The Rite - Film Review

The Rite – Film Review

First of all, if you’re expecting anything like “The Exorcism” you will be sorely disappointed. In fact, if you were expecting anything substantial from this film, you had better carry on that search. Anyone who knows me will know that I very rarely slate a film, but I have to say I found myself quite disengaged from this one! Anthony Hopkins was really the only saving grace of it all. Of course he pulls a brilliant performance out of the bag, but unfortunately this isn’t enough to bring the film from the depths of despair. Sadly the trailer seemed to show all of the best bits and so I would suggest watching that and be done with it.

The film’s main angle is dealing with exorcisms and the demons that can possess people. It also explores atheism and the argument that not believing in something doesn’t mean it’s not real. However at the end of the film I felt myself not really knowing what issues the film had explored, or indeed what the intention was. In my opinion there wasn’t enough ceiling crawling or body contorting, but I can see why. It wasn’t intended to be that kind of film. They were trying to establish it as a serious film based on true events.

I’ll give you a brief overview of what the film is about. Michael Kovak (O’Donoghue) is an American studying to become a priest in order to run away from his family business of funeral directors. Whilst studying, he has an “absence of faith” and decides that he wants out and to return to his family. However the Father Superior is not willing to let him leave like that, and gives him an option. Due to an increase in reports of demonic possessions, the Vatican has decided to place an exorcist in every diocese. So he can either take the exorcism course in Rome, or leave his current studies and pay the tuition fees (over $100,000). Now obviously he doesn’t have this kind of money so he decides to go to Rome and embark on this exorcism course. In Rome, he meets a reporter also taking the course for an article she is working on. *Potential romance alert* It now seems that the film might be going somewhere. Alas it doesn’t. You see Kovak doubting that possessions are real, so an important person in the Vatican (didn’t quite understand who he was) sends him to an old friend, Father Lucas Trevant. Enter the Hopkins! Finally a bit of credibility to bring to the table! We then see Hopkins’ character performing various levels of exorcisms, which Kovak goes along to. Basically the story culminates in Kovak having to perform an exorcism on Father Lucas. He does this successfully after an epiphany about God which grants him the strength to exorcise the demon. I didn’t catch the name as the cinema had a power cut at this point in the film (totally lost all momentum and suspense that had built up). Father Lucas and Kovak then part as friends, with Kovak and the reporter departing as, well that wasn’t really clear.

I wanted so much more from this film, I’m just glad that I didn’t have to pay for it! Wait for the DVD to come out, that’s what I say.

:) :) 2 out of 5, not worth it.