Director: Mikael Håfström
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue , Alice Braga , Ciarán Hinds , Toby Jones
Genre: Drama,Thriller
Runtime: 114 min
Release Date: January 28, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for disturbing thematic material, violence, frightening images, and language including sexual references.
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Gross: $33,037,754
The Rite is an exorcism story but is not quite like the other exorcist films. Don’t expect to see people walking on all fours while on their back, the head turning and the green vomit.
Let’s start with the story. Despite the negative film reviews, I for one quietly enjoyed the film. Till now their concept of the good versus the evil is still in my head and it is quite scary. Their take on the story is quite realistic and shows the very human side of priests and the hardship that they go through when they chose the path of becoming one. The story is quite serious that it might be difficult to appreciate it and piece the bits and pieces of it if the audience will not listen and stick to every word. It is a no restroom break kind of film. The story line will really let viewers think about the reality of the presence of evil and how one has to stick to faith and hope to overcome trials and shortcomings.
The visual effects for the film were great. Although there weren’t heads turning around and green vomit, it was a good way to show a little bit of realistic side to a real exorcism. We might not really know how it really does happen but sticking to minimal changes didn’t rob the film of its effectiveness to scare the viewers. It was still very scary and I’d dread if I were to witness one. It is best to just stay in the movies.
The cast and acting was good. I would praise Sir Anthony Hopkins for a job well done. He has always been a great actor and portraying a very human priest was pulled off. He was even a very effective possessed person. I couldn’t imagine how funny it could have been to pretend how it is like when one is possessed and it is quite scary to portray one especially if your beliefs support you but still he did pull it off. Colin also did great for his film debut. He very much showed how hard it is to be a priest especially when he was quite cute himself. I can just imagine the temptation he’s been fighting. It is great when people don’t mask how people really are especially those who represent a category of individuals, the one who serve as role models who because of being human still do make mistakes and even willing to make one.
I rate this movie a 6 out of 10 stars. Watch it if you love a different side of exorcism. Although there have been movies of realistic exorcisms, this film is still something to be considered. Just don’t forget to stick to the lines and listen well for associations are needed to piece together the film and understand why the people in it behave like they do.
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