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Directed by: Paul Schrader Starring: Stellan Skarsgard, Gabriel Mann, Billy Crawford, and Clara Bellar. Dominion Website (official) : http://dominiontheexorcist.warnerbros.com/ "The story is basically the same in Dominion as in 2004's The Beginning (the the same script), with some small but very significant changes. Stellan Skarsgård plays the younger Father Merrin in both films, but the rest of the cast is entirely different and one integral character was dropped entirely in the Harlin version, to be swapped out for a sexy Regan replacement, complete with potty mouth and spinning head." - About.com - I cannot find a good source for the story of why there's two different versions of Excorcist I, but it is my understanding the original director (this one, Paul Schaefer, screenwriter of 'Taxi Driver,') was kicked out, as were a few key cast members, storyline, sets, plots, and such, for a major Hollywood overhauling. Exorcist : The Beginning is the mal-reviewed theatrical release. Dominon is the original, straight-to-DVD release just two days ago. So, I'm going to present to you some 'soft-spoilers,' meaning that it won't ruin the film, but clue you into the differences, tagged just in case. Differences, in references to Exorcist : The Beginning (assuming you've seen it) and Dominion (assuming you have not seen Dominon) : The docotor is more of a plain-jane, and can be taken more seriously. The cruddy old man isn't in this film. The child of the covert gets killed in an entirely different way. The center of the Exorcism is an entirely different character, not even mentioned in the E:TB theatrical release. The local head of the British military 'goes out' in a different manner. There's less emphasis on special effects. The 'Aurora Borealis' effect towards the end is intentionally over-the-top, giving a crecendo feeling, as opposed to hordes of gore and such as did the theatrical release. It's an altogether better story. My pros : I would say only about 10% of these two films share common filming, and about 33% common story, and that's a very good thing. The center of the Exorcism is very, very well-acted; I am of the understanding the person is actually a singer, and never acted before (I read it somewhere.) If you can distance yourself from seeing the other film, this one's a much more enjoyable watch, by far. My Cons : Two of the first CGI effects are horrible, as if they didn't match the color of the blue-end graphics with the 'warm tones' of the background plate. However, they get better, by 'better' I mean you might not know what little CGI you're seeing is actually CGI.  No matter how hard you try, you do look at this film with a 'I hope it doesn't suck' eye, and I can see why the first release (but not the first filmed, as is this one) might not please everyone. There's a scene or two missing, I'm sure of it, but it isn't ciritcal. - Well, all-around, I'm glad I bought this film, and actually am likely to watch it again. The lead actor (of both) is riveting and well-cast, as is all of the cast in this original version. I was expecting a few over-the-top twists as did the E:TB version, but they didn't come, I got treated to some more story and suspense instead. This isn't you're garden variety horror-flick, so don't expect one. I'm curious to see what other goons think! RATING: 4 PROS: A giant leap of a better story than the theatrical release. CONS: What remains of the thatrical release could make a negative bias. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449086/
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Oct 27, 2005 09:38
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 13:43 |
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I'm lucky that Starz is showing Exorcist: The Beginning just now so I can have a frame of reference. The theatrical film certainly benefited from a better budget, but the DTV release is the better film. But I think, underneath it all, neither is really that good of a film and aren't up to the standard of the first or third Exorcist movies. The special effects in the DTV are almost universally lackluster but I'd give it a free pass as I imagine it would have been more polished had it been the main release. Even in the state it's in now, it seems clearly the better movie of the two. The DTV's better at: The Nazi prequel footage The centering of the exoricism on the deformed boy The theatrical had better: Church set design (I think I get that the DTV was angling towards a pristine chapel after all these years, but it just came across as cheap and uninvolving) British soldier escalation (the mini-war that it ends up at seemed more fitting the material) Stellan Skarsgard is a fantastic actor and it comes across in both films, but I don't really think either director was able to establish any kind of mood or atmosphere necessary to make the films memorable enough to merit the name. I think the prequel status of Father Merrin and the horrific things he's endured during the war is great material and good motivation for his disillusionment. The discovery of the church and the corrupting influence it has one people is pretty good, although some of it is better in theory than execution. The final confrontation has some good and bad work but overall felt as unsatisfying and inconsequential as the theatrical did (although was built from a far better base than the theatrical's Reagan-clone). At the very least, it's a compelling example of two directos making the same film without the artificial constraints on the Psycho reshoot. Worth seeing both on that standpoint alone if you're interested in general moviemaking. Rating: 2.75 out of 5. Theatrical is 2 out of 5
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Oct 30, 2005 03:00
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My opinion pretty much mirrors Ape Agitator's. The theatrical version had much better cinematography and had a more "epic" feel, but had too many horror movie cliches (they even had a girl-in-the-shower scene!) while the DVT release had much better characterization and better depicted the buildup of tension between the tribe and the solders. I should say the ending of the theatrical version was actually better, where the tribe and the soldiers wipe each other out, and would have made the DTV version much more powerful instead of everything suddenly being ok as if nothing had ever happened once the exorcism was performed. It's odd to me that Dominion's ending was more "Hollywood" than the theatrical release. Dominion: 2.5 out of 5 E:TB: 2 out of 5
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Jan 14, 2007 02:32
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