El exorcista del papa

Like clockwork we have at least 2 possession films each year around the same time. Easter and Halloween it seems. They're usually hit or miss with the same cliches strewn about with maybe some attempts at being slightly innovative. While this doesn't break away too much from the plot formula, Crowe's powerhouse performance does and amplifies the overall film to enticing levels. He has clearly found his late career niche with thrillers/horrors of late and it works extremely well. The scares are serviceable and the story is as well. Visually it's one of the best possession films I've seen in quite sometime with fantastic settings and terrific practical and cgi features. This doesn't mean the cliches don't hinder it at times but overall a very welcome film for the genre.

It's a double edged sword when an actor becomes super famous. On one side, they are extremely marketable and gain great roles. However, on the other side, we tend to see the actor in the movie and not the character which distracts from the experience of the story.

This was not the case with this film. I'm not an accent specialist nor a native Italian speaker, but Russell's portrayable had me convinced.

The story itself was exciting and intriguing. There were some nonsensical aspects of course. Its a very fictional film with its own share of contradictions that are noticeable. The authenticity of the Vatican traditions and language barriers might have been compromised, but as a normal viewer, none of it was recognizable thus not bothered.

Overall I give this a 7. It's not going to leave a lasting impression on me, but It was a good to watch.

Critics said that Russell Crowe's performance as an Italian was dismal . I strongly disagree . He captured the essence of an Italian man . His accent was excellent I liked the way he delivered his lines and the way he showed his sense of humour . He was fantastic !

The other actors were great too ! . The Set was brilliant

This film could have been spectacular .

However it was marred by the boy. The little boy over acted his role . It looked ridiculous and laughable . It is not the child's fault . It was the casting director's fault and the film directors fault . The little boy had the 'stage school presence' about him . These kids who go to stage schools over emphasise everything as they are taught to . They are trained for roles in the Theatre where everything is over dramatised . So when these kids appear in films , it doesn't work . UNLESS the film director can obliterate that stage school training and give these kids a fresh approach and train them in a totally different way so they can act well in films .

Also the voice the boy had as a demon was not synched properly ! It looked pathetic! . He looked like he was playing a joke on the Priests and would burst into a fit of giggles at any time . How could anyone involved in the film think that sounded scary and authentic! It made the film into a comedy horror ! I was laughing .

If the Casting Director had chosen the right boy to play the part the film would have been fantastic . It is still a good movie and worth watching The twist at the End is great and unexpected . Loved that! .

Some people in this review section said it's been done before . Well it's very hard to get new concept in horror films. I don't care if it was done before as long as it's done well !

Having not seen a decent horror surface for a long time, I was quite excited to go along and see Crowe's first horror flick.

It says "inspired by Vatican files" so I'm not quite sure how much of this film is factual but It's your typical possession story. However, Russell Crowe plays a solid and strong performance which makes his character very likeable and most importantly believable. I also liked his characters sense of humour which Crowe played very well..

Lot's of cliches, although it was a good watch but not very scary. The special effects and CGI for the most of the movie were very good but it did struggle during certain moments. The depth to the plot was good but I feel the other characters could have been stronger.

Overall, this is a good movie and Crowe carried it very well. I'd recommend that you go if you like this genre.

Finally, I am sick to death of horror movies that solely rely on jump scares to call it a horror, this story had a bit of weight to it and I was happy overall.

So it's your average story, the chief exorcist is sent to do an exorcism, what changes this movie is that it has a nice to to the Vatican and the church dating way back and many hidden secrets.

Russel Crowe was fantastic, having an actor that can bring a certain charm to a role like this is definitely drawing.

The "scenes" were all good and it took a route I wasn't expecting. The CG was good along worth an effective score and good prosthetics. The supporting cast were good and i especially enjoyed father Thomas.

There were some times that felt a little unnecessary BUT the good outweighs the bad in this one and I can honestly see a sequel if it does well. I'd recommend going out to see it in cinema !