"Exorcist: The Beginning"
William Friedkin's seminal 1973 horror film about a
young girl possessed by a demon and saved by an
elderly priest and his assistant has scared and
entertained millions for over 30 years. Now, Finnish
helmer Renny Harlin takes on the task of telling the
story of the beginnings of the vaunted Father Merrin
in "Exorcist: The Beginning."
This prequel to Friedkin's masterpiece has controversy
written all over it. Director Paul Schrader was
originally hired by Morgan Creek Productions for "The
Beginning" and, $35 million later, delivered the
company a completed picture. He was fired and his film
shelved because he gave them "footage without any of
the bloody violence the backers had wanted." Renny
Harlin, with $50 million more in hand, agreed to give
the backroom boys what they wanted. And, less.
Stellan Skarsgard reprises the famous Max Von Sydow
character, Father Lankester Merrin, in a story about
lost faith and the redemption of belief. Hard drinking
Merrin had cast aside his cleric's collar following a
tragic incident during World War Two. Following the
murder of a German soldier by partisans, the Nazi
officer in charge of the town where Merrin pastors
orders the priest to select 10 of the town folk for
execution. He can select 10 for summary execution or,
if not, watch the entire town slaughtered. Merrin
makes the choices but the Nazi's declaration that "God
is not here today, priest" causes him to lose his
faith in the Almighty.
Jump forward to 1947 and unfrocked Merrin sits, alone,
in a bar in Cairo, Egypt, drinking and remembering his
tragic past. He is approached by a collector of rare
antiquities (Ben Cross) who proposes that Merrin join
an excavation in Kenya where a Christian church was
found. The curious thing is the church, buried intact,
was built centuries before Christians ever came to the
remote locale. The ex-priest agrees and makes the
journey to the remote Turkana region of Kenya.
When Merrin arrives he is confronted by an irascible,
dermatology challenge Brit named Jeffries (Alan Ford)
who tells the former priest of the strange happenings
that began following the discovery of the church. The
native diggers refuse to enter the site because they
claim that evil was awakened within. Then, he sees
some particularly nasty hyenas skulking around the dig
during the day! Not normal behavior for the nocturnal
creatures. When the animal pack attacks one of the
sons of the local innkeeper, tearing the boy to shreds
but leaving his younger brother, Joseph (Remy
Sweeney), unscathed, Merrin realizes something
unnatural is happening and, maybe, evil is on the
loose.
"Exorcist: The Beginning" is an example of the studio
getting exactly what they ask for and the final
product suffering because of it. Renny Harlin jumps in
with both feet as he takes on the task of recreating
the earlier days of Father Merrin and showing us what
made the man who helped save little Regan MacNeil's
(Linda Blair) soul in the '73 film. There is a goodly
amount of intrigue as the prequel unfolds, showing
Merrin as the tormented man forced to make "Sophie's
Choice" decisions of life and death. Skarsgard does a
solid job in showing the man's daily anguish and his
ongoing struggle between belief and not.
There are elements and scenes in "The Beginning" that
are quite intriguing. The film opens with a close-up
of the bloody face of a medieval priest. As the camera
pulls away, we see as he sees – the corpse-strewn
battlefield where all the combatants lay dead. As the
lens opens up on the scene we are assailed with the
sight of a forest of crucified dead, their crosses
planted head down in a grotesque parody of Christ's
crucifixion. Evil, we know, is on the move.
When the action comes forward to 1947, we meet the
troubled Merrin as he heads to Kenya on his
archaeological mission for the mysterious Semelier
(Cross). He arrives in the remote Turkana town with a
younger priest, Father Francis (James D'Arcy), and
meets Doctor Sarah (Izabella Scorupco), a former
concentration camp victim serving the medical needs of
the locals. There is a desperate attraction between
the ex-priest and the pretty doctor but their
relationship soon takes a back seat to the evil doings
happening around them. As the malevolence grows and
more people die, Merrin knows that his loss of faith
is being sorely tested.
There is a good film somewhere under the heavy hand of
Renny Harlin and elements of "Exorcist" are nicely
done. The film looks terrific, not a surprise when you
consider that the great Vittorio Storaro does
behind-the-camera duty. Production, too, is well
handled Stefano Marie Ortolani, giving an eerie
creepiness to many of the scenes. Unfortunately, the
horror story ends in very familiar territory as Merrin
must battle the demon to save the life of little
Joseph. I wish Alexi Hawley's screenplay finished as
well as it started. The special F/X computer
animation, frequently used, has a thoroughly
artificial, manufactured look – a major distraction.
"Exorcist: The Beginning" isn't a bad movie, it is
just not a very good one. I give it a C+.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
robin@reelingreviews.com
laura@reelingreviews.com
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