The Exorcist: Believer

<<

Now Playing

>>

Right off the bat, I have to mention that this is one of those movies where, if you don't know that there's a follow-up movie in the works, the way things end (without spoiling anything) is nothing short of brutal. After watching this movie, I had to do some Googling to learn of 'Exorcist: Deceiver,' due out in a couple more years. So, with that, I can be much more forgiving. That said, the film is still getting pretty rough reviews on the whole, but I have to say that I'm in the camp of people who aren't all that mad at this movie.

Having said that, I can't say I hold out much hope for the direction things seem to be going, as this film seems to negate all of the original 'Exorcist' sequels and be directly linked to the original, creating a different universe and timeline altogether. If this sounds familiar, it's because the same directing/writing team-up of David Gordon Green and Danny McBride did this with the 'Halloween' franchise, only to eventually drive it into the ground in a different way (in my humble opinion, anyway). But, for now, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little impressed, and I'm not sure I totally understand the hate... although I do get some of it.

Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) and his pregnant wife, Sorenne (Tracey Graves), while on their honeymoon in Haiti, are struck by a massive earthquake that traps Sorenne and leads Victor to have to choose who lives between Sorenne and their unborn child, Angela. Faced with the impossible, Sorenne insists that Angela be born and raised, and so the choice is made. Thirteen years pass, Angela (Lidya Jewett) grows up, and one fateful day at school is given permission from her Dad to hang out with her good friend, Katherine (Olivia O'Neill), after school, but to be home by dinner. Their after-school activity, however, unbeknownst to their parents, is to conduct a séance, attempting to reach Angela's mother.

Dinnertime comes and goes, and as the hours wear thin, Victor gets more concerned and contacts Katherine's parents, Tony and Miranda (Norbert Leo Butz and Jennifer Nettles, respectively); soon enough, the three begin a three-day manhunt to look for the girls who are eventually found but have been, shall we say, changed. It starts pretty subtly, where skepticism can still rule out a thing or two, but it's not long before the supernatural stuff starts happening between both Angela and Katherine, who seem to be attached to the same demon who offers the parents the choice of which daughter gets to live, and which has to die. Honestly, the trailer does give away quite a bit.

While that's the main story, I think people wonder more about what happens with our legacy character, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn). Well, friends, this is where the real disappointment of the film comes into play. If you've come to see Chris kick some ass in the same way we saw Jamie Lee Curtis do it in the new 'Halloween' movies, you're probably not gonna be happy with the results. Her screen time here is nothing short of a joke, and she's only really brought in for one reason: the very end of the movie, which I can't spoil for anyone here. It's a shame because she was such a big draw for audiences, and they barely use her.

Having said that, however, I'm not straying from my mention of not being that mad at this movie. Besides a lack of Ellen Burstyn and a few things the demon seems to be able to do that I'm not completely sure I accept, I do have to hand it to the movie that the two girls they got to act possessed here do a fantastic and terrifying job, and the underlying message of choice feels like it's pretty well done, if perhaps a little heavy-handed, showing that we are faced with life-altering choices that we can either be smart about, or very ignorant about, based on our emotions.

This isn't exactly "Horror Movie of the Year," but I do feel like if you can go into this with the understanding of what I've mentioned, including Ellen Burstyn not being used to the film's advantage and the fact that there IS another movie on its way, it's not as bad a movie as people are letting it on to be, if you're looking for something scary to watch on the big screen right now. To me, this felt pretty reminiscent of the original in many ways, and these two girls really sell it with their possession acting skills. It's a film that isn't without its problems. But I think I see it as getting more criticism than it may deserve.

3/5

---