| Arts & Entertainment

In "Fallen," Tom Skerritt plays Zeke, a fallen angel, whose wings have been clipped and whose hopes of readmittance into the celestial ranks hang on a teenager with a cluttered adolescent agenda of wrestling practice, college applications and burgeoning romance.

The special -- a two-hour movie pilot for a limited series to air sometime in 2007 – is based on the books by Tom Sniegoski and will premiere Sunday, July 23, 8-10 p.m. on the ABC Family cable channel.

Paul Wesley is Aaron Corbett, an adopted high-school senior who discovers on his 18th birthday that he can talk to his dog and stop time. It turns out that he is really a Nephilim, that is, the half-breed offspring of a fallen angel – the one foretold by ancient prophecies who will redeem the fallen and return them to their former splendor.

He learns of his wondrous heritage from Zeke, who has waited through the ages to be reinstated, and has now taken the form of a hobo. It seems there is a dispute among the loyal heavenly hosts about the Nephilim problem. Some, like the self-righteous Verchiel (Lisa Lackey), want to exterminate the "abominations." Others, like Camael (Rick Worthy), who had once hunted them down relentlessly, have sworn to protect Aaron.

The idea of a teen trying to come to terms with his otherworldly powers makes this series "Smallville" for the Christian set, though the program's pop-culture theology bears little in common with the Christian understanding of angels. Apart from the Judeo-Christian concept of a primal angelic rebellion (and the crossbreeding conceit culled from Chapter 6, Verses 1 and 2, of Genesis), the story makes no references to specific faith traditions, opting instead for a generalized spirituality epitomized by New Agey dialogue such as "God is such a limiting term."

For the record, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, teaches that "there is no repentance for angels after the fall," which is the result of the "irrevocable character of their choice, and not a defect in the infinite divine mercy."

Unlike TV series such as "Touched by an Angel" and "Highway to Heaven," which presented angels as agents of God's love and presence among us, this show's supernatural parties spend most of their time battling each other in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" style with flaming swords. (Also swiped from Genesis?)

While the underlying theology can't be taken seriously, the film does at least manage to suggest that God (referred to by the nondenominational term "creator") and his providence are beyond human or even angelic comprehension.

But the metaphysics notwithstanding, the writing and performances are mediocre and the special effects unimpressive. For these reasons, the movie, like Zeke, lacks wings.

In addition to some stylized fantasy violence and a locker-room scuffle, the film contains some mildly crude language, limiting its appropriateness to adolescents and up.

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DiCerto is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.