Automatic +/- :
Renny FUCKING HACK Harlin -.5
Studio sacking Paul Schrader for Renny FUCKING HACK Harlin : -.5
Subtotal 1 : -1 star
Synopsis :
Father Marin (old-ass priest from "The Exorcist") goes to investigate an ancient African Christian church.
Review :
My Netflix skills have been subpar lately. This & "Saw" came into today. This flick makes "Saw" look like it has an engaging Hitchcock-quality. But some background first. Produced by Morgan Creek & made by Warner Brothers, the production studio decided to fire Schrader after he finished filming & hired Renny Harlin ("Die Hard 2," "Cutthroat Island," "The Long Kiss Goodnight") to reshoot an assload of scenes.
What Schrader sets up to be a psychological battlefield turns into Camp Crystal Jake w\ Satan instead of Jason. The CG is crap on a stick. The devil becomes a standard slasher villain & even the tired old "HE'S the killer" twist gets thrown in at the end. You can pinpoint the scene where this goes movie starts going downhill. & like a ball of crap, it continues growing steadily less appealing as time drags on.
On another note, Paul Schrader DID get to release his cut under the title "Dominion : A Prequel to the Exorcist." That'll get reviewed as soon as I get it in the mail, most likely sometime this week.
Subtotal 2 : 1.5 stars
Subtotal 1 + subtotal 2 = 1 star.
Verdict : Watching "Exorcist : The Beginning" is significantly less entertaining than being possessed by Linda Blair.