Year of Release: 2023
Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Nettles, Olivia O'Neill, Norbert Leo Butz, Tracey Graves, Raphael Sbarge, E.J. Bonilla, Danny McCarthy, Nora Murphy, Celeste Oliva, Linda Blair
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
Writer/producer/director David Gordon Green is back, tackling another iconic and charismatic horror film property from the 70s, following his take on John Carpenter's "Halloween" films. The film introduces us to photographer Victor Fielding who is in Haiti, with his pregnant wife Sorenne. While there they are impacted by a massive earthquake which leaves Sorenne in a perilous health situation, forcing Victor to have to make a difficult decision, of saving her or the baby. 13 years later, Victor is raising his daughter Angela as a single parent in a small town in Georgia, following the demise of Sorenne. Angela longs to know more about her late mother, and alongside her best friend Katherine, decides to perform a séance in the woods near the high school where they're enrolled. Both girls don't show up at their respective homes, and are reported missing. After 3 days they're found in a barn, miles away from the school. They don't seem to remember anything, however they start getting progressively worse. Angela eventually has to be admitted to a hospital where she's cared for a nurse neighbor of hers and her father's, Ann. Ann is convinced that she's possessed, and gives Victor a book, a memoir written by Chris MacNeil, a former actress whose daughter experienced similar occurrences and who went on to study in depth the exorcism ritual. She agrees to help Victor, and visits Angela. She also visits Katherine at her parents home, where things quickly escalate with dramatic results. Victor, Ann, alongside Katherine's parents, and a group of close friends, decide to do an intervention and help the girls before its too late.
William Friedkin's "The Exorcist" has been a deeply influential film since its release. While its sequels haven't primed for similar quality or impact as the original, the film has nonetheless influenced many releases since then, including the successful "The Conjuring" series from James Wan. David Gordon Green sadly doesn't manage to bring much in terms of a distinct point of view to this new chapter in the series. Whereas James Wan's "The Conjuring" introduces two families impacted by strange occurrences, and how the supernatural infiltrates how they all live, both the victims and the saviors, with "The Exorcist: Believer", the whole situation lacks gravitas, and even the set up for all the occurrences that take place feels abrupt and underdeveloped. This "underdeveloped" tone actually permeates across the entire narrative, which almost begs the question if the script for this endeavor was indeed fast tracked, since most of feature feels undercooked (even to the point of the cameo by Linda Blair's character). The characters have very little substance to them, with Victor being showcased as a photographer who's tightly wound and slightly obsessed with his daughter, whereas Katherine's parents come across as the typical suburban deeply religious and controlling ones, and the list goes on, all peppered with clichés that eliminate any nuance or distinctiveness the film could possibly have. It's ultimately a film that feels derivative, and since there's been so many other features that have this "possessed" topic at the center of its premise, this one just doesn't know what to do with the responsibility of somehow celebrating its source, and having a point of view that is unique enough. The cast is also rather forgettable, save of course for the duo of Ellen Burstyn and Ann Dowd, both of whom bring dignity and intensity to their roles. They both deserve a much better film to showcase their enormous talents. The production team is also rather generic. It's a film that while not offensive, it's also quickly forgettable.
0 comments:
Post a Comment