Visitors Review

HoodComic (2012-05-26 20:35)

Should be called 'It's just not Rite'

Do not waste your money or time. Hopkins is a great actor, but thestory is regurgitated pea-soup. Alice Braga is a stunner, but most ofher observations as well as the interactions between Hopkins andO'Donoghue caused awkward laughter in the theater. What's funny aboutdemons? Nothing like The Exorcist...Kinda felt like Contact with JodieFoster when you are waiting and waiting and hope for a supernaturalending, and it just let's you down. I wasn't sure if Hopkins tearshalfway through the movie are due to the pain his character wasenduring, or more probably because the actor realized what a lousyscript he agreed to. Dialogue written poorly, special effects werealmost non-existent...Devil 1, Hannibal 0.

(2012-05-26 09:41)

scarey

This review is from: The Rite (DVD) great and very scarey movie, surprise ending, are we all suspect to the devil if we do not give everything to Jesus Christ, I think we are even if we do surrender to Christ. A much watched movie!!!

sid-Jo (2012-05-21 08:03)

The Rite

The tone, mood and atmosphere sat well with the theme of this film andHopkins as usual was excellent and raised the film another level in hisscenes. I did find the lead a bit insipid and expressionless whenperhaps some of his more alarming moments could have been portrayedwith a bit more concern but the rest of the cast fitted well withintheir respective roles especially the pregnant girl. It kept meengrossed and on edge at and was well padded out, no more no less. Thiswas a film i didn't have on my radar but it seems not to have caught onwith the public and it deserves much more recognition and promotionthan it appears to have received. It is well worth watching, you willremember Hopkins's performance as a standout and i would if i couldaward him an 8.5/10 it being one of his best performance of recenttimes and the film a a 7.5.

edwbur (2012-05-20 11:17)

has a rite to be called a great film

this i believe is one of Anthony Hopkins best horror movies. i know hehas been trying to get back into horror and he tried with the wolf manwhich was bad. horrible. but this was very good. in fact it was so goodafter the movie i was afraid to go to sleep. thats never happened to mebefore. even more scary that it was inspired by true events. also ithad its funny moments to. like when Hopkins was giving an exorcism to awoman and speaking a prayer in a different language. of course becausethey are in Rome anyway his phone rang as he was trying to get a demonout of her body and then he asked the person with him that was a priestand turned atheist to finish as he talked on the phone. funny moment.great acting by Anthony Hopkins. he spoke roman language fluently. whati didn't get about the film was the kid who was to become a priest butturned atheist Michael was targeted by the demon. however they wentafter Hopkins character father Lucas. i thin i know why but i don'twant to spoil that for you. so my recommendation. see it.

(2012-05-19 23:29)

Very little "rite" about this one...

I'm the type of viewer who can generally accept just about any initial premise for a film as long as one basic rule is followed: no matter how outrageous or silly the idea, do NOT try to explain it unless you can actually convince me - in other words, I'm willing to watch and enjoy things that can't happen so as long as you don't give me a terrible explanation of why the thing that can't happen can (a good explanation, of course, is even better, but not needed). The Rite failed that test. (Spoilers) The film follows a young man, Michael Kovak, (Colin O'Donoghue) who is studying to become a priest, despite his absence of faith. He is sent by his mentor to exorcism school at the Vatican, in the hopes of rekindling that faith. When he starts making too much sense there - providing logical replies to everything the priest claims - he is sent to shadow a real-life exorcist, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins). Like the exorcism teacher, Hopkins cannot rationally challenge anything his student can offer. Perhaps the most memorable line of the film is O'Donaghue's ... "It's gets complicated when no proof of the devil is somehow proof of the devil." At any rate, there are various encounters with people who are presumably possessed - or in need of mental health checkups - ending with the death of a young, pregnant woman. By now, Kovak is convinced that the devil is not real, and the exorcism business is a crock. Until the devil takes issue with his disbelief and decides to prove to him that he is in fact real (despite his ultimate goal being to stay hidden). Thus begins the possession of Father Lucas; and the eventual "redemption" of Kovak and defeat of the devil.The shining star of this film was the acting - all involved did a wonderful job. The script (aside from the plot) was good, as was most else...except for the story. That was laughable. Again, the premise - whether it's that demonic possession is a reality, or anything else - is fine; but offer me a ridiculous explanation, and you've lost anything you had going for you. Explaining the cure to demonic possession as the belief of and handiwork of a mortal who follows a god who is (obviously) too weak to rid the possessed of the devil himself is absurd. So too is the idea that demonic possession is the product of a lapse in belief in an all powerful, merciful god who relies on mortals to do his dirty work - a god who leaves the helpless to their fate, should a mortal man whose been to exorcism school not be around. In fact, the very idea of this all powerful and yet pathetically weak and useless god who relies on humankind to fight his battles for him is at the same time contradictory and idiotic. It is unfortunate that the film came to such a ridiculous conclusion...because, up until that point, it was decent enough. As it is, though, The Rite (especially with its claim to be based on true events) basically concludes that reason is irrelevant in the face of medieval superstition, and explains away the unbelievable by invoking religion. Bad explanation == bad movie. 2 /5 stars ... great acting, lousy story

(2012-05-19 14:19)

Inconsistent

This movie is worth watching, it had potential, it had its moments, but suffered from self-inflicted wounds that were easily avoidable. The lead actors were fine, the writing was not. You would expect Hopkins to contribute a good performance and he did, the young priest was good as well. Without speaking a word, his facial expressions perfectly conveyed his skepticism and frustration with the old priest. These scenes were very well done, unfortunately those were his best scenes, the writing was such that his spoken lines were typical shallow Hollywood cynicism and rarely advanced the story. Internal conflict and self-doubt within the minds of the characters is realistic and result in good drama. But there is a difference between a conflicted character, and a cynical character. Realistic conflict gives life to the story, cynicism creates exasperation in the viewer (or reader). The young priest did not quite cross over into cynicism, but he was close, and in my mind the movie suffers from this and never fully recovers.....although it tried. This movie couldn't make up its mind - it didn't take itself serious enough to deliver a convincing outcome. The first 3/4 of the movie was typical Hollywood skepticism and levity about God and Christianity. During this time they threw cold water on their subject and characters, including plenty of ill-timed "wit", and then tried to "pull a rabbit out of the hat" in the end. It was forced, awkward, unsatisfying, and entirely self-inflicted. In otherwise good movies, the ill-timed use of "wit" has caused more damage than any other blunder (this includes books as well). I'm not against it, and if used correctly it is fine, but in a supernatural drama, a subject so somber and serious, where you are trying to build up to a dramatic climax, every instance of "wit" and levity should be scrutinized VERY closely, and probably eliminated unless there is a noticeable contribution to the story. (I did laugh at the cell phone scene in spite of myself.)A example of the proper use of wit and humor is the classic "Jaws". There was plenty of humor, wit and oddball characters, which all fit naturally within the story and were perfectly believable. Worth watching. I love Hopkins. But plenty to complain about.

(2012-05-18 19:04)

Very Good Movie, An Anthony Hopkins I havent seen since his Hannibal movie series days

Id like to start out by saying idk why youd see this if you don't beleive in the paranormal or demons. This movie was very good I liked the detail of just because you don't beleive in the devil doesnt mean it doesnt exist mentality, great acting and storyline. This is a great movie about exorcism and belongs right in there would recommend to anyone into these type of movies.

tombrookes2007 (2012-05-18 11:24)

This is an excellent possession/exorcism movie.

This is an excellent possession/exorcism movie. It is not too deep butdeep enough to provoke scares, thoughts and entertaining reactions.Anthony Hopkins stars as an aloof and eccentric exorcist, in CatholicRome. He is sent a confused student for shadowing, who ends up havingto help the exorcist who becomes possessed. It is all better than itsounds, with some great acting, scenery, scares, tension andpossessions. This film will appeal more to, and impress, viewers open to this kindof religious thriller but here lies a decent drama with several scaryand tense moments.

(2012-05-17 08:22)

You expected revolving heads? Pea soup? Too bad ....

THE RITE (2011), director Mikael Hafstrom, 1:55, is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Truly, one of the worst. Obviously it must be well known by now that it is about the Catholic Church and exorcism ... and let me say up front, the two versions, both laughable, of the original EXORCIST prequel were far better than this limp rag of a film.Let me give you the synopsis of this meandering and pointless story, cobbled together from discarded scraps of old Church urban myth: young man Michael Kovac (horrendously acted, if you can call it acting, by Colin O'Donoghue) becomes a seminarian, annoys the hell out of everyone, gets sent to Rome to be trained as an exorcist as a reward, meets an exorcist (Father Lucas Trevant by Sir Anthony Hopkins) who then becomes possessed. Guess who has to save the poor old exorcist? - get the picture? "Youth, come and save the Church from itself."Hopkins takes on a role that I thought Sir Ben Kingsley ought to have had, considering Kingsley's track record. (But he gets possessed, see, so they needed old Hannibal Lector one more time.) Fr. Trevant is a comical, eccentric old Welsh priest living in Rome - Fr. Brown of the Church of Rome incarnate. His attempted pithy one-liners sound junior high school-level at best - like the rest of the dialogue.Rutger Hauer as Michael's father Istvan is totally wasted here, as is Ciarán Hinds as Father Xavier the exorcist-trainer. Michael's gradeschool kid wardrobe is not the only thing this film ripped off of HARRY POTTER. Sad. In an important scene, Fr. Trevant blesses Michael and makes the sign of the cross backward: that is just one of many unbelievably stupid things in this film. It makes THE ORDER look like Oscar material.I have to say, Hopkins' Italian is perfect. I was angered and offended by the possessed pregnant girl and the young boy who suffered Satanic hoofmarks all over his body. A total creep show ... for what? To scare us? With its Wikipedia dialogue of silly arguments and confrontations, the thing could have at least chilled a little on the demonic and made it more cerebral. The attempts to make demonic possession seem like a worthy cerebral exercise remind me of the questions I see on the sophomoric Yahoo!Answers.This thing was released on the heels of the real-life situation with the Church needing exorcists and trying to train a new generation of priests to perform exorcisms. As it touts itself to be based on actual events, all I can say is I think I know upon whom the characters of Michael and Fr. Trevant are based. I say, I THINK I know. Then again, the typical disclaimer at the end of the credits tells us none of these characters is real anyway.As for the rest, give this thing a miss, please, I am begging. The theology on THE X-FILES was better. And so was the acting.

(2012-05-16 15:06)

a different enough exorcist flick

The Rite surprised me with a bit of a modern edge; it seemed current and depicted exorcisms as not some lost ancient practice. Anthony Hopkins' character (Lucas) asks Colin O'Donoghue's (Michael) if he was expecting heads to twist around after an he witnesses his first exorcism. :]It has the creepy feel to it throughout that lingers with you after it's over, and it's also got a few let's-see-if-you-spill-your-drink moments too. The special effects looked real to me, though, umm, Colin's eyes sure did look especially blue through most of the movie -- maybe to contrast with the mule's! Anthony Hopkins was great, especially at the end when [*removed spoiler*].Watch it and watch out! :]

Daniel Burton (2012-05-14 05:21)

Unique, fresh and really good!

As a horror fan I was surprised when I let this title go unnoticed. Thefilm did not appear in the Swedish cinema, which I think it deserved.The majority of todays horror movies is not very good. So when I firstheard about this one I was thrilled. Anthony Hopkins is always reallygood, so I really looked forward to watching this.Colin O'donoghue in the lead is really good as a diakon who has secondthoughts about his faith in Christianity. The movie starts withO'Donoghue going to the vatikanstate for an exorcist course. When helacks in faith he is sent to father Lucas (Hopkins) who is anexperienced Excorcist. Even though O'Donoghue is showed convincingevidence of the Devils existence he is strongly holding on to his ownthoughts and point of view. I really like how the film develops thefurther in you come. In some aspects The Rite is quite similar to TheLast Exorcism which also is a very good movie. Both of the moviessurprised me since they haven't been given very good criticism orattention.The Rite is well worth a watch, doesn't matter if you're into horrorsor not. Its not the usual spray-puking, head-twisting horror which ismost common these days. Both Hopkins and O'Donoghue does a solidperformance, and I really enjoyed this movie!I will give this an 8/10, and recommend it for everyone!

Daniel Hughes (2012-05-13 18:11)

Enthralling.

"The Rite" was a surprisingly good film. Don't be mislead by the filmsaverage ratings, as it is definitely worth a lot more than its current6.2.It's careful direction was particularly pleasing, and there are somevery clever symbols that are subtly suggested in the skillfully writtendialogue. There is a perfectly dissonant harmony with music and sounddesign, with flashbacks and an editing style that creates a stomachchurning rhythm. It was very cleverly shot, enhancing action andtrauma. And hands down, the acting was absolutely faultless. The castfor this film were shockingly good.The film is extremely powerful, but very difficult to watch. This isn'ta problem, however, viewing difficulty is clearly intentional andcreates literally breathtaking tension.Highly recommend film, for the thrill seeking and the deep thinker, butdefinitely not for the faint hearted.

zzoaozz-994-637879 (2012-05-10 00:41)

One of the Finest Exorcism Movies in a Long Time

This movie took my breath away. The acting was superb from the childrenup to Sir Hopkins. This movie presents its subject matter withoutprejudice or condemnation. The Church is not the bad guy nor is itpowerless and in so many movies. Some of the hows and whys are leftdeliberately vague which adds to the realism. The scenery is gorgeous,the filming skillful and careful balancing the beauty of the locationwith the way shadows can make the ordinary seem ominous. Vivid andintense are the words that best describe this movie. I could watch itover and over. It is not a rip off of the Exorcist nor does it use anyof the shock scenes that movie made famous. Anyone who likes realisticand unrelenting supernatural terror will love this movie if they justgive it a chance.

glenjordanspangler (2012-05-09 06:37)

Why you should and shouldn't see The Rite

The credits say that The Rite is "suggested by" the book of the samename by Matt Baglio, described at the author's site as a work ofjournalism, in which the names of the principal characters aredifferent. As a work of non-fiction, the book (of which I confess I hadnot heard until today) at least plays to our natural curiosity as toexorcism's prevalence and place in the modern Roman Catholic Church,and how today's exorcists balance, or reconcile, their faith with theneed for a standard of proof to differentiate demonic possession frommental illness. The movie, unfortunately, makes no such efforts orclaims (concerns about undiagnosed mental disorders are conflated withMichael's crisis of faith), apparently having no aspirations beyondrehashing the exorcism films we've all seen, not the least of which isThe Exorcist. Father Lucas jokingly asks Michael if he was expectingpea soup and a 360-degree head-turn (signaling to the audience thatthis is less exciting only because it's Real Life, so we should find itmore exciting). However the rest of it is there: The possessed contort,change in appearance and taunt the hero with the prospect of underagesexuality, his painful memories and the subjects of his guilt, just asRegan did in 1973. "Suggested by" doesn't make it fresh.Why you should see it You never tire of The Exorcist and its imitators. You think "suggestedby" makes this real, so you're looking for pointers, just in case.Why you shouldn't see it The Exorcist is available at Blockbuster.--from my review at www.1man365movies.com

Atlas007 (2012-05-07 23:59)

Excellent Movie, Highly Recommended

Simply put, the movie, based on true events, depicts Catholic Exorcismsin which shows the Church fighting evil rather than showing theCatholic Church as being evil. It's no wonder it got poor reviews fromthe Left wing media and non believing reviewers. They love to show theChurch as evil and that God does not exist. It is a wake up call tothem, knowing that this story is based on a true story of good versusevil with the Catholic as the good.The acting was very good headed by Anthony Hopkins who always does apremium acting job in everything he does. See it...you won't be sorry!

(2012-05-07 05:34)

THE RITE STUFF

When I was a wee lad (LOL), THE EXORCIST scared the bejesus out of me with resultant nightmares! THE RITE is nowhere as frightening but that doesn't mean it's not good.THE RITE is a somber, chilling examination of faith and religious ritualism--it delivers its terrors in quiet, unexpected ways: a houseful of frogs; feral cats in the courtyard, the sudden slapping of a small child; lots of rain.Colin O'Donoghue is quite good as the faith-questioning seminarian and Ciaran Hinds effective as the guiding priest. But it is Anthony Hopkin's searing performance as the aging exorcist who commands the movie. It's his best performance in years and reeminds us just how great he is.With skillful direction and atmospheric cinematography, THE RITE is an effective counterpoint to other exorcism films.

oneguyrambling (2012-05-05 13:23)

File this one in the 'not quite rite' basket.

I am a bit of a sucker for a good exorcism movie – even a mediocre one.I take strange comfort in knowing that the same conventions will befollowed, a sceptical man will be changed forever, leading to keychoices that will shape lives, and an innocent young girl – almostalways a girl – will contort her body, grimace in gruesome ways,blaspheme in various tongues and generally act like a pork chop.And that's enough for me. So despite the generally bad press around TheRite I was cautiously optimistic, in fact half way through I waswondering just what was so terrible about it. Then the second halfstarted… The young man filled with doubt is Michael Kovak, when facedwith the choice of joining his Father's (Rutger Hauer) Funeral home orentering the priesthood he initially selects 'C: None of the above',only to have the Church remind him of the fact they paid for hiseducation. In the end a compromise is reached where Michael is to takean exorcism course in Rome for 2 months and they will call it even.In Rome formal training commences, classes seem to include 'Recognisingthe Symptoms' and 'Identifying your Demons 101'. Apparently just namingthe satanic body-squatter is the key to effective expulsion… "I knowyou're in there Eric! Go on. Get outta there or I'll send for theExorcist!" But Michael is still not sold. He is sent to spend somepractical time with Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins) and then the funreally starts. After a 2 minute getting to know each other sessionLucas provides an instant example in the form of an apparentlypossessed young pregnant girl named Rosaria – and cue all the usualstuff mentioned above, with only vomiting nails being a notable newinclusion to proceedings.At the conclusion of the session and accompanying histrionics FatherLucas tells a still dubious Michael that the demon is merelytemporarily placated and that there is still work to do, as if to inferthat his work will never be done. Maybe he is better served being amartyr? Permit me a digression here. Another Exorcism convention is the'gee I'm sure they're faking it to fool me' motif. It comes up againand again. It just seems more trouble than it's worth; flying a guy toa foreign country, coming up with a premise and casting actors, all forone 20 something guy? Now to this point things were going OK, we hadthe sceptical rookie, the jaded old hand and the vulnerable target. Acouple of demonic conversations and dialogue in various voices andlanguages from the effected. I'm on board. The second half though justseemed to cast aside any credibility for inane happenings and someover-the-toppery.Along with the usual shadows, suddenly closing doors and voices we havemenacing frogs (!) and an evil red eyed mule (!!!) to liven things upfor Michael and a young female reporter who has tagged along for theride (Alice Braga).The cast are fine in the usual roles, their primary tasks being tocontinually look troubled in the build up and to hide the smirks in thefinale, Hopkins plays Father Lucas as just another working Schmo,failing to see the drama that others do, to Lucas he performs his roleand either it works, or it doesn't. The same attitude pervades thelatter stages of the film, the filmmakers all but say 'look we've saidit was based upon a true story (aren't all of these?), either youswallow it or you don't. In any case this is how it is!" Final Rating –4 / 10. The first half of the film was going somewhere, into albeitfamiliar territory, but somewhere. The second half was just plainsilly, ruining any semblance of credibility earned and assigning TheRite to the 'Not quite Rite' basket.

cathys848 (2012-05-04 23:49)

Who said there is no such thing as the big bad wolf?

Aaron Beck the father of cognitive behavioral psychology believes thereis no such thing as multiple personality disorder or demon possession.Instead he called it "defense mechanisms"After seeing this film, there is not a doubt in my mind that theexistence of evil and demon possession does exist.I saw this film at the suggestion from my friend Sister Regina from theSisters of the Poor Clares contemplative order. She told me that evilis becoming more pervasive throughout the world especially in Italy..The film revived my faith and I now keep a rosary and read the Bibleevery day as I my profession is a therapist.

(2012-05-04 11:59)

Very Good

This review is from: The Rite (Amazon Instant Video) One thing I ask from a movie is "Entertain me" - I was entertained but I wasn't blown away. It's worth watching.

apelsinlunden (2012-05-03 18:58)

3

This film has received much attention is ridiculous. The actors gave nocloser contact with the viewer, the story was not even interesting andended up as a bad parody of all for-profit film projects as when on theillusion that the story from the beginning is authentic. It's not thathard to grasp that it is not about any so-called devil-expulsion - butperhaps some psychotic woman with split personality disorder, whichevokes a 'rite of the Catholic priest who caught on to this. There arepeople who need to believe in that which is attributed to the film andmakes it more of what it is. Among the worst I've seen. There was nocredibility, there was no story, there was no depth. Just a doubtingpriest who was to Italy to "learn something" all that he would convertto believing in some form and so they put up Anthony Hopkins in one ofthe main characters and he makes one of the worst roles I've seen, hebubbles out their lines cold, without interest, and everything becomesa monologue move without equal.