Note to Renny Harlin: Stick to action movies and stay the hell away from my horror. . .
Exorcist: The Beginning was . . . horrible, atrocious, terrible, an abomination . . .I could go on but suffice it to say it was just plain awful. I tried twice to get through it and the second time just got through because I needed to see where it was going. I think that was my biggest problem with this film - I could never exactly figure out where it was going. And I don't mean that in the good "oh I didn't expect that" kind of way either. It was very jerky and at points looked too much like a wanna be action film. I sincerely hope that Paul Schrader's version is much, much better.
Let's see if I can give you a brief synopsis. Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) is an archeologist who used to be a priest. He has lost his faith due to the atrocities of war he witnessed in WWII Germany. He is approached to join a dig in Africa where the British have discovered an ancient church which should not be where it has been discovered. Merrin's task is to find an artifact of a serious demon buried somewhere within this ancient church. When Merrin joins the dig, the top of the church has been unearthed and the lead archeologist Bession (Patrick O'Kane) has gone mad in the process. Another member of the dig Jeffries (Alan Ford) seems to be decaying from the inside out. As more of the church is uncovered, more evil begins to fill the village and bad things continue to happen. The Turkana who are the indigenous people of this area know what is happening and try to stop it but their efforts are futile. There seems to be only one man who can stop this evil, but will his faith return in time?
I have to mention a couple of other characters whose roles were pivotal in this film. Sarah (Izabella Scorupco) who plays the doctor in the village; Joseph (Remy Sweeney) who plays the son of the innkeeper; Father Francis (James D'Arcy) who plays a priest sent from the Vatican to be sure the religious aspect of the dig is handled correctly; and Chuma (Andrew French) who plays the translator and very wise guide. All in all the acting was pretty good. It's unfortunate because
Exorcist: The Beginning itself was very bad.
If I were you, knowing what I know, I'd skip this one altogether. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!
Buy Exorcist: The Beginning at Amazon.com
Exorcist: The Beginning Movie Cast and Credits
Directed by
Renny Harlin
Writing credits (WGA)
William Peter Blatty (movie The Exorcist)
William Wisher Jr. (story) (as William Wisher) and
Caleb Carr (story)
Alexi Hawley (screenplay)
Cast (in credits order)
Stellan Skarsgård .... Father Merrin
Izabella Scorupco .... Sarah
James D'Arcy .... Father Francis
Remy Sweeney .... Joseph
Julian Wadham .... Major Granville
Andrew French .... Chuma
Ralph Brown .... Sergeant Major
Ben Cross .... Semelier
David Bradley .... Father Gionetti
Alan Ford .... Jeffries
Antonie Kamerling .... Lieutenant Kessel
Eddie Osei .... Emekwi
Israel Aduramo .... Jomo
Patrick O'Kane .... Bession
James Bellamy .... James
Cecilia Amati .... Little Dutch Girl
Matti Ristinen .... Medieval Priest
Lidia Darly .... Sebutuana's Wife
James Paparella .... Boy in Market
Silvio Jimenez Hernandez .... Stricken Turkana Worker
Yemi Goodman Ajibade .... Turkana Shaman
Michel Leroy .... Tribesman in Hospital
John Sesay .... Turkana Warrior #1
Sayoh Lahai .... Turkana Warrior #2
Alessandro Casula .... Preacher with Pazuzu
Roberto Purvis .... Corporal FinnExorcist: The Beginning More Reviews and Information
Exorcist: The Beginning Movie Official Site from Warner Bros. StudiosExorcist: The Beginning Movie Review and Information Page at The Internet Movie Database
