Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Rite (2011) Review



You might remember The Rite as "that movie where Anthony Hopkins goes ham and pimp slaps a little girl". I'm not making that up, see for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=165_52hocsA
For some reason, the blogger youtube video paster doesn't like that video and won't let me put it into the article, but whatever. 
However, that is probably the ONLY thing you remember about The Rite. Even though this movie has a pretty decent plot and great acting, I still don't remember much about it. I had to go and rewatch it before writing this just to familiarize myself with it again because it's just that forgettable. 

(INSERT OBVIOUS DEMON POSSESSED SYMBOLISM HERE)

Let's take a look at the plot of The Rite. Colin O'Donoghue plays a young man who has just become a priest. However, he doesn't really know what to do with his life now that he's officially an ordained minister. He gets an offer from one of his priest friends to fly to Italy and take a class on exorcism that is taught by Anthony Hopkins. Colin accepts and flies to Italy. He attends the class and then becomes friends with Hopkins, who takes him along to watch him perform an exorcism. They perform an exorcism on a pregnant woman, but it is unsuccessful and both the woman and her unborn child are killed in the process. Hopkins is super freaked out by the woman because he's never seen a demon as angry as the one in the woman before.

"DAVE, GO GET ME A QUESADILLA! I'M HAVING CRAVINGS!"

Anyway, when they get back, Hopkins starts exhibiting typical demon possessed behavior and Colin ultimately has to exorcise the demon that is now inhabiting Hopkins' body. I like the plot of this movie. It's not everyday that you see a possession movie where the priest himself is the one who is possessed. I mean, there was the flies scene in Amityville, but I don't think that really counts as possession. Quite an original plot for a movie that nobody seems to remember anything about. 

(INSERT OBVIOUS THE OMEN REFERENCE HERE)

I quite liked the acting in this movie, as well. Anthony Hopkins does a terrific job, as expected, and Colin O'Donoghue didn't annoy me nearly as much as I expected him to. There's not really much wrong with this movie except for the occasional bad camerawork or unnecessary scene, but those don't last for long. Honestly, I liked this movie a lot, but I just wish it was more memorable! It didn't really get a lot of theater time either, because apart from the person I went to see it with, I haven't met very many people who have seen this movie. Maybe that's why it's so forgettable. I give The Rite 7 Anthony Hopkins pimp slaps out of a possible 10. Definitely go check it out if you're into possession movies, because this is one of the better ones.

Colin O'Donoghue realizes that the bathrooms at the Vatican are unisex.



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