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| EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING (2004) | |
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The year is 1949 when the male protagonist, Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård), a priest turned archeologist with a habitual drinking problem, is confronted with a situation of a newly discovered church digging in East Africa.
Father Merrin is the same priest that is performed by Max von Sydow in the original film from 1973.
In this prequel the audience gets to witness how Merrin is hired to look for an object by an antiquity firm that handles rare items.
The company believes that Merrin’s lost faith will benefit their search for the item, as it will not interfere with any potential moral predicament that any other priest might possess. Arriving at the dig site leads the audience to follow Merrin on a quest where he discovers a chained inverted crucifix and other symbols of devilish worship. The audience is also introduced to Sarah (Izabella Scorupco), a medical doctor, and Father Francis (James D'Arcy) among other characters. There is an immediate ambiance in the air that tells the audience that something is not right with this place, which is expected. However, this is also where the story begins to lose some of its power as a horror film due to a number of cinematic clichés that begin to turn the wheels of the story. The audience gets to follow Merrin investigation of the dig site, which leads him to discover a number of weird drawings in the former archeologist Bession’s tent. These drawings are very bizarre, but they also display the item that Merrin has come to retrieve. Sarah informs Merrin that Bession is committed to St. John’s Sanitarium in Nairobi, as he has turned mad. Merrin’s visit to Bession leads him closer to the dark forces that seem to be in the works, as he also receives the Roman Rituals, a book of exorcism from a priest. Merrin denies the facts that are presented to him, as he states the all horrors of the world are man-made. As the plot thickens, a nightmare seems to haunt Merrin, as this nightmare has roots in something that once happened to him. The nightmare returns to him repeatedly, which also depicts what made him leave the priesthood. This nightmare brings back memories of death and horror he once faced, as he was forced into making a difficult choice. The nightmare is suppose to induce additional horror, but something does not seem to add up correctly, which must be because of the timing and the way it is presented. Making horror films is a difficult art, as it requires timing, suspense, and trepidation caused through the visual imagery on the screen. This timing must help trigger fear in the audience, as it generates a sense of being alive as the adrenaline rushes through the veins. However, in the many attempts over the years, horror has sought different directions, as splatter and gore seems to seek its sanctuary in disgust and repulsion. This gory horror can be seen in many new horror films, but these films do not produce the adrenaline rush that the viewers seek. It is true that observing a severed head causes some level of internal alarm, but the head itself does not generate the anticipated fear that the audience seeks through a horror film. Horror evolves through characters’ actions in regards to the situations that must generate suspense in a timely fashion, as it hopes to mesmerize the audience. Many horror films provide this moment of fear, which keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. Exorcist: The Beginning opens with such promise, but fails to deliver the moment of an adrenaline thrust through the veins. |
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| Renny Harlin | |
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USA |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 3/2/2005 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
