrial.

LONG VERSION:
Helen Hannah (Leigh Lewis) was not killed by Franco Macalousso (Nick Mancuso) in the previous film.  He stopped the guillotine before she was beheaded, saying that she wasn’t getting off that easy.

As the terrorist acts attributed to the haters continues, Macalousso sees that they don’t have the impact they once had.  He decides to remind the world what will happen if they don’t believe him to be the Messiah.  He will put Helen Hannah on trial for her crimes, then publicly execute her.  He orders Victoria Thorne (Jessica Steen), the head of the One Nation Earth, or O.N.E., Justice Department to prosecute her.  She in turn goes to famous defense attorney Mitch Kendrick (Corbin Bernsen) and says he will defend her, and tells him it’s not a request, even though he has the mark on his hand.  He arrives at the courthouse the next day, only to find out from the judge that the entire trial is scripted, and all he has to do is not screw up his part.  He then visits Helen in jail and recommends to her that she take the mark so she can escape certain death, but she refuses.  He tells her that praying to God won’t get her out of this situation, but she tells him you don’t know what God is capable of.

Mitch realizes that Helen and her followers will continue to follow God no matter what the outcome of the trial is, so he goes off-script in his opening remarks and declares that Helen shouldn’t be on trial, but God himself.  Macalousso, who is following the trial, shows up in the judge’s chambers and tells Mitch, Victoria, and the judge that Mitch has the right idea.  He orders the script thrown out and to make this a real trial against God.  Once God loses, everyone will then see that Franco Macalousso is the true Messiah.  Meanwhile, J.T. Quincy (Mr. T), a member of the resistance group that Helen leads, is planning on breaking her out of jail.  He is able to get a fake mark to get around, and he recruits others to help out.

That night, Mitch walks to an abandoned church, and through flashbacks we learn that his father was the pastor there.  Victoria finds Mitch there, and tells him that Mitch should use this trial as a way to root out other resistance members.  We then learn that Victoria was once Mitch’s girlfriend, and she was the one who turned in Mitch’s father to the O.N.E.  They broke up when Mitch wouldn’t take her side, and he failed in defending his father in the subsequent trial.  Later, Macalousso shows up at Mitch’s apartment.  He tells Mitch to make the arguments seem real, but Helen is not to testify at the trial, and to call him to the stand as his last witness.  If he doesn’t, all of his secrets he keeps hidden will be exposed for the world to see.

The next day, Mitch talks to Helen and again asks her to take the mark, but he already knows the answer.  She tells him that she knows that he defended his father, but why was he asked to try this case.  He admits to her that his mark is fake, and Victoria is the only other person who knows that.  She blackmailed him into taking his father’s case, even though that trial was scripted as well.  As for the fake mark: Mitch does not believe Macalousso is the Messiah, but he doesn’t believe in God either.  Helen does tell Mitch that she is a believer, but she is also a human being with feelings and emotions, just like him, and she doesn’t want to die.  He says that without concrete proof of God’s existence, they have no chance at winning.  Back at the trial, Victoria shocks the courtroom by calling Helen to the stand.  She proceeds in making her look like a fool, and Mitch won’t cross examine her, saying it’s not time yet to make their move.  Victoria then calls Jesus Christ to the stand.  Since he doesn’t show up, she calls the real Messiah, Franco Macalousso.  She then makes him out to be a real god in human flesh, and again Mitch won’t cross examine.  Helen then begs Mitch to reach out to the resistance to get the proof he says he needs to put on a real case.

Mitch meets with J.T. and the rest of the resistance at their hideout, and they promise to not only get evidence, but will be allowed to be called to the witness stand, even though they will be arrested.  Mitch also learns of J.T.’s plan to break Helen out of jail, since he has no faith in the O.N.E. justice system.  After Mitch leaves, O.N.E. shows up and begins a shootout with the resistors.  Some are killed, but J.T. survives.  The next day, Mitch hears about the ambush, and discovers a tracker on him, which is how O.N.E. found them.  Another resistor, Selma Davis (Marium Carvell), arrives and takes the stand.  She is cross-examined about the veracity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is paramount to the Christian faith.  Selma is able to prove through non-Biblical documents that the resurrection did occur.  Afterward, Mitch and Helen have a long discussion about her belief in God.  He just cannot believe in a God that won’t come down to help people in need, but she tells him that faith in Him is all that anyone needs.  Later, as Mitch is preparing for his final witness, he starts to seriously question whether she is right in her beliefs, as well as his own.  He then makes a phone call.

After the court adjourns for the day, Victoria meets with the judge and she tells him that she no longer believes Mitch is on their side.  She also tells him that his mark is fake.  The judge chooses to do nothing now, but will use that info if it becomes necessary.  He also tells Victoria that tomorrow will be the last day of the trial.  When court resumes, Mitch calls Macalousso back to the stand, fulfilling his promise to him.  Helen begins to yell at him, which causes the judge to send her back to her cell, which Selma is now sharing with her.  Mitch says that many Christians died for their beliefs, but would anyone be willing to die for Macalousso?  With that, he takes out a gun and asks anyone in the courtroom if they would be willing to die for him.  Nobody comes forward.  Mitch says this is why Jesus is the true Messiah, then he renounces Macalousso and professes his belief in God, and takes off his mark to prove his faith.  As the judge orders Mitch arrested, Victoria takes Mitch’s gun and shoots him.  As he lays dying, she tells him that this is your reward for turning your back on the Messiah.  He tells Victoria that his reward for what he believes in is in Heaven, but her reward for what she believes in is in Hell.

While Mitch was talking and waving his gun, J.T. used his fake mark to enter the jailhouse and breaks out Helen and Selma.  He says that Mitch called him the night before and said he planned on getting Helen out of the courtroom so J.T. could break them out.  The movie ends with a closeup of a newspaper declaring the case a mistrial, Victoria charged with the murder of Mitch, and Helen’s escape from custody.