Image Courtesy of Amazon.com
Director:
Paul Schrader
Cast:
Stellan Skarsgard……….Father Lankester Merrin
Gabriel Mann……….Father Francis
Clara Bellar……….Rachel Lesno
Billy Crawford……….Cheche
Ralph Brown……….Sergeant Major
Israel Aduramo……….Jomo
Andrew French……….Chuma
Antonie Kamerling……….Kessel
Julian Wadham……….Major Granville
Eddie Osei……….Emekwi
Ilario Bisi-Pedro……….Sebituana
Niall Refoy……….Corporal (Thief)
Lorenzo Camporese……….Private (Thief)
Burt Caesar……….Dr. Lamu
Marcello Santoni……….Dutch Farmer
The Movie
After Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning (a prequel to The Exorcist) completely tanked in 2004, Morgan Creek decided to try and salvage some box office success with what had originally been envisioned by Paul Schrader in Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist. In what was a cinematic first; Morgan Creek’s short run with Dominion, which released the same weekend as one of 2005’s biggest films (Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith) , showed how two different films with the same plots can land two different perspectives on the same subject matter.
Dominion follows the previous attempt at a prequel’s plot as we follow Father Lancaster Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard), years before he helped save Regan MacNeil’s soul. This is an alternate look at his first encounters with the demon Pazuzu in East Africa. Merrin’s initial battle with Pazuzu leads to the rediscovery of his faith. That part is the same, as the movie’s plot is identical story-wise to the ill-advised prequel of 2004. Featuring the same cast as Renny Harlin had last year, this film is quite a departure from the prequel that Morgan Creek Productions wanted to make instead.
It’s the same basic story and characters, for the most part, that Harlin had: Merrin finds a temple dedicated to Pazuza in Eastern Africa. He is a holy man with severe doubts about his faith following World War II. Specifically he has doubts about the good of man and evil in the world following the treatment of villagers in his care by Nazi troops. In the time since his struggles with faith he has gone on many archeological digs. Joining him in this one is Father Francis (Gabriel Mann), sent by the Church to keep an eye on its’ wayward son and Clara Bellar (Rachel Lesno), a Red Cross worker on a relief mission in the same region. Upon the discovery of the temple, Pazuza makes his move and from here it’s Merrin’s fight against the demon. This is a psychological, not a physical, fight as battles demons both metaphorical and actual.
As a thriller it’s quite effective, but this isn’t a stellar movie. It’s just good. Skarsgard is effective as Merrin, a man confused in matters of faith, but his performance isn’t spectacular. This is the same thing with the rest of the cast. We are given solid but not special, performances in a solid but not special movie.
The performances are what drive this movie. Usually in horror the emphasis is on the gore and body count. Dominion has a minimal amount of the former and a lack of emphasis on the latter. It’s a good story for a good movie.
Score : 7.5 / 10
The Video
Presented in a widescreen format, Dominion looks good but not great. The colors are a bit muted and run slightly together as well. It’s not a very good transfer.
The Audio
With a digital surround sound, Dominion at least sounds much better than it looks. For a film that relies on its score to carry a lot of the more dramatic moments, and one that is dialogue heavy as well, everything comes through crystal clear.
The Extras
Deleted scenes: There are several scenes removed from the movie that are included for your pleasure. The reason they aren’t in are pretty clear, as they are short and generally don’t add (or take away from) the film.
Stills gallery contains some photography from the film itself and during the production of Dominion.
Audio commentary with the Director Paul Schrader
Score : 5 / 10
