L'exorciste du pape

Oh dear. I'm not sure if the makers of this movie were going for comedy horror or something else but it didn't really work. It was basically a film of silly voices. There wasn't enough tension to hold my engagement or enough story to keep me interested.

Some of the effects were good but nothing I haven't seen before. Russell Crowe was enjoyable to watch but it was difficult to take his character seriously and I'm not sure as a viewer I was supposed to. It was all just a bit too silly for my taste. I didn't believe the setting, it was too fantastical and the family characters were more like caricatures. It sort of hinted at a story for them but that didn't really go anywhere. So, superfluous and silly but not awful.

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.

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.

This is a decent movie. Entertaining and basically a new adaptation of the old Exorcist movie from 1973. While based on a real character the story is completely made up but at least entertaining. If you like horror type movies this may be ideal for you. Any while it is not a great movie, it is heads and shoulders above much of the awful PC garbage that Hollywood produces these days. Russell Crowe is quite good as Father Gabriel Amorth as is Franco Nero who plays the Pope in this movie. While I can live without some of the silliness like a possessed person crawling around like a spider, the movie is still entertaining, which is the reason we watch movies in the first place.

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 !