As a fan of movies dealing with the supernatural, it’s no surprise that I especially like those dealing with the subject of exorcism. I think this is, in part, because of the fascination I have with the world of angels and demons (and no, I’m not talking about the Tom Hanks movie…). The fact that I believe demons exist, the fact that I believe they influence people and events, and the fact that I do believe they possess people all make any decent film about the subject and especially chilling experience. Now, admittedly many of these films aren’t very good and most try to live up to the greatness that was “The Exorcist.” And while I can’t say that “The Rite” lives up to that seminal film, it came damn close. Both from writing and acting standpoints, “The Rite” was an excellent film, and one that gave me chills.

“The Rite”, which claims to be inspired by true events, takes us on the journey of Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), a young seminary student whose faith in God is rocky at best. Losing his mother at a young age and living with his mortician father has made him into a man who questions everything and leaves him nearly directionless. Upon his decision to leave the seminary, he is asked to hold off on his decision and attend one last course. A course that will take him to Vatican City under the tutelage of Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins)… an exorcist.

I had low expectations for “The Rite”, having not seen a decent exorcism film in quite some time. The production value was high, which I did expect, but more importantly the characters and story quickly drew me in. And where I expected there to be some eye-rolling scenes of demon possession, there were instead some pretty intense sequences, and one again Anthony Hopkins delivers a ‘knock it out of the ballpark’ performance. In the hands of a lesser actor, these scenes might not have worked, but Hopkins was quite simply, amazing.

Not to give away any spoilers, as I always hate to do… I have to mention that not only did I enjoy the film for what it was, but also for what it wasn’t. For once those of the religious persuasion are not painted to be villains, the church is not an evil place, and its priests are not child-ogling monsters. Here we are shown good men, human men, taking on a force that is beyond anyone’s understanding. All the way to the final frame, it is a positive movie about faith… but not to be mistaken as one that is preachy.

The recent Bluray release offers a terrific transfer, both in terms of image and sound. The effects in the movie are often subtle, but they resonate visually as the picture is nearly crystal clear. There are a lot of darkened scenes, but there is never an issue of missing a single detail. The sound on our system filled the room and gave it an atmospheric feel that was perfect for the film’s content.

I was a little bit disappointed in the special features. There are a handful of deleted scenes, a feature about real life exorcist Father Gary Thomas, and an alternate ending. The alternate ending is interesting, but nothing more. The film’s original ending, I felt was much, much better and far more appropriate.

Directed by: Mikael Hafstrom
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, Rutger Hauer
Special Features:
Release Date: 5/17/2011
Studio: Warner
http://whatdoyoubelieve.warnerbros.com/dvd/

We give The Rite (Bluray) a B+.

Reviewer:

Michael Edwards