Well I didn't expect much of this movie when I first heard of it and saw the previews. I mean making a prequel to a movie like The Exorcist 30+ years later seems like a stupid idea and one that you could pretty much count on being messed up. Let's face it, the last few years prequels and sequels haven't been so kind to us. However I was pleasantly surprised by Exorcist: The Beginning.
Anyways, the story isn't too bad; it follows Father Lancaster Merrin years before he appeared in the original Exorcist as he investigates a hidden church in the middle of Africa. At this point Merrin quit the priesthood after being continuously haunted by memories of the murdering of the people of his parish during World War II. He is now an archaeologist who is paid to go find an artifact at this hidden church, however as you could imagine he finds a lot more than that. Eventually he comes to find out this church is where evil was born and he must find his faith again to fight it.
Besides the basic story, the movie is alright as they do build a good foundation of Merrin's character as they explore his past before his appearance in the original exorcist movie. I'd imagine they didn't give the movie a huge budget, but the CGI was lacking for some scenes which was a bit disappointing. The dialogue was also a bit weak, but it can be overlooked as most people don't pay super close attention to it anyways,
Overall this wasn't too bad of a flick. I think I had such low expectations that it really makes me think this was great, though I know it wasn't. It has some decent scary parts for the horror junkies out there and a storyline which will keep you into the movie throughout most of it. Nothing spectacular here, but don't write it off as another awful prequel. I think it's worth the rent if you're into the genre.
"Exorcist: The Beginning" opens August 20, 2004 and is rated R. Horror. Directed by Renny Harlin. Written by William Wisher Jr., Caleb Carr, Alexi Hawley. Starring Stellan Skarsgard, James DArcy.
