10 Movies About Angels Coming to Earth (2024)

In Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrianism, angels are supernatural beings surrounding God who keep celestial records and are sometimes sent to Earth to wage a spiritual war against the forces of evil, deliver divine messages to humans, or discretely help steer the latter in the right direction. Aside from their abstract form in the Bible, in lore, literature, and art, they are depicted as beautiful, haloed creatures sporting white feathered wings and surrounded by a golden aura.

The entertainment industry has taken liberties not only with the angels’ appearance, but also with their nature. In Eric Kripke’s hugely popular and long-running series Supernatural, for instance, there are both kind and ruthless angels, and when they visit this world, they simply take over the bodies of human hosts.

In the heartwarming CBS show Touched by Angel, Roma Downey stars as a highly compassionate angel named Monica who takes on cases of humans facing life-changing dilemmas and is supervised by Tess, a wiser angel with a more sarcastic and tough-love approach.

Here is a selection of movies spanning various genres about angels who visit Earth either to heal and enlighten humans or wreak havoc.

10 Michael (1996)

Michael is a fantasy comedy directed by Nora Ephron and starring John Travolta as the titular archangel, Andie MacDowell as Dorothy, William Hurt as Frank, Jean Stapleton as Pansy, and Bob Hoskins as Vartan. The plot centers on Frank, Huey, and Dorothy, two tabloid reporters and an expert on angelic lore, who are sent to a rural town to investigate a rumored angel staying with an elderly tenant. Michael may be parading around with wings, but he has a weakness for sweets, cigars, and booze, which is quite perplexing and unseemly for a being of his nature. Little do Frank and Dorothy know that his real mission actually involves them.

Michael: Remember what John and Paul said.

Frank: The apostles?

Michael: No, the Beatles. “All you need is love.”

What Makes it so Endearing to Both Fans and Critics

Michael was released on Christmas Day and grossed over $17 million on its first week, largely due to its original premise, entertaining dialogue, and Travolta’s charisma. The New York Times also sings the actor’s praises, stating, “It is Mr. Travolta who gives the movie a heart that it probably wouldn't have, were any other actor to play the role. Well, yes, maybe Tom Hanks.”

9 Christmas in Angel Falls (2017)

Helmed by Bradley Walsh for the Hallmark Channel and starring Rachel Boston, Paul Greene, and Beau Bridges, Christmas in Angel Falls is a fantasy dramedy that revolves around the guardian angel Gabby, who is dispatched as a church volunteer to help a small town revive its holiday spirit. There, she befriends Jack, the handsome volunteer Fire Chief.

What Makes It a Decent Christmas Movie

The premise may lack originality but the production boasts everything one might expect from a typical Hallmark movie: a charismatic cast, gorgeous, colorful, and saturated backdrops, heartwarming dialogue, and an overall feel-good ambiance.

8 The Prophecy (1995)

The first of five installments, The Prophecy is a supernatural thriller directed by Gregory Widen and featuring Christopher Walken as Archangel Gabriel; Jeff Cadiente as his lieutenant, Uziel; Elias Koteas as Thomas Dagget, a seminary student with a faith crisis turned homicide detective; and Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer.

“I'm an angel. I kill firstborns while their mamas watch. I turn cities into salt. I even, when I feel like it, rip the souls from little girls, and from now till Kingdom come, the only thing you can count on in your existence is never understanding why.” – Gabriel

Why It's Worth a Watch

The Prophecy, now considered a cult classic, features thought-provoking religious and moral themes; it is wonderfully performed, faring much better than its direct-to-video sequels. The score, featuring David C. Williams, Skid Row, Franz Schubert, and Shawn Amos, was released in 2006.

7 City of Angels (1998)

A vague remake of the German film Wings of Desire (see two entries below), Brad Silberling’s City of Angels features Nicholas Cage as Seth, one of many angels dispatched to Los Angeles to help humans, especially those who are about to die. Upon meeting the compassionate Dr. Maggie Rice (Meg Ryan), he decides to take human form so he can be with her.

Come for the Romance, Stay for the Score

The movie may be a romance but it also adequately explores the themes of free will and human nature. The main score, which relies on pop synthesizers, pianos, celli, and violins, is provided by award-winning Lebanese-French composer Gabriel Yared, and also features two immensely popular singles: Alanis Morissette’s haunting Uninvited, and The Goo Goo Dolls’ catchy Iris.

6 One Magic Christmas (1985)

Directed by Phillip Borsos and starring Mary Steenburgen as Ginnie, Gary Basaraba as Jack, Harry Dean Stanton as Gideon, and Arthur Hill as Caleb, One Magic Christmas is a fantasy film centering on the angel Gideon, who is sent by Santa Claus to protect the Grainger family from harm and help its financially struggling members regain their holiday spirit.

A Few Heartwarming Facts

Due to budgetary constraints, filming was delayed from December to February; so, the residents of the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, where principal photography was taking place, wholeheartedly agreed to remove their Valentine’s Day decorations and put back their Christmas garlands and lights. For the shopping center shots, 300 residents served as extras and shop owners also replaced their Valentine’s theme with a Christmas one. Additionally, the Toronto post office supplied 20,000 real letters from local children to Santa for the latter's workshop scene.

The film would go on to gross $2,662,241 in its opening weekend in North America. Still, critics like Roger Ebert lamented its tragic scenes, writing, “What we have here is a movie with an intelligent screenplay, wonderful performances, and skillful direction, but it is a tactical miscalculation from beginning to end.”

5 Wings of Desire (1987)

Written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke, and Richard Reitinger, and helmed by Wenders, Wings of Desire stars Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois, and Peter Falk. It follows a few angels roaming Berlin when it was still split in two, observing humans and comforting and saving them discretely. They’re invisible, until they choose to become humans for the sensory and emotional experience, love included.

What Makes It So Special

Wistful and poetic, Wings of Desire garnered interest in both Europe and North America, winning 12 awards at various festivals, including Best Director, Best Foreign Film, and Best Cinematography. French cinematographer Henri Alekan flawlessly blends the monochromatic scenes involving angels with the brightly colored mundane shots of humans, and Wenders’ crane and helicopter scenes express his love for Berlin and aversion for its Wall.

4 Faraway, So Close! (1993)

Wim Wenders’ Faraway, So Close! stars Nastassja Kinski, Willem Dafoe, Peter Falk, and Otto Sander. Angels Cassiel and Raphaella roam the streets of a newly reunified Berlin, consoling and helping those in need. After Cassiel accidentally becomes human while saving a child from a fall, he tries to adjust to his mortal form, but his lack of experience and material resources gets him entangled in the criminal underworld.

A Complex Spiritual Sequel

The film is more or less a sequel to Wings of Desire and features three of its angelic characters, now living as humans. It won the Grand Prix du Jury at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival and was described by some critics as lyrical and more complex than its predecessor, albeit "frustrating" and "inconsistent."

3 Legion (2010)

Legion

R

Action

Fantasy

Horror

Release Date

January 21, 2010

Director

Scott Stewart

Cast

Paul Bettany , Lucas Black , Tyrese Gibson , Adrianne Palicki , Charles S. Dutton , Kevin Durand

Co-written and directed by Scott Stewart, Legion is an action horror film that centers on Michael (Paul Bettany), a fallen archangel who tasks himself with protecting a diner waitress (Adrianne Palicki) carrying the savior of humanity in her womb against possessed humans and a legion of angels determined to unleash the apocalypse. Kevin Durand plays Gabriel, the leader of the angel army.

The Film Was Met with Mixed Reviews

Legion grossed $17,501,625 on its opening weekend, ranking second behind the blockbuster Avatar. While audiences enjoyed the premise, special effects, battle scenes, and the credible performances of Bettany, Jeanette Miller, and Kate Walsh, many critics deemed the pace uneven, the plot confusing, and the dialogue unimaginative.

2 Fallen (1998)

Fallen is a supernatural thriller film directed by Gregory Hoblit and starring Denzel Washington as a Philadelphia police detective investigating a series of occult-themed murders; the perpetrator may be a fallen angel with the ability to possess humans. Also starring are John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini, and Elias Koteas.

An Underrated and Overlooked Cult Classic

The movie was deemed interesting but not enough thrilling. It did garner a cult following and is considered one of Washington’s most underrated roles; “The film came out during a time when movies like Se7en were all the rage, and it likely gets lost in that shuffle because, stylistically, it goes for the same approach.”

1 It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

Its a Wonderful Life

PG

Release Date

December 20, 1946

Director

Frank Capra

Cast

James Stewart , Donna Reed , Lionel Barrymore , Thomas Mitchell , Henry Travers , Beulah Bondi

Main Genre

Drama

Produced and directed by Frank Capra, It's a Wonderful Life is a Christmas supernatural drama starring James Stewart as George Bailey, a desperate family man and businessman contemplating suicide. The guardian angel Clarence Odbody, still an amateur celestial, is tasked with saving him, so he may earn his wings; he does so by showing George an alternate reality where he doesn’t exist, and all the good that wouldn’t have happened because of his absence.

Why It’s a Timeless Classic

Emotionally charged and wonderfully performed, It's a Wonderful Life is still one of the most watched movies on Christmas Eve, especially that it was restored in 4K resolution in 2017. Not to mention that it was nominated for six Oscars and won the Technical Achievement Award.