An American seminary student travels to Italy to take an exorcism course.
Review
I truly believe that I peaked too soon when it comes to exorcism movies. In fact that statement should really cover horror in general really.
You see I watched the Exorcist very early on in my life, it was one of those dodgy copies that were floating around when the film was inexplicably banned here in the UK, and I loved it. The trouble is that I now unfairly measure all horror up against it which then obviously leads to disappointment.
The Exorcist tops many peoples poll's on 'scariest film ever' and rightly so. It's an amazing piece of film that was way before it's time and one of those rare things that still stands up almost forty years later. A masterpiece of cinema that I now compare every horror film too. How unfair on the other films is that.
Which leads me onto The Rite. I decided to try and watch this without any expectation and not compare. I suppose not to see it as a horror film but just as a generic movie, and you know what, it kinda worked. The Rite is an exorcism film that, well I don't want to use the word copy, but rather lends from my favourite horror movie. You have the older priest who is renowned for his experience in performing exorcisms. You have the younger priest doubting his faith and leaning more towards science and medicine for the real answers. You have young children being possessed and of course everything that goes with it. Minus pea-soup I might add.
So maybe this is why I didn't think it was all that bad. I saw a lot of The Exorcist in The Rite and normally I would immediately dismiss it and claim fraud, un-originality and moan on and on like I normally do. Not this time. The Rite was still enjoyable and I think the reason behind it was that it didn't take itself too seriously and had enough of its own ideas to keep ticking over. The fact that it had a strong lead in Anthony Hopkins certainly helped.
Hopkins hams it up to ridiculous levels and is definitely having a whale of a time in this type of role. He's nowhere near to stretching his real acting muscles but then I suppose you only do want you need to do in roles like this. In that respect he nails it and bring us a world weary, cocky Exorcist that you can't help but keep wanting in each and every scene. The other actors, and I'm being pretty harsh here, but fairly so, are throw away. They don't need to be of the calibre of Hopkins because it's him keeping the momentum of the the film going and can immediately carry the other actors when they start flagging.
The film raises a couple of interesting points on the age old medicine vs religion debate but at the centre of it all is the possessions and exorcisms. These are the headline makers and what drive the film.
Without Hopkins this film would fall into mediocrity but with him it's enjoyable and a good fun watch. It's not scary, although I doubt it was ever intended to be, but it's a good little movie to enjoy and pass a couple of hours. Just think what Hopkins could have done if he actually had to call on his real acting skills. Now that would have been scary.
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