Questions - What renovations was that woman planning on a mostly derelict cathedral without any money? and did he really ride that scooter from Rome to Spain? LOL I couldn't take the rest of the movie seriously after that! Really lazy screenplay .... wished they'd worked harder. Best thing about this movie ... the young girl playing "I'm Stranded" by the Saints!
Pretty decent but Crowe carries the whole cast.
I especially liked how Amorth puttered the 2000kms (1200 miles) from Rome to Castille, Spain on his moped wearing a trench coat, sunglasses and a hat.
Ok, another Exorcist-Movie, but excellent acted by Russel Crow. A lot of classical but working effects and a story which is based on books of a former real exorcist.
The exorcism genre certainly hits as generic these days and while I can't quite say this isn't generic, The Pope's Exorcist is a big upgrade from the recent schlock we've had in recent years. It's very self-aware and isn't afraid of bringing the story to ridiculous places, which is what's required at this point because who even takes these seriously anymore (The Exorcist 2023, please prove me wrong!). I was never bored, there's always something happening it's very entertaining. The comedy and cringe is on the menu, the set was nice, some twists I didn't see coming and so much ridiculousness especially in the third act.
Russell Crowe plays one hell of a cool priest, cracking jokes and drinking whiskey. Liked his character and performance. The boy wasn't half bad for a kid playing being exorcised but the words never sync with his lips and that kinda takes me out of it. The sidekick priest was so generic I kept forgetting he was there.
Lining up for a sequel it seems. I'd be up for it, as long as they keep doing crazy ridiculous entertaining stuff.
not the 199 sequels tease
They could make a good movie, but failed. They got everything to do so. Good: the story, mr russell, some scary parts, gory ones.
Bad : the script, support actors.
They could focus on the inquisicion instead, more detective history, less traditional exorcism parts.
Rated a Connor 10, normal 8.3
Very poor execution, mediocre script lazy acting. Russel needs to retire he just doesn't care anymore. Half way through the movie I was on tiktok. "The Rite" was the last great exorcist movie.
I’m just keeping it simple it’s not good and it’s not bad it’s OK something to kill time
After the fall of the Roman empire "The Gladiator" decides to become "The Exorcist", but instead he turns himself into a backyard Indiana Jones. :sweat_smile:
The film has some positive points. The performances are solid, with Russell Crowe giving a particularly memorable performance as Amorth. The film also has some effective scares, and the possession scenes are genuinely disturbing.
However, the film also has some negative points. The story is somewhat predictable, and the characters are not particularly well-developed. The film also suffers from some pacing issues, with some scenes feeling unnecessarily drawn-out.
Overall, The Pope's Exorcist is a mediocre film. It is not a bad film, but it is not particularly good either. The film is worth a watch for fans of horror films, but it is not likely to blow anyone away.
Russell Crowe is a chad :moyai::wine_glass:
Cliched almost to the point of parody. The few bits that were unique were either blink and you miss it, or never explored at all.
Also really did not appreciate them trying to retcon the Inquisition as demonic possession. Real life humans did that shit, the same kind of real life humans who are out here conducting conversion therapy on children and stripping away LGBTQ and reproductive rights.
Schlocky goodness.
I liked the historical twists it made, but it devolved into CGI madness by the end.
If you're a fan of Russell Crowe, as I am, you'll enjoy this.
I don't really ever watch movies like this, but I love Russell Crowe.. so why not? I enjoyed listening to him speak in Italian and ride around on a Vespa. I don't really have any major complaints about the film but I never felt like I'd have felt like I missed out on something special if he wasn't involved.
If you're a horror fan, this movie is "chill" movie night. There's no real jumpscares, just some gore and scary visuals.
I watched it in the middle of the night 12AM-2AM in the dark and my heart rate was consistently under 70bpm.
I really struggled to stay awake watching this .
Another same exorcist copy, with the slightest of changes, and a bigger budget.
The only good bit was the disembodied knocking around a room (which sounded great) not looking forward to 199 sequels doing the same exact thing with a different demon. (I liked the Spanish inquisition retcon , but I'd rather see that story, as a series)
annoyances - The kid's make-up looked stupid, the demons voice sounded terrible.
"See thee beneath God."
Cool little B-movie feel to it, something my father would've put on when I came round to stay the night as a kid.
It's a casual modern spin on The Exorcist where it goes for a much more cartoonish style. My favourite part was when the two priests are standing over a demon they had just killed with their arms extended holding crosses and saying a prayer in unison and it's identical to that Ezekiel 25:17 scene in Pulp Fiction where Jules and Vincent are both holding their guns out after having just commit murder ... only this is more badass since they are out here defeating evil.
Honestly, such a based movie for sticking to its Christian core too.
It even features a flat earth map :airplane: :eyes:
Nothing more than William Fridkin's 1973 film The Exorcist, other than the special effects.
No, not good. It's like exorcism for children.
If you have seen other exorcism movies, other horror movies you'll find this writing a B movie's...
Ah, that mother, Julia.. What a damn bad actress.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’:
This film reminds me how much I wish horror would move further away from CGI. Not that there was a ton of it here… but enough to give me that reminder.
I didn’t hate it. I was entertained, mostly because of Russell Crowe. I thought he did a great job balancing the heft of his exorcist duties with a solid-yet-subtle dose of humor.
It’s hard to be scared of moments you’ve seen so many times before. This film treads a ton of familiar territory. It wasn’t horribly done, the story was decent for sure, but it’s just another variation of the child possession plot.
Russell Crowe stars in the supernatural horror film The Pope’s Exorcist. When a young boy becomes possessed while his mother is renovating an old Spanish abbey, Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican’s chief exorcist, is called in to help and makes a terrifying discovery. While the film claims to be based on Amorth’s memoirs, most of the plot is fictitious and recycles the same old possession tropes; walking on walls, demonic voices, body contortions, etc. However Crowe gives a fun performance as an eccentric priest, and the writers do a good job at building mystery and suspense. Additionally, the score is well-done and enhances the atmospheric tone. The Pope’s Exorcist has some weaknesses, but overall it’s entertaining and delivers some frightening thrills.
According to "some people" I watch far too few "new" films. Apparently... not all of them are rubbish.
Anyway... Since a new year comes around... well... once a year, I thought I'd start it off doing something I usually don't do. I started to search the family's streaming services for anything "new" I could watch, and came across The Pope's Exorcist on one of them. I do like some exorcism films... I also like Russel Crow... sometimes... So... I thought I'd give this a try, and well...
This wasn't rubbish... I can tell you that. It had quite a lot of what makes exorcism films fun. Foul-mouthed demon-possessed kids, an "exorcist" priest, a "green" priest, and so on, and so on. The thing that actually made it more than a bog-standard exorcism affair, was the fact that they included a Vatican conspiracy as well. Not bad... Not bad at all...
The acting was... adequate. I liked Russel Crow and the sidekick priest, the rest were... OK. It doesn't take Oscar worthy performances to make such a film in any case...
The cinematography and atmosphere was good. A bit too much of the digital mumbo-jumbo in some places, but it wasn't badly done, so I can forgive it. Not scary in the slightest, but worked on a lot of other levels... It was actually quite funny in a way...
So... worth a watch?!? Yes... I would actually recommend this to fans of exorcism films.
Watched on Viaplay
Russell Crowe used to be THE chiseled leading man. And now he's just the cutest lil' cutie.
This feels like if Marvel made an exorcism movie.
8/10
Great
Had such a good
time and so much
fun with this one,
plus it's a solid
Exorcism movie with
plenty to enjoy.
This absolutely blows
that piss-poor
Exorcist believer
Clean out the water,
This movie is a
God Damn masterpiece
compared to that
boring shitty garbage.
Russell kills it in this
role I really really enjoyed
his performance, he
totally sold the movie
for me.
The fact that Russell
was portraying a real
person and not a character
and Russell studied
actual real life
found footage tapes of
the real farther Gabriella
while also reading his
Journals theirs no wonder
Russell totally nailed the
Performance.
Been quite a while
since an Exorcism movie
was done right, and this
was done right.
"Cuckoo".......
(Lol).
"A mother's love is the closest thing we know to God's love."
This doesn't reinvent the wheel in the slightest bit, but there are 2 things it has going for it: 1) While funny at times, Russell Crowe's performance is pretty good and 2) the visuals are pretty gruesome and impressive.
I believe the more exorcism films you've seen, the less "The Pope's Exorcist" will excite you. While the film is competently directed overall, it hardly adds anything new to the subgenre. Instead, pretty much every checkbox is rigorously checked off. It also neither features a particularly dense atmosphere nor is it scary in any way. You shouldn't expect any criticism of religion either, as with pretty much every film of this genre, the church is the salvation in the end. Russell Crowe is the only reason to give the film a chance. He makes some questionable acting choices, but they somehow work. For example, he plays his character with a distinct sense of humour, which is refreshing in places. However, this did not ultimately save "The Pope's Exorcist" for me.
"The Pope's Exorcist" plunges Russell Crowe, a once esteemed actor, to the depths of his career, showcasing a disheartening nadir.
Russell Crowe holds the whole film together, to the point this could become the role of his life. However, the rest is plain bad, for the most part not even bad enough to be enjoyable. The over-the-top bits that mesmerized me in the trailer are all concentrated in the final minutes, while the rest is yet another trivial reiteration of the usual exorcist tropes. Still, I hope the movie’s relative success will guarantee more ambitious sequels with Satan invading the Vatican, more secret crypts, and epic magic duels.
Not a horror movie fan and not big on the idea of the church, so I usually would blow off a movie like this. But Russell Crowe. It was typical in a lot ways of this kind of movie. It was entertaining, not too scary or gorey. The most inbreeding part is the reference to the Spanish Inquisition. Not sure I buy it, since I again usually don't watch this kind of stuff. But it made me curious enough to want to review the history a bit and I always see that as a good thing.
Difficult to rate. It had some good special effects within. I'm just not the biggest fan of Russell Crowe or possessions.
This was literally one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I had to turn it off.
think that show Supernatural, but as a movie. goofy and entertaining in small quantities.
demons conspire to commit hi jinks on earth, and russell crowe has to kick their asses back to hell.
russell crowe carries the movie.
overall, not terrible
It was ok. I felt off while watching it but it's probably because I don't watch these kind of movies. overall an ok watch.
Russell Crowe can carry the most mundane of movies to an enjoyable one time watch, but not enough to resuscitate a franchise out of it.
There were no spine chills, which horror movies must have. On the other hand, few horror movies today give chills. It lacked a slightly better story, but what I have to praise are definitely the film effects, masks, etc. That was quite successful.
Not bad for a satanic storyline, good 'bump in the night' special effects. Russell Crowe definitely made the character his own, I just can't see him agreeing to do a sequel.
Listed in: Satanic Stories - Supernatural Horror
I am only 12 minutes into this and can't watch it. Having already dealt with my own two surly teenagers, I don't waste time on movies that are centered around that kind of halfwit waste of oxygen. Had the girl fallen from the staircase banister and broken her neck - thus eliminating her from the rest of the movie - I might have continued watching because the trailer makes it look like a good movie, and I enjoy Russell Crowe in most films. Sadly, the surly little snot is still breathing and 12 minutes is too much of this. Turning it off now.
UPDATE 01/13/2024 I had kept this on a "back burner" because the premise - and the trailer - really looked interesting, in spite of the aforementioned snotty teenager. I decided to give it another chance today and I'm glad I did. The "surly teenager" bit only lasted a short time past where I had turned this off previously (only 12 minutes into the film) and although she didn't play an overwhelming part of the story, "Amy" (played by Laurel Marsden) at least didn't continue in the role of rebellious, snotty daughter. As for the rest of the movie, it was your typical "exorcism" movie basically on steroids: the demon was much more powerful, the environment much more given to demonic possession, etc. What I did like about The Pope's Exorcist as opposed to other exorcism-type films, was the subplot: the whole idea of the Spanish Inquisition - and years of persecution by the Roman Catholic church - being the end-game of a demon. While there's certainly no documented research or proof of such a story, it did make for an interesting "Hmmmm..." during the film. Lots of great cinematography and some decent special effects (in certain places but certainly the film wasn't overwhelmed with them) made for what, IMO, turned out to be a good film. Love the conclusion and the final scene (complete with the text overlays). That just served to wrap this one up beautifully and present it as a complete package. Definitely worth watching.
It's ok, but I didn't like it at all.
I liked! It doesn't add anything new to the exorcism movie genre though! It is fast and does not get stuck in the slightest
Far worse than I was expecting it to be.
I liked Crowe here. Average fare exorcism paint by numbers type of story, but with a solid demon foe on the other end. Relies far too much on strobe effects during the final third for photosensitive folks like myself, but still a worthwhile one time viewing for the Crowe man. 6.2
I know what I will get from an exorcism movie because, well, nothing new has been introduced to the genre in ages. All I ask of them is to keep me interested enough and at least try to do something different with what's already out there if they don't have something original. This one did that. Barely. So, you know, kudos.
If you can put up with Russell Crowe's attempt at an Italian accent, or was it Spanish, or French? :joy: That coupled with poor overdubbing of the demon's voice on the boy makes this a terrible film.
Overlong and slow, not even atmospheric which is where slow movies conquer.
It is an all too-complicated story that the average cinema goer will lose track of after about 30 mins.
Russell Crowe has never managed to revive his success of 'Gladiator' and he isn't going to do so with films like this.
To understand the script you actually have to be a qualified exorcist yourself, and know every verse of the bible inside out. Only then will you have a chance of understanding it.
I have only ever seen one slower film. It was called, 'Watching Paint Dry'.
Don't bother with it.
Why did they bother with this one, it wasn't even scary.
remember, french is the devil
Unfortunately it is indeed a lazy movie that turns into a pilot episode for potential tv show. But the latest Exorcist tv show was so much better than this action flick. Mr Russell Crowe is great and clearly doesn’t mind much what projects he joins now. And that is perfectly fine. Supporting characters had no story, character development. I did not care about them at all. That is a one thing you will note - you just don’t care about any of the characters. Well maybe Mr Russell Crowe character, since he is a major star and does a good accent.
Also. Nothing scary about this movie. The only controversial part is the twist about true leader/powers behind the church. That was clever. And that makes up a little for this “waste of time”.
Shlocky, pulpy and aggressively pulling from The Exorcists hymn sheet, The Pope's Exorcist is a fun ride with one of Crowe's better characters and performances in years. More thriller than horror, this movie seems to swing for a Marvel-esque ending that opens it up to many sequels and spin-offs. If they're all as punchy as this, I'm all for it. Just bring back Ralph Ineson as more demons, his voice is iconic and somehow fit so so well.
It's very entertaining for sure. Maybe not a MASTERPIECE in this genre. But was definitely worth watching and enjoying.
Like the friend you're talking with at a stop light and who you have to remind that they've already asked the same question before: tired, ridiculous and repetitive.
I appreciated the moments of unintentional comedy but not much else.
I thought it was better, it has good effects but it's very predictable, exaggerating computer effects. They seem like effects 30 years ago.
This could be a good show. Although 200 episodes nowadays is probably too much. ;>
The MCU Vatican edition with bizarre Antisemitic Inquisition dog whistles.
For a second there I thought Russel was a legitimate Italian priest. lol His performance is the best and only good thing about the movie.
I don't believe they've left out any of the standard exorcist tropes in this one. A true mess of a film with some awful acting to elevate the material to a new low.
An unsettling exorcism movie that happens to have ruined my bed time rituals. I've enjoyed it and hopefully I will sleep tomorrow :grin:
Not original or scary, but quite good. Especially the performance of Russel Crowe was great. I do hope there will be a sequel.
Good movie, enjoyed it. Took a while for some new good horror movies. But for me this is one of them
Funny movie with great actors
Fun semi horror movie to have a good time. Special effects and interesting interpretations but I recommend going there without many expectations.
watchable, yet another horror movie that is not scary. I just don't understand why it looks like an MCU movie, maybe they are creating the PCU (Priest Cinematic Universe)
Shout by hirkitiVIP EP 2BlockedParent2023-11-15T01:21:09Z
Lasted 6 minutes with this one. If the demon can’t foresee that the hunter with the shotgun is going to blow the pigs brains out when he posses it then they need to write better demons. Supposedly based on the true story of a Vatican priest that did over 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime? If he lived to be 100 years old and started doing exorcisms the day he was born that would be 3 exorcisms per day - every day of his life lol.