The Exorcism
Russell Crowe returns to the demon-possession genre in The Exorcism after making a promising debut two years earlier, though unfortunately its promise dwindles into simple horror movie.
In this movie, Tony, an outcast actor with a drinking problem and an estranged daughter who dislikes him due to his lack of stability, is offered the lead role in an exorcism film.
The Exorcism Cast
The Exorcism is an unforgettable tale about demon possession that has become one of the most successful horror films ever. Based on true events surrounding a 12-year-old girl who became possessed after playing with a Ouija board, its stellar cast includes Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair and Jason Miller – who all star in it as well. Although many criticize its violence and gore content, The Exorcism has received much praise for its outstanding acting performances and overall production value.
Director Joshua John Miller comes from a lineage steeped in horror: His father Jason Miller played Father Karras in the original Exorcist and has made films that pay homage to this classic in recent years. With its film-within-a-film setting and low key approach, Joshua John Miller’s new movie offers something different than its counterparts in terms of horror cinematic offerings.
Russell Crowe stars as an emotionally troubled movie actor who gets cast as a priest in his latest flick. After an awful first day on set, which involves being sexually molested as an altar boy and losing his wife to cancer, Russell starts acting strangely, prompting Lee (Ryan Simpkins) to worry that her father has relapsed into alcohol and drug use again.
The Exorcism Plot
This story follows actor Anthony Miller (Russell Crowe), whose career suffered after his drug-addled, alcoholic wife died and he lost custody of their daughter Lee. Following this loss of a coveted exorcist role to someone else on set who mysteriously dies on set, Anthony auditions for it himself only to experience strange behavioral disturbances from within himself after casting. It becomes evident that something supernatural is targeting Anthony.
Start strong but soon deteriorate into an ordinary possession flick. Crowe is excellent as always but given little material to work with; additionally, most of his cast feels miscast; however, Ryan Simpkins who portrays Lee stands out.
Joshua John Miller’s script attempts to capture the same tension and depth of William Friedkin’s 1973 classic The Exorcist, but fails miserably. Instead it descends into hellishly parodic territory saved only from total disaster by Russell Crowe’s over-the-top desperation. There’s no fun here and its subject matter is deeply troubling from Catholic church pedophilia to extreme alcoholism; while some scares do arrive throughout this unfunny tale. Though occasionally hitting some frightful moments, most often this film instead merely offers bad CGI effects or loud noises without truly inspiring visuals or sounds effects – which would have left you wanting something truly inspirational and moving instead.
The Exorcism Themes
William Friedkin’s Exorcism still resonates over half a century after its release, proving there’s still power in supernatural evil beliefs in today’s society. With timeless themes revolving around a girl’s transformation, her mother’s desperation, and the priest’s unresolved grief. Additionally, its lighting conveys inner terror as faith is lost while depicting physical battles against Satan as physical personification of evil – while modern medicine may have replaced devils with paranoia and schizophrenia but this film proves there’s still room for supernatural evil beliefs in modern medicine!
Russell Crowe shines once again as Anthony Miller, a once-great former action star who finds himself embroiled in an unsuspected case of demon possession. He brilliantly plays Anthony as an individual battling alcoholism and drug dependency who suddenly finds themselves facing off against a real demon; also successfully portraying an emotionally distant father desperately wanting to mend his relationship with Lee (Ryan Simpkins). Unfortunately, though Russell Crowe shines brilliantly here, unfortunately the rest of the film falls flat; moving too quickly while several plot points remain unexplained or altogether absent; entertaining enough was expected from such an interesting character!
The Exorcism Rating
Though its story and conventions may be familiar, The Exorcism remains a disturbing movie. Its setting, pacing, acting, and screenwriting create an uncomfortable sense throughout. Furthermore, as this tale of exorcism is inspired by true events it further adds a layer of unease for audiences watching this flick.
Russell Crowe gives an outstanding performance in this psychological horror. He plays an actor dealing with real life issues while immersed in the demon possession film world. Unlike most films in its genre, The Exorcism doesn’t focus on standard themes of religion and redemption while lacking an likable protagonist.
The Exorcism does an effective job using its premise to address issues of drug and alcohol dependence, abuse and rehabilitation; while also depicting how difficult reintegrating into society after addiction is. Unfortunately, however, the movie falls short in evoking fear from its audience.
Though The Exorcism begins well, its final exorcism scene feels forced and lacks the impact of earlier scenes. Additionally, it’s disappointing that its first half focused on character exploration and engaging storytelling before shifting towards typical horror elements in its third act; this made the movie less compelling while doing an injustice to its talented cast.
