Film Review – THE EXORCISM (2024): Russell Crowe Can’t Defeat the Sinister Force of a Lackluster Script
The Exorcism Review
The Exorcism (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Joshua John Miller, written by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller and starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Simpkins, Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, Adrian Pasdar, David Hyde Pierce, Tracey Bonner, Marcenae Lynette, Joshua John Miller, Hallie Samuels, Hannah Black, Samantha Mathis, Jayden Fontaine, Zach Padlo and Chad Michael Baird.
You have to bring something new to the table with yet another exorcism movie and filmmaker Joshua John Miller did, indeed, have a unique premise which is the one featured in the new film, The Exorcism. Unfortunately, when padded out to its feature-length running time, the new film is lacking certain key elements which would have helped maintain viewer interest for the majority of the picture’s length. The “hook” here is that the movie’s star, Russell Crowe, is playing an actor playing a priest who may have to actually live up to the task of dealing with some intense supernatural forces at play. While the film really builds up a lot of suspense, the plot lacks the focus that was needed to make it a wholly successful effort.
This film focuses its attention on Crowe’s character, Anthony “Tony” Miller, a washed up star who is given the opportunity of a lifetime to appear in a new film. Tony’s family is in turmoil as his wife recently passed and his kid, Lee (Ryan Simpkins) just got kicked out of school. Set around Brooklyn, the movie ends up taking place on a film set where a group has assembled to shoot Tony’s latest project. The film within the film’s director, Peter (Adam Goldberg), quickly tires of Tony’s inability to live up to the expectations that Tony promised to fulfill as an actor.
Meanwhile, Lee befriends a star in the entertainment world named Blake Holloway (Chloe Bailey) as Lee works on the set of the new film Tony is involved in. Tony is suffering from inner demons and has a guilty conscience as he had abandoned his family when they seemed to have needed him the most. Tony has built up rage within him but, soon, becomes possessed which complicates an already delicate situation for the worse.
David Hyde Pierce, as Father Conor, plays a pivotal part in the action here. Pierce’s performance is actually pretty decent as the priest that tries to get to the bottom of what is going on within Crowe’s character, Tony’s inner-self. All bets are off when the priest actually gets possessed, himself, in the latter stages of the picture. Who will win: Good or evil? Can Tony find a chance at redemption and fight off evil while being able to salvage his relationship with his estranged daughter?
The Exorcism is a film that has a lot of things its director, Miller, should be proud of. Russell Crowe is solid as the actor who is living in turmoil due to his past decisions. Tony has obviously bitten off more than he can chew by promising the director of the project within the film that he can succeed in a part which he most likely cannot be successful in.
The truth about Miller’s new film is that it is centered on weird things or occurrences that make you go hmmm… Viewers will not know what to make of the movie’s awkward pacing and the fact that Crowe’s character is unlikable for a great deal of the movie. Tony is not a devout religious man but wants to redeem himself for the sins of his past. Crowe has some really powerful scenes between him and Simpkins that stand out. However, it is the scenes towards the end where Tony and Father Conor (maybe not the real Father Conor, but still) face off that really excel in a horror film that is, in the end, too ambitious for its own good.
There are too many cliches in the basic structure of the story line featured in The Exorcism. The troubled father battling his inner demons (real or imagined) for a chance at redemption and a better life has been done before and often better than it is done here. That being said, the movie takes its thin premise and creates a couple of frightening scares here and there before the conclusion rolls around.
Crowe is good. He manages to create a character with depth who is put in an unholy situation, to say the least. Crowe is surrounded by capable performers. Goldberg and Bailey are particular standouts in the supporting cast as Goldberg gets to play the director from hell with terrific pizzazz. Bailey and Simpkins have a good rapport together as their characters must try to team up for the greater good. How will it all end? There may just be a glimmer of hope for Tony and his daughter after all if Tony can just defeat the demons that are front and center in the picture.
The Exorcism is far from a good movie overall, though. It’s just too sloppy. There are moments that seem to come out of thin air that don’t really move the plot forward sufficiently. Tony’s addictions feel familiar and there’s an overall sense of familiarity in a few of the possession scenes. But, if you like Crowe and enjoy movies about exorcisms (though this really isn’t a true exorcism movie, per se), there are some moments here which may make the picture worthwhile for you. But, the basic moviegoer may become bored by the repetitious nature of the jump scares the movie employs.
Rating: 5.5/10
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