Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

"Exorcist: The Beginning"

William Friedkin's seminal 1973 horror film about a

young girl possessed by a demon and saved by an

elderly priest and his assistant has scared and

entertained millions for over 30 years. Now, Finnish

helmer Renny Harlin takes on the task of telling the

story of the beginnings of the vaunted Father Merrin

in "Exorcist: The Beginning."

This prequel to Friedkin's masterpiece has controversy

written all over it. Director Paul Schrader was

originally hired by Morgan Creek Productions for "The

Beginning" and, $35 million later, delivered the

company a completed picture. He was fired and his film

shelved because he gave them "footage without any of

the bloody violence the backers had wanted." Renny

Harlin, with $50 million more in hand, agreed to give

the backroom boys what they wanted. And, less.

Stellan Skarsgard reprises the famous Max Von Sydow

character, Father Lankester Merrin, in a story about

lost faith and the redemption of belief. Hard drinking

Merrin had cast aside his cleric's collar following a

tragic incident during World War Two. Following the

murder of a German soldier by partisans, the Nazi

officer in charge of the town where Merrin pastors

orders the priest to select 10 of the town folk for

execution. He can select 10 for summary execution or,

if not, watch the entire town slaughtered. Merrin

makes the choices but the Nazi's declaration that "God

is not here today, priest" causes him to lose his

faith in the Almighty.

Jump forward to 1947 and unfrocked Merrin sits, alone,

in a bar in Cairo, Egypt, drinking and remembering his

tragic past. He is approached by a collector of rare

antiquities (Ben Cross) who proposes that Merrin join

an excavation in Kenya where a Christian church was

found. The curious thing is the church, buried intact,

was built centuries before Christians ever came to the

remote locale. The ex-priest agrees and makes the

journey to the remote Turkana region of Kenya.

When Merrin arrives he is confronted by an irascible,

dermatology challenge Brit named Jeffries (Alan Ford)

who tells the former priest of the strange happenings

that began following the discovery of the church. The

native diggers refuse to enter the site because they

claim that evil was awakened within. Then, he sees

some particularly nasty hyenas skulking around the dig

during the day! Not normal behavior for the nocturnal

creatures. When the animal pack attacks one of the

sons of the local innkeeper, tearing the boy to shreds

but leaving his younger brother, Joseph (Remy

Sweeney), unscathed, Merrin realizes something

unnatural is happening and, maybe, evil is on the

loose.

"Exorcist: The Beginning" is an example of the studio

getting exactly what they ask for and the final

product suffering because of it. Renny Harlin jumps in

with both feet as he takes on the task of recreating

the earlier days of Father Merrin and showing us what

made the man who helped save little Regan MacNeil's

(Linda Blair) soul in the '73 film. There is a goodly

amount of intrigue as the prequel unfolds, showing

Merrin as the tormented man forced to make "Sophie's

Choice" decisions of life and death. Skarsgard does a

solid job in showing the man's daily anguish and his

ongoing struggle between belief and not.

There are elements and scenes in "The Beginning" that

are quite intriguing. The film opens with a close-up

of the bloody face of a medieval priest. As the camera

pulls away, we see as he sees – the corpse-strewn

battlefield where all the combatants lay dead. As the

lens opens up on the scene we are assailed with the

sight of a forest of crucified dead, their crosses

planted head down in a grotesque parody of Christ's

crucifixion. Evil, we know, is on the move.

When the action comes forward to 1947, we meet the

troubled Merrin as he heads to Kenya on his

archaeological mission for the mysterious Semelier

(Cross). He arrives in the remote Turkana town with a

younger priest, Father Francis (James D'Arcy), and

meets Doctor Sarah (Izabella Scorupco), a former

concentration camp victim serving the medical needs of

the locals. There is a desperate attraction between

the ex-priest and the pretty doctor but their

relationship soon takes a back seat to the evil doings

happening around them. As the malevolence grows and

more people die, Merrin knows that his loss of faith

is being sorely tested.

There is a good film somewhere under the heavy hand of

Renny Harlin and elements of "Exorcist" are nicely

done. The film looks terrific, not a surprise when you

consider that the great Vittorio Storaro does

behind-the-camera duty. Production, too, is well

handled Stefano Marie Ortolani, giving an eerie

creepiness to many of the scenes. Unfortunately, the

horror story ends in very familiar territory as Merrin

must battle the demon to save the life of little

Joseph. I wish Alexi Hawley's screenplay finished as

well as it started. The special F/X computer

animation, frequently used, has a thoroughly

artificial, manufactured look – a major distraction.

"Exorcist: The Beginning" isn't a bad movie, it is

just not a very good one. I give it a C+.

For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com

robin@reelingreviews.com

laura@reelingreviews.com

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X-RT-RatingText: C+