O Ritual

After losing faith in the exorcism sub-genres and my sister telling me how average this movie was, i didn't expect much from The Rite. Honestly, the only reason i watched it was because of Anthony Hopkins, and i am glad i did. This movie has everything that fans want in an exorcism movie. Some people may find it a bit slow paced but the movie does not steer off course, every minute is relevant to the storyline.

Even in his 70's, Mr Hopkins did just what was expected from him. He gave a powerful performance which scared the living hell out of me and played his most convincing role since Hannibal Lector but surprisingly so did someone else, someone who i had never heard of. Yes, i am talking about Colin O'Donoghue, who managed to stay in the light and make a great connection with his co-stars. Every character in the movie was fully utilized specially that of Alice Braga.

I find that many people fail to see the spark in this film, and the only reason i can think of is that people these days are too fond of gore which this movie lacks. Surely, The Rite is not for the "Doubters" but for the people who believe and have interest in this subject.

After decades of miserable exorcism movies, finally we got us a winner. Can i dare say that this movie is better than The Exorcist?, No i cant but this is definitely the "Second Best" ..

Now i can confidently say that "you were wrong big sister".

With solid performances, amazing cinematography and mind blowing sound effects, i give it a 9/10.

The Rite is a good and very atmospheric exorcism film. Although released clearly not in a good time for this sub-genre, it still holds up well even 10 years later.

The setting is nice, the cinematography is great. It's not a demon-slasher like the more recent pieces of this sub-genre (like The Nun) and it plays more into the psychological aspect (just as the director did with 1408), this is how I like my exorcism films.

But what really makes this work for me, it's the performances. This film is carried by acting, and although most of the cast did a great job, O'Donoghue, Hauer...Hopkins stole the show. You get completely immersed in his performance, every detail, every emotion is projected through it. It is clearly one of his best if not the best roles since The Silence of the Lambs.

The story itself of course isn't perfect, and it has some elements reminiscent of the time, but when Hopkins is on screen, you just completely forget about everything else.

Personally, I think the film is way underrated on IMDB, especially if you compare the rating to more recent entries in this sub-genre.

A strong recommendation.

The Rite looked like it would be a mixed bag right from the start. The film seemed to suffer the same fate many other films before it fell victim to and that's giving away too much of the storyline in the trailers. On top of that, it was a film that revolved around exorcism which is a subject that usually leads to disappointing results. Expectations would lead one to believe that The Rite would have enough momentum to reel you in only to drop the ball during its finale similar to last year's The Last Exorcism (except hopefully without the appearance of a neon red, glow in the dark fetus). Luckily, the film has a few surprises up its sleeve.

The cinematography in the film is probably the first thing you'll notice visually. The opening of the film makes things like dripping embalming fluid, a swing set on a playground, and an overturned shopping cart seem more interesting than they really are. Rain is an element used fairly often in the film to usually signify when something has gone wrong or is about to. Whether the camera is placed up high to make it seem like you're looking down on the cast from the heavens or down low as if you're looking up at them from the depths of the earth, the rain sequences in the film are definitely some of the most memorable due to the camera work.

This is probably a pretty obvious statement, but the film is worth seeing for Anthony Hopkins alone. It's not that Colin O'Donoghue does poorly since he certainly has a strong screen presence and does a fantastic job carrying the film, but Hopkins just manages to trump that while stealing every scene he's in and rightfully so. Father Lucas Trevant is the strongest and creepiest role Hopkins has played since Hannibal Lecter and his best role overall in years. It's just amazing seeing a man in his seventies give a performance that's this physical and this absorbing. Speaking of distinguished actors, it was nice seeing Rutger Hauer as well even if it was just for a small role.

The dream sequences and hallucinations in the film may have been my hands down favorite. I've always been a fan of the surreal, the imaginative, the creative, and the things that don't seem to make sense at first but gain meaning as the film or story progresses. I never thought I'd find myself intrigued with the actions of a mule or that frogs could have an even deeper meaning than what you're probably expecting, but The Rite accomplishes this very well.

Thankfully, The Rite delivers an exorcism film that is actually worth seeing. It'll probably be forgotten about in a year filled with so many blockbuster film releases, but considering that January and February are usually filled with such monstrous duds at the box office The Rite manages to surpass expectations. While the film does seem rather reminiscent of The Last Exorcism and borrows the atmosphere from the Heath Ledger film The Order, The Rite is actually a better experience overall. With an engrossing performance by Anthony Hopkins along with a fairly strong cast all around, its fantastic cinematography, surreal dream sequences, and a satisfying conclusion that doesn't hint at a sequel, The Rite is actually a surprisingly decent film all around. Evren Buyruk

Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue) is an American seminary student who travels to Italy to learn exorcism from Father Lucas Trevant (the Great Anthony Hopkins).

It takes a more realistic spin of exorcism. By discussing it as a real thing inside the church, it creates a more powerful foundation to build on than your average slasher horror. But it never really raises the tension. Colin O'Donoghue is just too underwhelming in this. I don't know if it's because he pales in comparison to Anthony Hopkins. Or if it's the clean-shaved look, he has much more presence in 'Once Upon a Time' as Hook.

This is a movie that deals with the "delicate" theme of exorcism (i.e. the practice of evicting a demon from a person they are believed to be possessed). I describe it as delicate because it seems very difficult to distinguish a person with a mental illness from someone who is possessed, IF such thing exists at all in real life.

In past times, demonic possession was a common belief to explain the abnormal behavior of a person. Even nowadays, when everything else has failed, and the science can't provide a solution, people in some parts of the world still believe in that and seek help to practices of mysticism like exorcisms.

In this movie exorcism is presented in conjunction with lost faith. It is inevitable that the non-believer has to see with his own eyes for his faith to be restored.

The atmosphere of the movie is eerie from the start. Even before the demons...present themselves! The reluctant hero and the universe that conspires so he can find his way to God, is presented in a solid way.

The cast is good. Anthony Hopkins is as excellent as ever. The music helps to establish the theme of the movie and Rome and the Vatican look majestic as ever, maybe the best set to place such a movie.

There are some grisly images but you want be scared because of them. The director bets on the atmosphere if not anything else.

Overall: Not a great movie, but not bad either. It won't help your faith to become stronger. For that look elsewhere.