X
- 2005
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 57 m
- 2005
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 57 m
Summary Paul Schrader's version of the prequel, before it was remade by Renny Harlin and released as "Exorcist: The Beginning."
Directed By: Paul Schrader
Written By: William Wisher, Caleb Carr, William Peter Blatty
- 2005
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 57 m
- 2005
- R
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 57 m
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist
55
5.5
Where to Watch
Summary Paul Schrader's version of the prequel, before it was remade by Renny Harlin and released as "Exorcist: The Beginning."
Directed By: Paul Schrader
Written By: William Wisher, Caleb Carr, William Peter Blatty
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
55
38% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
50% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
13% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
55
38% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
50% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
13% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
The material is right up Schrader's alley, and while his vision of the first "Exorcist" chapter isn't a masterpiece, it's far superior to the Renny Harlin prequel to "The Exorcist" released last year.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 23 User Ratings
5.5
35% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
35% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
30% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 23 User Ratings
5.5
35% Positive
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
35% Mixed
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
30% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
saw it years ago, it blew everyone away, (in my theatre at least), after a dismal renny harlin-directed "film" of 2004, this was quite a bounce back to the high standards that the original exorcist set
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A far superior film to beginning, though the ending exorcism is a little, you know, uninteresting, it is still a great film, i recommend it to anyone who loves the odd horror flick
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Not bad. It actually might have been considered pretty good had it been made 30 years ago, when people might have cared about the backstory of Father Merrin.
Instantly forgettable.
The film will come to share the video store shelf with Harlin's infinitely stupider rendition soon enough, but it's a shame they couldn't have been released theatrically head-to-head -- a death match-cum-clinical trial that might've supplied some objective stats on how much condescension the American moviegoer actually enjoys.
Awfully dull, with scant evidence of the sort of things that make horror movies attractive -- like mounting suspense and spine-tingling creepiness and, oh yeah, the element of horror.
Devoid of thrills, and with nothing even vaguely frightening to distract moviegoers, it becomes clear that the story wasn't worth telling in the first place.
The only film in the series that does the first one justice.
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Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. and Exorcist: The Beginning are 2 different prequels to the Exorcist. Both prequels are bad,
What's wrong with this film is that it is empty, slow, and has dumb moments. The other film was more complete, faster, but was a bit dumber and was a bit confusing.
In the end, I like Exorcist: The Beginning a little bit more. I like the a bit entertaining horror and the story more than the unwelcoming simple but tame, dull film.
Out of 100, I give Exorcist: The Beginning 41/100 and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist 40/100.
However, I hate both prequels to be fair.
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This film is the personal Paul Schrader's version of the prequel "The Exorcist: The Beginning", that he had envisioned before being removed from the direction of this film. So, it was a film shot by vanity. In any case, there is no doubt that this director is much superior, in quality and competence, than the man who found him to replace him in "Beginning", and this is reflected in the comparison between both films. Which of the directors copied the other is that I don't know because they made two movies that are practically Siamese twins surgically separated. This film also tells of the first confrontation between the devil Pazuzu and Father Merrin, is also a prequel to "The Exorcist", it also includes a Byzantine chapel buried in Africa (even bad ideas were maintained by both, since the Byzantines have never been in Kenya and neither does the chapel seem Byzantine) and also includes Stellan Skarsgård in the lead role. However, this film is superior in the way the plot is developed and closed, and in the way the horror is presented: drier, less fanciful and visual, with more containment and care in the special effects and a greater attention to the suspense, so necessary in horror. The film also attempts to weave several theological and philosophical ideas opposing the Catholic faith, the native beliefs, the skepticism of science and the occult and supernatural forces, in a broth of ideas that ends up not having a clear orientation nor carrying an evident idea or message. It's generally better than "Beginning", but it's still a long way from being a really good movie.
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Having never seen the other cut of this film, I honestly plan on giving it a shot to see how different it is. With Schrader's version, It's not much of an Exorcist film until the final act. Instead, it is a drawn-out, uneventful film suffering from a story as uninteresting as a root canal.
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Production Company
Morgan Creek Entertainment
Release Date May 20, 2005
Duration 1 h 57 m
Rating R
Tagline Before the Legend You Know, is the Story of How Evil Began.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 2 Nominations
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 1 Nomination
