The Exorcism (#566)


The creators of the film I saw yesterday must have realized that a theme of exorcism is not new in the movie business but they were searching for something that made this one stand out and be  unique.  They tried too hard and instead of creating something new in the genre, they fumbled badly.  The idea of making an exorcism movie with a semi-washed up leading man as the priest isn't a bad idea but they lost their way.  Russell Crowe with his distinctive voice may be a semi-washed up actor in real life to have taken on this role.  It's not that he did a bad job; he just had nothing concrete to work with because the film makers kept changing their focus midstream and what should have ended up on the cutting room floor made it to the big screens and became just another bad exorcism/horror movie with loud, ear-jarring noises and music.  I felt sorry for the actress who had to play Crowe's daughter.  It was a thankless job but she tried hard to overcome all.  And in all honesty, when the film was mercifully over after only 1 hour and 33 minutes, I wasn't quite sure what I had seen. A dismal 31% of critics and a lukewarm 45% of audiences gave this a thumbs up.  I think both groups were being kind. 

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