Exorcist - The Beginning (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Considering that The Exorcist is one of the greatest horror films that has ever been made, Exorcist-The Beginning is a total disappointment. What surprises me is that the film boasts a good cast. However this film really doesn't cut it as a horror film. The film is supposed to be… More
  Considering that The Exorcist is one of the greatest horror films that has ever been made, Exorcist-The Beginning is a total disappointment. What surprises me is that the film boasts a good cast. However this film really doesn't cut it as a horror film. The film is supposed to be scary, considering it is a sequel to The Exorcist, which is quite possibly the scariest film ever made. The Beginning should tell the tale of how it all began, right? The film does that, but it never is scary, or brings fear to the audience. The film was fairly predictable, and lacked any effective plot development to build the tension up. Exorcist-The Beginning is a terrible prequel that really doesn't do anything exciting to develop the plot of the series. Hell, if you ask me, The Exorcist should've never had sequels pr a prequel. The film should have been a standalone film. Exorcist-The Beginning is a lazy, unimpressive prequel and it should never have been made. The film suffers from a terrible script and poor direction on behalf of Renny Harlin. The ideas might have been interesting to explore, however the film really doesn't try to deliver anything interesting or thrilling. This film is simply awful, and will disappoint fans of Friedkin's classic film. The film is bad, and has no redeeming aspects going for it. If you're a fan of the original, then skip on this one. You'll be glad you did. The film is pretty boring and won't hold your attention through the very end, I know I had va hard time to stay interested, and it took everything for me to stay focused on this piece of trash.

• Lafe F

  
  Oh my goodness! This was like Indiana Jones and the Pazuzu demon! Lots of horror and action sequences, a 1940's desert, Nazis, an underground temple, CGI dogs, evil artifacts, natives vs. the British Army, a huge Evil-Dead showdown at the end, Biblical references - it's all… More
  Oh my goodness! This was like Indiana Jones and the Pazuzu demon! Lots of horror and action sequences, a 1940's desert, Nazis, an underground temple, CGI dogs, evil artifacts, natives vs. the British Army, a huge Evil-Dead showdown at the end, Biblical references - it's all there. There are nice nods to the Exorcist series, though I wish they played the Tubular Bells music at key scenes.. It's a long movie, but more fun than the Dominion movie - a different Exorcist prequel. There weren't many scary scenes, but lots of creepy yuck stuff. They needed more witty dialoge between the priest and demon, and some dream sequences with flashing demon faces.

• Sergio G

  
  From the newest movies I liked this one a lot. Not too many people but I enjoyed. The story of Karras was something that worthed the movie.

• EightThirty .

  
  08/08/2010 (TELEVISION) No scares here but there's a story here I was able to follow. It's actually the first time I have watched the whole thing from beginning to end, the first two times I didn't quite make it to the end, but that was back when it was first… More
  08/08/2010 (TELEVISION) No scares here but there's a story here I was able to follow. It's actually the first time I have watched the whole thing from beginning to end, the first two times I didn't quite make it to the end, but that was back when it was first released. It takes a while before anything kindled any interest for me but when it started it was enough to make me stay for more. I only allowed myself to finish the film this time cause I'm trying to watch the complete saga and add my 2 cents on my reviews. Done.

• xGary X

  
  Exorcist - The Beginning is not a promising proposition. The dreadful title aside, making prequels to accepted classics is NEVER a good idea although I'd have to say that I was never as impressed with the original The Exorcist as everyone else seems to be. It tells the story of… More
  Exorcist - The Beginning is not a promising proposition. The dreadful title aside, making prequels to accepted classics is NEVER a good idea although I'd have to say that I was never as impressed with the original The Exorcist as everyone else seems to be. It tells the story of how Father Merrin first encounters the demon and why he made hunting it his life's work. All set in the sandblown deserts of Kenya where the demon is unearthed, the one thing this film apes reasonably well is the look of the film, the photography being very attractive and atmospheric but the biggest boost this film receives is in its star; Stellan Skarsgard is a very strong central character who suffers from horrific flashbacks to the atrocities of Nazi Germany that caused him to lose his faith. By far the biggest handicap to the film however is Renny Harlin's inevitable insistence on blockbuster-izing the story making the final showdown look like a battle with a supervillain rather than a malevolent entity. Up until this point there is actually a lot to commend the film and if it weren't for the ridiculous climax I would be recommending it wholeheartedly. But even as it is, it's nowhere near as bad as you'd think.

• E.J. B

  
  (Review coming soon)

• Tim S

  
  Haven't seen Paul Schrader's version yet, but this was pretty terrible.

• Cassandra M

  
  Renny Harlin directs the second prequel to the brilliant "The Exorcist", after Paul Schrader's initial attempt was deemed not scary (or gory) enough by producers. Concerning the abandonment of his faith before the events of "The Exorcist", "Exorcist: The… More
  Renny Harlin directs the second prequel to the brilliant "The Exorcist", after Paul Schrader's initial attempt was deemed not scary (or gory) enough by producers. Concerning the abandonment of his faith before the events of "The Exorcist", "Exorcist: The Beginning" is at most largely different in tone to its chronological follow up. At a glance, the film would seem more suited to the "Omen" saga, with the director using legitimate biblical events to establish Lancaster Merrin's relationship with the demon Pazuzu. The weaker points of the movie include the casting of Alan Ford as Jeffries. His character seems unusually vacant from the plot and insignificant to the story whilst Ford makes no attempt of playing Jeffries as anything other than Brick Top from "Snatch", a performance that stands out uncomfortably in a bleak horror film set in the late forties. Meanwhile, whilst Stellan Skarsgard's performance as Lancaster Merrin is convincing and well acted, he is not playing the same Merrin as Max Von Sydow, an advantage to Skarsgard's ability, but it weakens the sense of continuity within the character. It does not feel like the viewer is watching the same person, whereas, in a similar case, Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Obi Wan Kenobi in the "Star Wars" prequels compliments Alec Guiness' in the earlier films. These weaknesses are very much outweighed by the positive elements in the film. Whilst the tone is different, the shock value is still there and there are many shocking "Exorcist" elements that reinforce the fact that this is the same evil the viewer endured in the 1973 film. Much like "The Exorcist," "Exorcist: The beginning" introduces the viewer to a wealth of uneasy psychological tension (aswell as the most shocking child - related accident ever put on film) before unleashing unrestrained shock and vulgarity, at some points even more unsettling than the original film.... lets just say Reagan was strapped safely to a bed. Although there are numerous flaws that prevent this from holding the torch to the original, "Exorcist: The beginning" is a worthy foundation for the demonic saga and casts a triumphant shadow over previous sequels and the climactic encounter is a nostalgic treat, whilst Merrin's rediscovery of his faith can not fail to raise a smile in an otherwise bleak situation.

• Anthony L

  
  Not as bad as I'd heard. The story is ok, it?s got it's scary moments and it?s got Alan Ford playing a right orrible cunt as a bonus. The only problem with this film is Renny Harlin. Anyone else would have done, why Renny Harlin?

• Cherry D

  
  In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the power of crap compels it! This must be one of the most inane films I've seen. Whoever allowed this to be brought unto the world needs a sanity check, it's like they have walked up to Friedkin and slapped him across… More
  In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the power of crap compels it! This must be one of the most inane films I've seen. Whoever allowed this to be brought unto the world needs a sanity check, it's like they have walked up to Friedkin and slapped him across the face. Skarsgård was the little glimmer of hope that <i>just</i> kept me watching to the end, that's right....I watched all of it. But for a movie that's supposed to be terrifying, there were few scares, and when the sound has to be blasted out at 100 decibels to achieve them, you know you're in trouble. The CGI (hint hyenas) is borderline laughable, looking better suited to a video game, and the background looks like it has been painted on. It felt like they didn't even try here....may God have mercy on their souls.

• Bobby H

  
  The storyline is no good, and the actors are not either. This was a prequal to a masterpiece, an attempt too use the fame of the orginal Exorcist to boost this ones greatness. They failed, and they failed miserably. Honestly, if you truly loved The Exorcist, then do not watch this… More
  The storyline is no good, and the actors are not either. This was a prequal to a masterpiece, an attempt too use the fame of the orginal Exorcist to boost this ones greatness. They failed, and they failed miserably. Honestly, if you truly loved The Exorcist, then do not watch this film inless you would like for it to be ruined.

• Emily A

  
  Thppp. This movie was a vain attempt to recreate some of what makde the original scary, which can't really be done. And even if it had been done successfully, it would only pale in comparison to the original.

• Kalel J

  
  Bloodbath of a film that is wasted on many accounts.

• George R

  
  This film made me wonder if it was meant to be a joke. Because nothing in here made any sense, nor was it scary. Mediocre horror at it's best.

• Alec B

  
  Watching it in conjunction with 'Dominion - Prequel to the Exorcist' (The film the studio was unhappy with so this version was filmed instead) is really quite fascinating. Its perhaps a study more interesting than the films themselves in which you examine how two sets of… More
  Watching it in conjunction with 'Dominion - Prequel to the Exorcist' (The film the studio was unhappy with so this version was filmed instead) is really quite fascinating. Its perhaps a study more interesting than the films themselves in which you examine how two sets of directors and screenwriters tell essentially the same story with a few changes here and there and the results are radically different. 'Beginning' is pretty terrible. Skarsgard is again very good in this role and the film looks finished with CGI and some nice cinematography but its totally inconsequential. While 'Dominion' has too much talking, 'Beginning' has way too much action (and gore . . . such endless and unnecessary gore) and the result is neither scary nor interesting. Whatever sense of a ethical dilemma existed in the other version is absent here, and it bored me. I didn't like 'Dominion' all that much, but at least it wasn't so generic and silly.

• Chris B

  
  A disappointment and nowhere remotely close to the original.

• Daniel P

  
  Having ditched Paul Schrader's somewhat interesting <i>Dominion</i>, Renny Harlin was hired to remake the prequel to <i>The Exorcist</i>. Whereas Schrader favored a subtle, less-is-more, psychologically heavy approach, Harlin goes for bombast - all blood,… More
  Having ditched Paul Schrader's somewhat interesting <i>Dominion</i>, Renny Harlin was hired to remake the prequel to <i>The Exorcist</i>. Whereas Schrader favored a subtle, less-is-more, psychologically heavy approach, Harlin goes for bombast - all blood, guts and over the top fake-feeling imagery. Whilst no way near the stinker that <i>The Covenant</i> undoubtedly is, <i>The Beginning</i> is highly disposable, unmemorable stuff. Perhaps watching it just a day after <i>Dominion</i> was not the best idea, because not only does it pale in comparison, but there are plenty of scenes that are so similar to those from Schrader's film that everything feels stale. Unlike Schrader, Harlin tries to trade off of Friedkin's original film by having a Linda Blair-esque exorcism that falls horribly flat and features some pitiful lines (<i>"You want to shove your rotten cock up her juicy arse!")</i>. The acting is less than adequate, the special effects are even worse than those in <i>Dominion</i>, and boredom quickly sets in before the overblown finale. Not good.

• Mike T

  
  Terrible movie. Not only is it not scary, it is also not in the least bit entertaining. The special effects are awful and just about everything involved with the movie stinks. The direction is frantic and messy, and the script lacks anything to redeem the movie as a whole. Unnecessary… More
  Terrible movie. Not only is it not scary, it is also not in the least bit entertaining. The special effects are awful and just about everything involved with the movie stinks. The direction is frantic and messy, and the script lacks anything to redeem the movie as a whole. Unnecessary garbage.

• Lauren D

  
  I was so distracted by the EXTREMELY BAD CGI that I pretty much ignored the rest of the movie. But it sucked anyway.

• Leo L

  
  Good.

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