Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

That was an excellent one.

Nice effects though.

Admirable film.

This film is the personal Paul Schrader's version of the prequel "The Exorcist: The Beginning", that he had envisioned before being removed from the direction of this film. So, it was a film shot by vanity. In any case, there is no doubt that this director is much superior, in quality and competence, than the man who found him to replace him in "Beginning", and this is reflected in the comparison between both films. Which of the directors copied the other is that I don't know because they made two movies that are practically Siamese twins surgically separated. This film also tells of the first confrontation between the devil Pazuzu and Father Merrin, is also a prequel to "The Exorcist", it also includes a Byzantine chapel buried in Africa (even bad ideas were maintained by both, since the Byzantines have never been in Kenya and neither does the chapel seem Byzantine) and also includes Stellan Skarsgård in the lead role. However, this film is superior in the way the plot is developed and closed, and in the way the horror is presented: drier, less fanciful and visual, with more containment and care in the special effects and a greater attention to the suspense, so necessary in horror. The film also attempts to weave several theological and philosophical ideas opposing the Catholic faith, the native beliefs, the skepticism of science and the occult and supernatural forces, in a broth of ideas that ends up not having a clear orientation nor carrying an evident idea or message. It's generally better than "Beginning", but it's still a long way from being a really good movie.

The acting, and writing, and direction is astounding. The tone is a perfectly timed building of mystery and dread, and the opening scene is quite frankly unforgettable. I will say nothing here to avoid spoiling it, but for an actor who has just one scene the soldier who dominates that first Merrin confrontation was more terrifying than Christoph Waltz in "Inglorious Bastards". It wouldn't surprise me if Christoph secretly drew inspiration from him. It is truly shameful that the studio had an entirely different film shot in this ones place and then left this unfinished for so long, releasing the far inferior "The Beginning" directed by Renny Harlin. The special effects let "Dominion" down where because funding for this version was pulled, the director (Paul Schrader) went on to finish it anyway, with some crude FX shots. Underneath the shots that remind you this is a movie, is an immersing masterpiece waiting to be realised. Sadly it never will be, but I know it is under there. And I will always praise how close they came to it under the circumstances that the studio put them through. What a cast. What writer. What a director.

The story isn't really exciting. You just sit there and watch. There are some slightly interesting scenes, some supposedly shocking ones (uh, a dead newborn full of worms - how terrifying...), a few funny lines (even though I doubt that they were meant to be this way)... but nothing special. All plain and ordinary stuff. Not even the effects are well made. Especially the hyenas looked really cheap.In the beginning, we see a scene from Father Merrins' past. Even though it helps understand, why he lost his belief, it doesn't seem to play such an important role. It's not like you ever wonder yourself, why Father Merrin acts the way he does. Then comes for a long while pretty much nothing important. At the last third of the movie, a young man (Cheche) gets possessed by an evil spirit. It doesn't act very evil, though. It even warns an unexperienced priest (Father Francis), not to touch it with anything holy. The second time he tries it, that evil spirit throws the priest onto the statue of an angel with such force, that you hear every bone in the priests body (and probably his spine, too), break. Nevertheless the young priest stands up and walks away to find some book, in order to drive away the evil spirit. They must have messed something up. It's Cheche, who got possessed and thus gained supernatural powers, not the priest. A few scenes later we see that hard to kill Father Francis again. This time, he is spiked with arrows like a hedgehog. But no big deal, of course. Seriously, that priest must be the incarnation of Archangel Michael himself. Gimme a break...What started out like an average movie, evolved to a disappointing waste of time. Dominion is hardly worth being watched.

In case you don't know the story with these movies, here it is: Morgan Creek films hired Paul Schrader to direct a prequel to The Exorcist, after director John Frankenheimer left the project, presumably due to health reasons. Schrader finished shooting, and presented a rough-cut to the studio. They hated it, and Schrader was fired shortly afterwords. Director Renny Harlin was brought on to make an entirely new film from a somewhat re-worked script, most of the same cast, and the same sets. His movie was released as Exorcist: The Beginning; it got terrible reviews, and was a box-office failure. After this, with some pressure from Schrader, and, I believe, an online petition, Morgan Creek gave Paul Schrader a minimal post-production budget to finish his film, and gave it a limited theatrical release as Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist.It's an interesting position for me to be in with these movies, because I am a fan of both directors. Both of them have made some of my favorite movies - I love Paul Schrader's sexualized Cat People remake, and Renny Harlin's The Long Kiss Goodnight is a shining example of a great dumb, but not stupid action movie - and they both have areas in which they excel. Though, it would be difficult to find two more different film-makers. Both movies focus on Father Lankester Merrin (Stellan Skarsgård, Max von Sydow's character from the original film), who is going through a crisis of faith (much like Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist) after an incident in a Holland village during World War II, where an SS officer forced Merrin to choose which ten people would be killed for the murder of a German soldier. Merrin is on an archaeological dig in Africa, when he uncovers a thousand year old Christian church which, unbeknownst to Merrin, was deliberately buried to trap the spirit of the demon Pazuzu (the chief antagonist of the Exorcist series).Both movies show the strengths and weaknesses of their respective directors. Schrader capably handles the dramatic and story driven scenes, but his film never really inspires any sense of dread, his climax lacks any real tension, and because of the low budget, the CGI effects are some of the worst in a feature film since that Dungeons and Dragons movie with Jeremy Irons. Thankfully, the CGI shots aren't that abundant. Renny Harlin, however, does give his film a more frightening atmosphere, and there are some scenes - particularly one involving assorted lepidoptera - which make you squirm. But, Harlin's character scenes all descend into clichés and histrionics, and he has an annoying habit of shooting too much of his scenes in close-up, which detracts from the drama. Both movies also feature cinematography by the great Italian cameraman Vittorio Storaro (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Last Tango in Paris, Apocalypse Now) who's lighting you can literally almost feel on your body as look at it.All in all, even though it is a lesser horror movie than Exorcist: The Beginning, I have to give the edge to Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Both movies feature more drama than horror, which should automatically give favor to Schrader. Also, Dominion is simply closer in tone and spirit to the original film, which is something that any prequel/sequel/remake should strive for. However, I do recommend watching both movies, preferably back-to-back, as the experience does give one a unique insight into how much impact a director has on a film.Final ratings: Exorcist: The Beginning - ** (out of four) Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - *** (out of four)