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Exorcist - The Beginning (DVD)

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Exorcist - The Beginning (DVD)

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Exorcise Your Own Opinion

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3 Mar 27th, 2006 

38 Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful

Advantages:
Strangely compelling to watch

Disadvantages:
Not as scary as i had thought it would be

Recommendable Yes:

Detailed rating:

Did you enjoy it?

Story

Characters / Performances

Special Effects

How does it compare to similar films?

bonsi6337

bonsi6337

About me:

I'm back albeit part time!! Almost settled in completely, so finally able to come back to write and ...

Member since:02.10.2005

Reviews:124

Members who trust:66

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:
  • Commentary by Director Renny Harlin
  • Behind the Scenes Featurette
  • Trailer

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 

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Comments about this review »

Coloneljohn 06.04.2006 21:45

I've not seen this one. Perhaps I should get a copy and have a good night in. John

HotBabes 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

VampirePrincessLizzy 28.03.2006 18:50

this movie bored me like mad lol....... a great review and im glad u liked it hehe xxlizzyxx

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Exorcist - The Beginning [DVD] [2004]

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Release Date: 2005-04-18, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,

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