An atheist and an exorcist joining together to fight the forces of evil sounds like a bad sit-com. In fact, it would've been better that way. Instead, it’s the premise behind the supernatural thriller – if you can call it that – The Rite.
The movie, suggested by Matt Baglio's book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, is about a would-be atheist who becomes an exorcist after witnessing the effects of demoic possession first-hand.
Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue) is an atheist who joins the seminary so he can get away from the family-owned and operated funeral home. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he tries to resign by claiming to have a crisis of faith, though that was actually his plan all along.
Rather than accept his resignation, the priest in charge of the seminary sends Michael to Rome for two months to take a new course about exorcism being offered by the Vatican; part of a new Vatican initiative to meet the increasing reports of demonic possessions. Note: The Vatican really does have courses to train priests in the ancient rite of exorcism.
After openly denying the existence of the devil in a class, Michael is sent to meet Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), a Welsh priest who regularly conducts exorcisms. On his first visit, Michael witnesses an exorcism involving a pregnant 16-year-old girl who was raped by her father. Despite experiencing first-hand the unusual behavior attributed to demonic possession, Michael refuses to believe anything supernatural is happening and instead insists that the girl is internalizing the trauma caused by her father.
Father Lucas warns Michael, “refusing to believe in the Devil will not protect you from him.”
Naturally, things begin to escalate after that first exorcism. Michael is tormented by a demon who seems intent on destroying him, and when Father Lucas becomes possessed he is forced to confront the same evil he has denied even exists.
Really, this movie has very little going for it. The story is predictable; the execution is … well, cheesy. I’m sorry, but what part of a red-eyed horse demon that just stares at you is scary?
The protagonist’s stubbornness is aggravating. His skepticism is understandable at first, but after seeing the girl vomit nails, and hear her tell him unknown details of his childhood, even the most stalwart skeptic would say, "Holy sh*t! Maybe I'm wrong." But, not Michael. His die-hard skepticism makes his epiphany at the end of the film hard to swallow.
Another shortcoming is the movie's abuse of special effects. For about the first hour, the film is very atmospheric -- using a nice balance of shadows and light to create tension. Unfortunately, as the possessions get worse, special effects bombard the screen and the creepy atmosphere is destroyed and replaced by a movie that feels more like a slasher flick than a supernatural thriller.
The movie’s ultimate failure, though, is not having faith in its villain. The devil should be scary enough considering his sole purpose is to torment mankind and destroy our souls. Instead of relying on that mythology, the filmmakers turned the devil into a villain who uses cheap parlor tricks and clichéd horror movie devices to scare the audience.
The only glimmer of light in this otherwise dismal film is Anthony Hopkins. He truly is a master of his craft. There are few actors alive who can convey an entire range of emotions with just a twitch of his eye. His understate subtlety is the only thing that makes the movie watchable.
Unfortunately, not even Anthony Hopkins can save The Rite from itself. The devil couldn't've made it any worse.
4 of 10 - Bad
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