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Stellan Skarsgård, Izabella Scorupco, James D'Arcy, Remy Sweeney, Julian Wadham ... see more see more... , Andrew French , Ralph Brown , Ben Cross , David Bradley , Alan Ford , Antonie Kamerling , Eddie Osei , Israel Adurama , Patrick O'Kane , Joseph James Bellamy , Cecilia Amati , Matti Ristinsen , Lidia Darly , James Paparella , Silvio Jimenez Hernandez , Yemi Ajibade , Michel Leroy , John Sesay , Sayoh Lahai , Alessandro Casula , Roberto Purvis , Lizzy X , Indiana Woodward , Ilario Bisi-Pedro , Israel Aduramo

Planned for years, but plagued by problems such as the death of director John Frankenheimer before production had even begun and the exiting of star Liam Neeson, the fourth installment of the Exorcist... read more read more... saga finally got off the ground with Paul Schrader (Affliction, Auto Focus) behind the camera and Stellan Skarsgård filling the shoes left empty by Neeson. But the pitfalls didn't stop there, as Morgan Creek decided against their initial approach assigned to Schrader after seeing his finished cut, and hired Renny Harlin to reshoot the film with extra gore and head-spinning nastiness. The first prequel in the series, Exorcist: The Beginning is based upon events occurring before the first film. Playing the character made famous by Max von Sydow in the earlier films, this entry finds Skarsgård as a young Father Merrin facing true evil for the first time in Africa in the wake of World War II. When a young local boy begins to behave strangely, it becomes more and more apparent to Merrin that the child is a victim of demonic possession. Boasting a first-time screenplay by best-selling novelist Caleb Carr (The Alienist), Exorcist: The Beginning features a supporting cast headed by Izabella Scorupco (GoldenEye) and James D'Arcy (Master And Commander). ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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41% liked it

78,765 ratings

Critics

11% liked it

125 critics

R, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: Renny Harlin

Release Date: August 20, 2004

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DVD Release Date: October 25, 2005

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Stats: 2,496 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,496)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    March 22, 2012
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Considering that The Exorcist is one of the greatest horror films that has ever been made, Exorcist-The Beginning is a total disappointment. What surprises me is that the film boasts a good cast. However this film really doesn't cut it as a horror film. The film is supposed to be... read more scary, considering it is a sequel to The Exorcist, which is quite possibly the scariest film ever made. The Beginning should tell the tale of how it all began, right? The film does that, but it never is scary, or brings fear to the audience. The film was fairly predictable, and lacked any effective plot development to build the tension up. Exorcist-The Beginning is a terrible prequel that really doesn't do anything exciting to develop the plot of the series. Hell, if you ask me, The Exorcist should've never had sequels pr a prequel. The film should have been a standalone film. Exorcist-The Beginning is a lazy, unimpressive prequel and it should never have been made. The film suffers from a terrible script and poor direction on behalf of Renny Harlin. The ideas might have been interesting to explore, however the film really doesn't try to deliver anything interesting or thrilling. This film is simply awful, and will disappoint fans of Friedkin's classic film. The film is bad, and has no redeeming aspects going for it. If you're a fan of the original, then skip on this one. You'll be glad you did. The film is pretty boring and won't hold your attention through the very end, I know I had va hard time to stay interested, and it took everything for me to stay focused on this piece of trash.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    August 20, 2011
    YosemiteSamFan
    Oh my goodness! This was like Indiana Jones and the Pazuzu demon! Lots of horror and action sequences, a 1940's desert, Nazis, an underground temple, CGI dogs, evil artifacts, natives vs. the British Army, a huge Evil-Dead showdown at the end, Biblical references - it's all there... read more. There are nice nods to the Exorcist series, though I wish they played the Tubular Bells music at key scenes.. It's a long movie, but more fun than the Dominion movie - a different Exorcist prequel. There weren't many scary scenes, but lots of creepy yuck stuff. They needed more witty dialoge between the priest and demon, and some dream sequences with flashing demon faces.
  • sergioogarcia
    July 5, 2011
    sergioogarcia
    From the newest movies I liked this one a lot. Not too many people but I enjoyed. The story of Karras was something that worthed the movie.
  • EightThirty
    August 13, 2010
    EightThirty
    08/08/2010 (TELEVISION)

    No scares here but there's a story here I was able to follow. It's actually the first time I have watched the whole thing from beginning to end, the first two times I didn't quite make it to the end, but that was back when it was first released.

    It take... read mores a while before anything kindled any interest for me but when it started it was enough to make me stay for more.

    I only allowed myself to finish the film this time cause I'm trying to watch the complete saga and add my 2 cents on my reviews. Done.
  • garyX
    June 29, 2010
    garyX
    Exorcist - The Beginning is not a promising proposition. The dreadful title aside, making prequels to accepted classics is NEVER a good idea although I'd have to say that I was never as impressed with the original The Exorcist as everyone else seems to be. It tells the story of ... read morehow Father Merrin first encounters the demon and why he made hunting it his life's work. All set in the sandblown deserts of Kenya where the demon is unearthed, the one thing this film apes reasonably well is the look of the film, the photography being very attractive and atmospheric but the biggest boost this film receives is in its star; Stellan Skarsgard is a very strong central character who suffers from horrific flashbacks to the atrocities of Nazi Germany that caused him to lose his faith. By far the biggest handicap to the film however is Renny Harlin's inevitable insistence on blockbuster-izing the story making the final showdown look like a battle with a supervillain rather than a malevolent entity. Up until this point there is actually a lot to commend the film and if it weren't for the ridiculous climax I would be recommending it wholeheartedly. But even as it is, it's nowhere near as bad as you'd think.
  • MovieGeek13
    April 6, 2010
    MovieGeek13
    (Review coming soon)
  • FilmFanatik
    February 23, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    Haven't seen Paul Schrader's version yet, but this was pretty terrible.
  • matertenebraum
    December 14, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Renny Harlin directs the second prequel to the brilliant "The Exorcist", after Paul Schrader's initial attempt was deemed not scary (or gory) enough by producers. Concerning the abandonment of his faith before the events of "The Exorcist", "Exorcist: The Beginning" is at most lar... read moregely different in tone to its chronological follow up. At a glance, the film would seem more suited to the "Omen" saga, with the director using legitimate biblical events to establish Lancaster Merrin's relationship with the demon Pazuzu. The weaker points of the movie include the casting of Alan Ford as Jeffries. His character seems unusually vacant from the plot and insignificant to the story whilst Ford makes no attempt of playing Jeffries as anything other than Brick Top from "Snatch", a performance that stands out uncomfortably in a bleak horror film set in the late forties. Meanwhile, whilst Stellan Skarsgard's performance as Lancaster Merrin is convincing and well acted, he is not playing the same Merrin as Max Von Sydow, an advantage to Skarsgard's ability, but it weakens the sense of continuity within the character. It does not feel like the viewer is watching the same person, whereas, in a similar case, Ewan McGregor's portrayal of Obi Wan Kenobi in the "Star Wars" prequels compliments Alec Guiness' in the earlier films. These weaknesses are very much outweighed by the positive elements in the film. Whilst the tone is different, the shock value is still there and there are many shocking "Exorcist" elements that reinforce the fact that this is the same evil the viewer endured in the 1973 film. Much like "The Exorcist," "Exorcist: The beginning" introduces the viewer to a wealth of uneasy psychological tension (aswell as the most shocking child - related accident ever put on film) before unleashing unrestrained shock and vulgarity, at some points even more unsettling than the original film.... lets just say Reagan was strapped safely to a bed. Although there are numerous flaws that prevent this from holding the torch to the original, "Exorcist: The beginning" is a worthy foundation for the demonic saga and casts a triumphant shadow over previous sequels and the climactic encounter is a nostalgic treat, whilst Merrin's rediscovery of his faith can not fail to raise a smile in an otherwise bleak situation.
  • SirPant
    September 18, 2009
    SirPant
    Not as bad as I'd heard. The story is ok, it?s got it's scary moments and it?s got Alan Ford playing a right orrible cunt as a bonus. The only problem with this film is Renny Harlin. Anyone else would have done, why Renny Harlin?
  • JennifairyW
    February 2, 2009
    JennifairyW
    In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the power of crap compels it!

    This must be one of the most inane films I've seen. Whoever allowed this to be brought unto the world needs a sanity check, it's like they have walked up to Friedkin and slapped him across the ... read moreface.

    Skarsgård was the little glimmer of hope that just kept me watching to the end, that's right....I watched all of it. But for a movie that's supposed to be terrifying, there were few scares, and when the sound has to be blasted out at 100 decibels to achieve them, you know you're in trouble. The CGI (hint hyenas) is borderline laughable, looking better suited to a video game, and the background looks like it has been painted on. It felt like they didn't even try here....may God have mercy on their souls.

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Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones
February 27, 2007
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The serious Catholic themes that made the original film genuinely disturbing have been flattened out into a cartoonish backstory pitting Merrin against Nazi storm troopers. Full Review

Michael Atkinson
August 24, 2004
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

As shocking as an Dokken album cover and, finally, as pious as The Passion of the Christ. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
August 23, 2004
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

Never feels like anything other than generic, brain-dead, Dolby-jolt, multiplex hackwork -- I kept expecting Skarsgard's habitually catacomb-prowling Merrin to bump flashlights with Lara Croft. Full Review

Glenn Lovell
August 23, 2004
Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News

It rates fairly high on both the Scare-O-Meter and Gross-Out Scale, with an early hyena attack guaranteed to have you flinching in terror.

Peter Hartlaub
August 23, 2004
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

By the time the three or four false endings are finished and the credits roll, moviegoers will be left wondering whether Schrader's version will be released on DVD. Full Review

Jay Boyar
August 23, 2004
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Plenty violent. And bloody. And gory. What it isn't -- not really -- is scary. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
August 23, 2004
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

Although Harlin hasn't directed a full-out horror movie since 1988's A Nightmare on Elm Street IV, he seems to have spent most of the time since memorizing them. Full Review

Jack Mathews
August 23, 2004
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

It's not despicable. It is merely boring. Full Review

Kevin Crust
August 23, 2004
Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times

A perfectly mediocre horror film. Full Review

Wesley Morris
August 23, 2004
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

If you're looking for groundbreaking badness, you needn't look much further than the new Exorcist prequel, which is one interminably grisly waste. Full Review

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Exorcist - The Beginning Trivia

  • Which scary movie takes the mick out of the exorcist at the beginning?  Answer »
  • Who played Father Merrin in Exorcist: The Beginning from 2004?  Answer »
  • What actor plays in the following films: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Breaking the Waves Good Will Hunting Exorcist: The Beginning  Answer »
  • In the beginning of the movie, The Exorcist, what is the name of Regan MacNeil's imaginary friend?  Answer »
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