First Things First…
I’m intrigued by Russell Crowe starring in a horror movie. And more than that, I’ve always found it fascinating that the Catholic Church actually employs exorcists. This is supposedly inspired by a true story and a real exorcist. The trailers didn’t look great, but I want to check it out.
4 Things I Like
4. Old School Vs New School
The pope is old school, like Fr. Gabriele, and he sums up this rivalry pretty well. He talks about how the younger generation view the devil as more abstract, not as a real being. But he and Fr. Gabriele believe the devil to be real, knowable.
This seems to be why Cardinal Sullivan has it out for Fr. Gabriele. He thinks exorcisms are antiquated rituals with no place in the modern church. Thus, Fr. Gabriele’s skills would be obsolete.
It’s interesting that Fr. Gabriele has to contend with forces working against him from within the church while he’s in Spain investigating the main possession of the movie.
3. Demonic Henry
The kid who plays Henry, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney, is a hell of an actor with his face. I assume someone else does the possessed voice when he talks, or they use some serious distortion to get the demonic effect. But there’s something unsettling about what this kid does with his eyes, his mouth, and his jaw. Even though I don’t find this movie scary, he pulls off a freaky performance.
2. Indiana Jones-style Adventure
When Fr. Gabriele unseals the catacombs beneath the abbey, which date back to the Spanish Inquisition, and he and Fr. Tomas essentially become grave robbers. They take a key they need to find out of the stomach of a skeleton, they find the book that gives them the demon’s name, and they discover a map of all the sites around the globe where God is not welcome. It felt like it wouldn’t be out of place in an Indiana Jones movie.
1. The Old Aussie’s Still Got It
“My nightmare is France winning the World Cup.”
Fr. Gabriele (to a boy possessed by the King of Hell)
I didn’t think a movie like The Pope’s Exorcist would have me raving about “fun performances”—but Russell Crowe turns in a really fun performance!
Fr. Gabriele has a winking charm. He jokes with the family of the possessed boy, he jokes with the pope, and he even trolls the demon he wants to exorcise.
But it’s not just his humor. Despite also being very prideful—which causes his greatest sin and burden—he’s also very compassionate.
During his hearing, it’s mentioned that in 98% of cases he investigates, he eventually recommends psychiatric intervention. Most cases aren’t true demonic possession. But those people like the young man in the film’s opening scene believe they’re possessed, and they act accordingly—capable of causing great harm to themselves and others. In the wake of the one woman who he failed to help, Fr. Gabriele recognizes this and tries to help them, or to get them the help they need, because they’re still worth saving, even if his abilities as an exorcist aren’t what’s needed.
1 Thing I’m Mixed On
1. The King of Hell’s World Domination Plans
It turns out Asmodeus, the King of Hell, is the demon possessing Hennry. His plan is to use the boy to bait Fr. Gabriele into letting him in. By possessing the pope’s exorcist, he’ll gain access to the Vatican and the pope himself.
We learn during the catacombs scene that this happened in the past, during the Inquisition. It led to a church coverup, and it’s why the catacombs at this abbey were sealed for centuries.
This sounds like a really cool plot for Supernatural. (In fact, the Winchesters have faced off with Asmodeus before.) It’s just hard to take the gravity of this case as seriously when this plot sounds like it came from a writer’s mind.
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. The Pope’s Health
As the possession gets worse, the pope’s health also deteriorates. I don’t understand the connection they seem to be trying to make between Asmodel’s horrors in Spain and the pope in the Vatican.
1. Possession Comes on Fast, and with Silly Symptoms
It feels like there’s almost no buildup, and all of a sudden, the little boy is fully possessed. So much so, in fact, that in one of the first possession scenes, he grabs his mom’s boob and demonically berates her for not breastfeeding him as a baby.
After the movie starts way more entertaining than I expected, this scene worried me that we were going downhill FAST.
Luckily, they righted the ship.
Tim Matassa
