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Member since:02.10.2005
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Review rated by 38 Ciao members on average: very helpful
My husband bought this DVD for me for Christmas last year as he knows I like a good horror movie or one that at least makes me jump a bit. Knowing how much I had enjoyed watching the original Exorcist film, when he saw this one on sale for about £14.99 (it was in the new release section when he bought it) he decided to buy it for me. Certainly if you shop around online you are sure to get this one much cheaper.
The Plot ~~~~~~~
Well, in the original Exorcist movie we meet Father Merrin for the first time. As you may or may not know, he is the priest who performs the exorcism on the young girl. But how does he come to be the Exorcist? This film was made in 2004 and is the prequel to all 3 of the other Exorcist films. This is the background on how Father Merrin became that priest.
Father Merrin (played by Stellan Skarsgaard) has completely abandoned the Catholic faith and seemingly turned to alcohol after events during the Second World War. There are flashbacks and references made to this time at points throughout the film. He is approached by the British military and asked about a relic that has been found, and soon finds himself off to an archeological dig in deepest darkest Kenya.
Along with Father Merrin (who is still denying his faith) is another young priest who seems to know more than he is letting on. It transpires that an ancient Christian church has been discovered buried deep under the earth. It would seem that this church was buried shortly after it was built but why would that happen?
When they arrive at the dig they meet the female doctor who is also keeping a secret. It turns out her husband is in a mental institution following his descent into the church. What happened to him down there? It is up to Father Merrin to find the answers to all of these questions.
What will he find? Well I know the answer and I'm sorry but I am not giving the whole plot away, that would just spoil the fun of watching the film. Needless to say that yes it did make me jump in quite a few places and some of the answers were not what you would expect them to be.
Extras ~~~~~There are only 3 special features on this DVD and they are pretty self explanatory:
DVD Info ~~~~~~~Region - 2 Audio - 5.1 Dolby Digital Aspect Ratio - 2.35 Widescreen/Colour Run Time - 109 minutes approx Languages - English/German Hearing Impaired - English/German Subtitles - English/German/Arabic Rating - 15 (strong violence & some references to sex)
My Opinion ~~~~~~~~~
When I unwrapped the present I was over the moon with the DVD as I had watched the other films years ago and when this one came out I had told my husband I really wanted to see it. We sat down and switched it on, ready for a film that would scare the living daylights out of us.
I have to say that I was slightly disappointed at the start, as it is quite slow moving to get into the film. But once it was getting interesting I expected the frighteners to be put on me. I did jump quite a few times but not as much as I would have expected from . The front of the DVD cover proclaims "Go Back to Where The Horror Began". This is certainly true as you do learn the full story behind the other 3 films.
Purely for the fact that I wasn't as scared as I thought I would be, I'm giving this film a 3 star recommendation. I'm very happy with the film and have watched it quite a few times since Christmas and I'm sure I will watch it again and again. If you are a fan of the other Exorcist films then this is a great prequel. If you have never seen the other films then it is a great way to find out the basic facts before you decide whether to watch them or not.
But for me, I'm looking forward to getting the other 3 on DVD now! Thanks for reading this and happy watching!! xx
![Exorcist - The Beginning [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78489416.jpg)
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06.04.2006 21:45
I've not seen this one. Perhaps I should get a copy and have a good night in. John
29.03.2006 19:53
I'd like to see this for the same reasons as you. I don't think any of them beat the original for making you jump! x x
28.03.2006 18:50
this movie bored me like mad lol....... a great review and im glad u liked it hehe xxlizzyxx