Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)

After a massacre by the Gestapo Nazi during WWII , in postwar (1947) a young Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) goes East Africa . Merrin is a parish priest from Holland with archaeological bent , he realized six archaeological digs since the war . He's listed still as a displaced person . There finds a simple Jesuit , father Francis (Gabriel Mann) who studied his works at the Maryknoll center . Francis is quite an admirer of Merrin , he about to begin missionary work in the Turkana district , he thinks may be they could help each other . It's found a dig in right west of Lake Rudolph in the Turkana district a church is early Christian which makes for quite a mystery given its location . A Cardinal is concerned that the exploration of this significance is conducted by a priest which is temporary in sabbatical and with no faith . Architecture church seems to date to the fifth century when the Byzantine empire had adopted Christianity by then but they never got this far south but the stones look new but they should be badly weathered by the wind and sun . Church has representations about battles on the walls and ceiling of angels (Saint Michael) and demons (Satan) . In the location Merrin encounters a Jewish Polish (Clara Bellar) and a British detachment ruled by a nutty Major (Waham) and a sergeant (Ralph Brown) . A little boy is possessed by harmful spirit and father Perrin confronts against the demon Pazuzu and he makes exorcism to save a young boy from dark forces......

This is a terrifying and startling story about possession with usual poltergeist phenomenon caused by the supernatural demon . Nice acting by Stellan Skarsgård , he is playing a younger version of Max Von Sydow's character from The exorcist (1973). Skarsgård is nearly a decade older than Von Sydow was during the filming of the original movie . Special effects , colorful cinematography (by Vittorio Storaro) , creepy music (Trevor Ravin , Angelo Badalamenti) and intelligence by director Paul Schrader , all combined to make it a good film . The original Exorcist(Friedkin) film spread a wave of demonic possessions movies that continues unbated today such as ¨The changeling¨, ¨Amytiville¨,¨Darkness¨ ; besides the sequels as ¨Exorcist II¨ (by John Boorman) , ¨Exorcist III¨ (by William Peter Blatty) and prequels ¨The beginning¨ and ¨Dominion¨ . This rare film not for squeamish and is better than ¨Beginning¨ , being shot at the same time, remaining Paul Schrader's version for the market video . Paul Schrader was originally hired as director of The Exorcist : The beginning (2004) , but Morgan Creek ultimately rejected his "psychological thriller" approach, saying it was "commercially unmarketable" . The decision was made to extensively rewrite and re-shoot the script, re-cast several roles , add new roles and give the director's chair to Renny Harlin . Schrader's version was originally supposed to be released direct to video, as a bonus feature on the DVD release of Harlin's version . Although is a prequel of prior movie , it's one the highest earning horror picture of the last years .

Fmovies: Well, after seeing "Beginning" I thought why the hell they burned Schraders Version and did that poor one. But now, after seeing "Dominion" I deeply understand this decision. Even they got it not much better.

Sorry, but this movie is really crap. Some good moments, but a really boring story-telling and some major plot-holes are killing this movie.

I thing the Exorcist-story has a lot and in a prequel on this you can built on a lot and give references the audience will like to see. But there is so much little of it in the movie. The effects are really bad - not even TV-standard.

A metaphysical treatment of the story. Thoughtful and intense. Horror is implied in this film... you don't get beaten over the head with it as did the Harlin film. Schrader has always been a master at atmosphere and story over shocks and thrill rides. This is a thinking man's horror flick. You don't find many of those anymore. Remember the original "Haunting". The horror is left to the imagination. That always makes it much more scary. Remy Harlin's film was over the top, which is what the suits at Morgan Creek wanted. When monetary considerations come before artistic considerations, you usually get schlock. Paul Schrader made no such compromise... which is why he was canned.

Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist fmovies. Having seen the second made but first to release Exorcist - The Beginning, the Renny Harlin version of the movie, I was very keen to see the original movie which the Studio saw and then scrapped, the Paul Schrader version.

This I managed to do during the Edinburgh Film Festival 2005, and actually with paid tickets I managed to even get to hear a Q&A with the Director, which in itself was extremely interesting. For now though, let's look at the movie.

It's really hard to watch this and not do any comparisons with the Harlin remake, and with so many similar scenes, the same actors and a very similar story I found it almost impossible not to. In doing so you realise how weak and one dimensional Harlin's version is, the and depth of character and their development just adds so many layers to each of the characters, giving them a much more human feel and making you connect with them rather than just watch them as you did with the Harlin movie.

Subtlety, dialogue and development are the keys here, things which were drastically missing from the Harlin version, and instantly you see the differences. The opening scene with Father Merrin and the Nazi's is the first strong example of the difference in style and Schrader handles this wonderfully. The single scene builds the Nazi character much thicker with some uncertainty of the Priest, whereas the Harlin is shown as a stock Nazi character. You also understand the root of the crisis in faith that Merrin has come to, and through this single scene it hits you just as hard as it did he.

It's this that I felt was the strongest part of the movie throughout, the characters richness and depth, and the fact that you could see them as real individuals and connect with some part of them. Merrin in particular is the real focus of the movie, and the analysis of his crisis, his faith and who he really is.

The following of the second, younger Priest in Father Francis, played well by Gabriel Mann, mirrors for Merrin the faith and hunger that he had as a young Priest, and watching his own slight crisis in faith provides an interesting viewpoint for the audience. Not only to understand what Merrin went through, but to watch Merrin witness this himself.

Stellan Skarsgård plays the character superbly as well. There's so much more restraint in the performance with inward pain and anger, he's superb to watch and really does make you feel as though he carries a tortured soul. The slow climb out of the crisis to the fight back against the Demon is played slowly and with a lot of passion. It's the moment when Merrin relives the Nazi slaughter and his second choice that shows us who he really is as a person, not just as a Priest. Comparing the two performances of Skarsgård together is, as Schrader said, an example of a masterclass in acting. In fact the whole two movies are a film students dream.

Another excellent character was Major Granville, very well played by Julian Wadham. He was far stronger, richer and deeper than the Harlin version, and his scenes were a lot more believable and striking than the Harlin version which had him going mad over his butterfly collection. Here he really plays a man getting out of his depth and letting events overtake him, and he has a superb scene in the village which provides with a strong connection to Merrins past.

A couple of things that stuck out in the movie but were then understandable during Schraders Q&A, were in the CGI and the famous flash of the Demon face. The

I watched DOMINION last night and found it to be excellent. The difference between this film and the Harlin film are like night and day. I love the slow build and the character of Cheche. Schrader delivers a film that not only comments on the balance and choice between good and evil, but also a great statement on colonialism. The only bad part is the choice of Gabriel Mann as Father Francis. Boy, he is awful ("Satan...is...here!"), especially when he is working of Skarsgard.

But I can totally see why the studio panicked. Say what you want, but THE EXORCIST has become synonymous with vomiting, spinning heads and little girls cursing and I think that is what a majority of the audience expects or wants (based on my former dealings with customers at a video store and some heckled filled screenings). This is as far from that as possible and had they released this version, it would have died faster than Harlin's version or Blattey's own THE EXORCIST III (another film I think is brilliant but plummeted 60% its second week; yes I am a former box office nerd).

Regardless, this is a horror film for anyone who wants to think. If you want spinning heads, cursing and vomit, go for the Renny Harlin version.

I'm sure everyone by now knows the story of how Paul Schrader shot and cut his version of an "Exorcist" prequel and delivered it to Morgan Creek studios only to be told it was "commercially unmarketable" and fired from the project. Then they hired Renny Harlin, mostly known for action films, to come in and make his own bloodier, more visceral version that would appeal more to mass audiences.

It's a shame that the studios today are all about the profit and not the quality. While Harlin's "Exorcist: The Beginning" may have appealed more to mass audiences (and by mass audiences I'm talking about those who can't handle an intelligent story that takes time to build and need blood and guts every 10 minutes), but Schrader's film is clearly the winner in terms of quality here.

This film is far more subtle than Harlin's in-your-face version. Until the end, there aren't even any real "scares" to speak of. Don't get me wrong, the movie IS scary, just don't expect the cliché "jump scares" that are accompanied by a loud jolt of music, or someone sneaking up behind somebody. The scares in this one come from a purely psychological angle as the film works to get under your skin, push your buttons, and unnerve you greatly.

This version is a much more mature effort that works through creating layered characters and a good story. Harlin's version was like a cheap, plastic knock off of the real thing.

Now what exactly is different about the two films? Well most of the actors are the same, though the roles are altered just a tad. The sets are the same. The *basic* story is the same. The real differences come in concerning the possession victims. Harlin's theatrical version centered on a young village boy being the object of possession, treading a very familiar route we've all seen before. Schrader's "Exorcist" takes a different route by turning the tables around: instead of the possession victim getting physically and mentally weakened as the demon takes over, the story focuses on Cheche, an afflicted young man that actually becomes better as the possession takes over his body. To watch Cheche miraculously heal from a surgery in a matter of days and see his strength and mental capabilities growing is truly unnerving. I found the character to be more interesting than even little Regan Macneil in the original movie.

The acting is about the same in terms of quality, though with Skarsgard giving a much subtler performance this time around.

Alas, the film is not without faults. There is some god-awful CGI thrown into the film (I can't decide if it's cheesiness was a result of the movie never being finished properly or if it was just that bad) and the ending feels somewhat anticlimactic. The showdown between Merrin and the demon is what this movie is all about, yet something about the entire sequence just doesn't sit well. It's not "big" enough. It doesn't have the weight it should considering it IS the main focus of the movie. And it all came a little too fast. The pacing of the film just doesn't sit quite well. By the time the shite hits the fan, we're almost at the end, and Merrin goes from disbeliever to Bible-thumping exorcist in way too short of a time period.

Perhaps more work could have been put into Merrin's character. The film is okay as it stands, but more work and a little more background would have been great.

No matter w