Dominion Prequel To The Exorcist

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Fredericka Kontos says...

Renny Harlin's version was more marketable, the horror elements were played up big time at the expense of the plot and character development.



This version is longer and much more cerebral, focusing on the main character's inner conflicts and how this leads him into a battle with Satan.



Dominion is worth watching, just don't expect alot of special effects.

Posted on December 19, 2010

Parthenia Rothlisberger says...

Looks like I have to strap on my armor and enter the combat.



This is a superb piece of filmmaking, especially considering that the film it morphed into (EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING) is one of the worst films I saw that year.The executives at WB were insulting your intelligence by having this film mutilated by Renny Harlin.This original film is a smart, creepy, atmospheric work.I won't say it was the scariest film I've ever seen, but it was pleasantly unnerving and kept zigging where most workman filmmakers would have let it zag.It starts mutedly, but builds into something increasingly bizarre.I had no idea it was going to be this good.The film also leads into THE EXORCIST beautifully.I put in THE EXORCIST right afterwards, and it felt like a sequel to DOMINION.High praise, well-earned.

Posted on December 20, 2010

Jaleesa Trussell says...

After watching Dominion, I found it to be a breath of fresh air.



Dominion is a cohesive, eerie story editorializing the human capacity to succomb to evil. Behind all human violence, anger, hatred and despair, a spiritual agent whispers in our ear and delights in our failings.



Yet beyond this grim reality, there is a loving deity who embraces us... warts and all. If only we turn to him.



The film has terrific location shooting and sets. The actors all shine. The CGI animals are not convincing, however. And an "Aurora Borealis" display at the film's climax is tacky.



The Exorcism in the film could had been scarier, more distrurbing... but the theme of psychological temptation and seduction more than makes up for this deficeit.



Overall, this film is one of the strongest sequels to The Exorcist, still falling short of the originial.



Jeff Messenger, author of "The Shroud of Torrington."

Posted on December 22, 2010

Sherron Millen says...

The central premise and the basic plot of "Dominion" and "The Beginning" are the same what's different is the stylized look of the film and the direction by someone who came into directing from a writer's point of view and a director who came into film direction strictly based on the visual angle. It's a pity that the original director John Frankenheimer ("Seconds", "The Manchurian Candidate", "The French Connection II", "Seven Days in May" "Ronion") had to step down for health reasons (he withdrew from the project and died in 2002)as his visual sense would have complimented the film's screenplay by novelist Calbe Carr (The Alienist) and screenwriter William Wisher ("Terminator 2" and "The 13th Warrior").



The two films, if they were combined (some of Harlin's startling visuals, the script from Schrader's version and the languid style of that film as well)would be an exceptional film in this underperforming series (only "The Exorcist" is a five star classic, "Legion" deserves 3 1/2 stars only because of how Blatty's film was butchered during the re-editing process. It went through much the same rethink process as "Dominion" although the same director stayed throughout).



Many of the visual effects look a bit cheesy with the Aurora Boralis effect at the conclusion looking like it was done on a computer from the early 90'ss. The hyenas just aren't convincing looking for much of the film and it does rob the film of some suspense. "Dominion" is a suspense thriller dealing with the issues of faith and the power of evil to squash humanity. The film also feels a bit choppy at times particularly as it rushes towards its conclusion as if Schrader ran out of time and dropped scenes from the script to meet his shooting schedule (I don't recall him mentioning that in the commentary but do know that things were tight). The startling scares are in Harlin's film while the sense of dread that dominates Schrader's film creates a moody suspense thriller. Some of the performances are truly outstanding while others such as Gabriel Mann as Father Francis are a bit stiff (he's replaced by James D'Arcy who gives a much better performance in Harlin's film). While Clara Bellar does a solid job in the role of Rachel, I preferred Izabella Scorupco in her similar role as Sarah).



Both versions have their merits but I felt the screenplay was better written and less gimmicky for Schrader's film. It also tied in better with "The Exorcist". Stellan Skarsg

Posted on December 22, 2010

Inga Annett says...

The history of the prequel to the Exorcist is a long and fascinating one indeed. For those unfamiliar with the ordeal, Paul Schrader (screenwriter of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, director of American Gigolo and Auto Focus) was hired to make the film. It was to be the story of Father Lankester Merrin, the Dutch priest who battled the demon Pazuzu in 1973's The Exorcist. Father Merrin was portrayed by Max von Sydow in that film, as an elderly yet experienced priest who was one of the few people in the world capable of battling such a demon. The idea for the movie came from a scene in the original Exorcist in which two priests briefly discuss Father Merrin's previous exorcism experience. It seems that Merrin encountered the demon during a grueling exorcism years earlier in Africa, and the Exorcist Prequel was to tell that story.



Schrader delivered a finished film, but the studio wasn't happy with it. They wanted a commercial horror film that would be an easy sell to audiences. What they got was a psychological character study about one man's crisis of faith. Father Merrin, burdened by guilt and doubting his faith, is forced to re-examine things when an African boy in his care becomes possessed. It's a slowly-paced story with more emphasis on character than on cheap scare tactics, and features very few special effects. So Schrader's film was scrapped, and the studio hired action movie veteran Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) to reshoot it. As expected Harlin delivered the desired action-oriented blood-and-guts flick that the studio was looking for, but the film was a flop and one of the worst-reviewed movies of the year. Obviously, the studio made a big mistake.



So, in attempt to cover their butts, the studio pulled out Schrader's original version for release realizing ahead of time it would be difficult to market an alternate version of an already existing movie. As a result, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist saw only limited release in the U.S. However, it will be obvious to anyone who has seen the two movies that Schrader's version is far superior. Harlin's movie is a complete mess. It begins as a psychological drama and eventually turns into a bunch of tired horror cliches with a ridiculously bad conclusion. Schrader's version is a character drama that is more true to the nature of the original Exorcist. Most people probably forget that, in spite of its jolting pea-soup theatrics, William Friedkin's The Exorcist is essentially about the faith of Jason Miller's Father Karras. It's not about the possessed girl, it's about Father Karras overcoming his personal demons in order to deal with an actual demon. So, Dominion successfully manages to recapture the theme of the original movie instead of being just a gratuitous gorefest.



The conclusion to Schrader's movie, however, ends up being almost as disappointing as that of Harlin's. The confrontation between Merrin and the demon is rather anti-climactic and also incongruous with the original movie. The exorcism is said to have lasted months and nearly cost Father Merrin his life. Neither Renny Harlin's nor Paul Schrader's film conveys this. In both movies, the actual exorcism lasts only a few minutes with Father Merrin doing just fine afterward. That is my biggest complaint about Dominion. So much time is spent on building the character that there's little room left for the actual exorcism. However, Stellan Skarsgard's excellent performance carries the movie. The actors are all very good, and the production design really brings authenticity to the African locations. The film is beautifully shot by the great cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.



If you're an Exorcist fan and you have to see one of them, I'd recommend you see Paul Schrader's Dominion and pretend that the Renny Harlin version doesn't exist. Three and a half stars.

Posted on December 25, 2010

Kelvin Antolos says...

It's not often that you get the chance to watch two different versions of the same film, especially one associated with a landmark motion picture such as The Exorcist.I was a little more impressed than most with the theatrical release (Renny Harlin's version), Exorcist: The Beginning, but - once I learned of its existence - I yearned to see the first version of the prequel directed by Paul Schrader.At one point, there were rumors that both would be released together on DVD, but it turned out that we had to wait a little longer to see the prequel that the bobbing heads in Hollywood rejected.Apparently, they didn't think Schrader's film had a very strong horror aspect to it, and so it was that this original version of the prequel was buried while a new director came in and made a completely different movie using most but not all of the original actors.For the life of me, I can't figure out what the stuffed shirts in Hollywood were thinking, as I find Dominion to be clearly superior to Exorcist: The Beginning - even when it comes to the horror aspects.



Certainly, in terms of relating Father Merrin's story to the events chronicled in The Exorcist, Dominion is a much stronger film.Exorcist: The Prequel pretty much mucked up the whole Father Merrin story, in my opinion, particularly with his relationship with the female doctor at the camp site in East Africa.Dominion also deals much more forcibly with the guilt that drove Merrin away from the priesthood and all but destroyed his faith; in fact, that life-changing episode plays an integral part in the final showdown between priest and demon.And while we're talking about the demon, he's a much more forcible, impressive presence here than in the other prequel.As for the final confrontation, it may not have the supposed "scares" of Harlin's version, but it is a much more palpable, personal confrontation that frames the remainder of Father Merrin's life (culminating, of course, in The Exorcist).



The basic storyline is the same in both sequels, so Exorcist fans should definitely watch both films and make up their own minds as to which is better.I just think Dominion is a tighter, more substantial, better paced film than Exorcist: The Beginning.In Harlin's film, it seemed like we spent interminable hours pacing around in the dark shadows of the hospital.And it's not like Dominion doesn't have any frightening scenes to show you; the demon is much more impressive, the ritual murder inside the church is a clear win for Dominion, and even the human-inspired murders seem more visceral to my eyes.As far as I'm concerned, Paul Schrader's Dominion is the true prequel to The Exorcist.

Posted on December 25, 2010

Dani Shevitz says...

WARNING: possible spoilers ahead...



Every employee at Morgan Creek should be taken out into the courtyard and flogged for burying this movie and letting Renny Harlin unleash his worthless Exorcist prequel on the world in its place. There are certain ideas and concepts that are just meant to be movies, and doing a prequel to the Exorcist is one of them. I really can't understand how anyone could possibly screw up the story. Even Michael Bay should have been able to make a good Exorcist prequel. But Renny Harlin did the impossible, he made a bad Exorcist movie and all the while they had Paul Schrader's version hidden away in a closet.



Now, this is not a great movie, and it doesn't live up to its full potential, but it's not as much of a crime against nature as the version that was released theatrically. If the producers had actually supported Schrader and helped him trim this movie down a bit, we might have had the prequel we were all hoping for.



For anyone who doesn't know the saga of the Exorcist prequel, I will give you the Cliff Notes version. Warner Brothers and Morgan Creek decided to make a prequel to the Exorcist that would basically be the story of a young Father Merrin and how he came to be the Exorcist. Yes, I thought to myself when reading about this... good idea, finally. They hired Caleb Carr, a novelist best known for his book the Alienist, and Paul Schrader a director who's best known for writing Taxi Driver. Okay, now I was starting to get excited. Paul went and shot his movie, but ran into problems when he screened the movie for Morgan Creek and the big brains decided that it was too long and not scary. Caleb Carr started screaming that Schrader was destroying his words. They fired Paul Schrader and brought Renny Harlin in. Renny reshot 90% of the movie and put his hack fingerprints all over it. That was the version that was released theatrically with a pretty dismal box office response.



Meanwhile, Paul Schrader's version languished on the shelf until recently. This movie follows the same basic premise as the Renny Harlin version. Father Merrin suffers a crisis of faith after being forced to watch as Nazis massacre an entire village. He's in Africa and he discovers an entire church that has been buried in the desert. But while the plotline is basically the same, the two movies couldn't be more different. In Schrader's film, Merrin is a tortured man who's struggling with complex issues of faith. In Renny Harlin's film, Father Merrin is more of swashbuckling archeologist like Indiana Jones. That's basically the difference between the two movies. One is a drama, and one is an adventure.



The problem is that neither film is really a horror film. Schrader's film, while certainly more brooding and esoteric, is not that frightening. The possessed boy in DOMINION is nowhere near as scary as Regan was. That might be because there isn't really any identifiable threat in the movie. We all know that Father Merrin is going to survive whatever hellish experience he goes through, because he shows up in the later movie. So, since we know our main character is going to live, there's not a lot of peril in the movie. We are able to disengage from it and never really feel frightened or worried that Father Merrin might not make it out of this experience alive. This is a flaw that should have been handled in the concept stage. This is not a fault that can be pinned on Paul Schrader. In fact, I think Schrader did everything he could with the material he was given. It's still a flawed concept, and the producers obviously didn't give Schrader any money for CG because the hyenas in this movie look like they came right out of a video game. That's the only reason that I didn't give this movie a higher score, and it has nothing to do with Schrader or his direction. It has everything to do with a poorly conceived concept and a lack of care on the part of the producers.



The saddest thing about the Saga of the Exorcist Prequel is that Morgan Creek and Warner Brothers missed a great opportunity and we, the horror fans, are the ones who suffer for it. This movie is definitely worth a rental if you are a fan of the Exorcist series, and if you felt betrayed by Renny Harlin's movie. This will ease the sting just a little bit for you. I don't know if I can recommend adding this movie to your collection, because it still has some problems. Despite the fact that none of the fault can be pinned on Paul Schrader, this movie still ends up getting a C+ in my grade book. It's better than Renny Harlin's, but still not as great as it could have been if the producers had stood behind Paul Schrader from the beginning.

Posted on December 26, 2010

Serena Manford says...

Finally director Paul Schrader's version has been removed from its purgatorial storage and released on DVD! Now the fans can judge for themselves which adaptation they prefer, Schrader's or Harlin's. After seeing them both I will say without hesitation, Paul Schrader's orginal treatment is definitely the superior of the two.



Having two different versions of the prequel to 'The Exorcist' availabe on DVD is indeed a rare and wonderful treat. Viewing the two and comparing the merits of both is much like comparing the Reginald Owen's version of 'A Christmas Carol' with the Alastair Sim's adaptation. Each contains material left out of the other and only by viewing both do you seem to get the truly complete, unedited version. To fully appreciate the depth and soul of 'The Exorcist' legacy you simply have to watch them both.



For me the deciding factor in choosing the Schrader version over the Harlin production came around the last half hour of the film when Cheche, now fully possessed by the spirit of Lucifer floats above his demonic throne in the subteranean cavern below the recently unearthed Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. Truly a moment meant to give credence to the most famous and revered occult saying, "As Above, So Below."



The ensuing dialogue between the fallen angel and the priest adds a much deeper, personal dimension to the confrontation of Good and Evil that is missing in Harlin's film. This one-on-one exchange made the difference in my opinion. As always the subjective nature of reviewing comes down to personal choice. I invite you to view both and decide for yourself.



Stellan Skarsgard is brilliant as Father Merrin, the disillusioned priest who must overcome his deep seated doubts about the existence of God and supernatural evil. He is fast becoming one of my favorite actors. Gabriel Mann also gives a fine performance as the young, devote Father Francis, as does Clara Bellar as Dr. Rachel Lesno. Of course lets not forget the performance of Billy Crawford as Cheche, the crippled young man possessed by the "Powers of Darkness."

Posted on December 26, 2010

Maryjane Muncy says...

To be really honest, I was quite interested in seeing Dominion as it was another prequel-to-the-Exorcist-film. I had heard of Dominion even before Exorcist: The Beginning (which was only ok) and hoped that Dominion would be a bit better and possibly a bigger improvement than the slightly poor Beginning. What I didn't expect was that it would be worse, much worse.



Following the exact same story as The Beginning and a few changes in occurances, this extremely cheap version is laughable. The SFX are ridiculous and naff looking. Trying to be scary and atmospheric with its awful sound effects and silly over-the-top visuals, Dominion is far from "Perfection". The pace, diologue, characterization and acting is very bad, and at times lazy and unprofesional. With limited imagination and very poor direction, Dominion does nothing for me. It does not keep my interest and certainly does not deliver what a horror should.



A very poor attempt, but still not one of the worst horrors. And believe me there are worse horror films out there than this piece of garbage. Avoid.

Posted on December 26, 2010

Cecile Dustin says...

Schrader is basically a man in the middle, since the original director got ill and died, and the baton was passed to Schrader.

Watch the film with a view to listening to some exposition on the commentary.

Unfortunately the commentary does not explain why some very good scenes, one subtly scarey, wind up chopped, in the deletedscenessection.

The film is treated as a Drama, and is shot as such. The real bonus is that much of the great visuals are from location shoots. And,just to tantalise you, what is the connection between this film and Mel Gibson'sPASSION OF THE CHRIST film? All will be revealed in the commentary.

Anyways, stylistically, Schrader's work is very good. A handful of the actorsrecur in the RennyHarlin version, and all are very good.

Much of the Continuity between The Prequel and the EXORCIST is explained by Schrader, although Schrader has thisunfortunate tendency to be quiet when he needs to speak, and speak when he needs to be quiet,... oh hell, its a commentary, he should talk all the time !!!

Anyway, whilst Renny Used CGI Jackals, Schrader usesreal ones, with a bit of manipulation from CGI.

All in all, worth buying.

Posted on December 29, 2010