Chris G

As someone who has always found the orginal Exorcist to be the gold standard of horror movies, I was most excited about elements of the original being in this movie. The trailer builds it as a rematch of a half century old grudge match between Chris McNeil and Pazuzu the demon who possesed Reagan. Unfortunately this plot point was poorly used. The build up in the first act of the movie is well done. There are a few cinematic nods to the original, the quick flashes of demon faces, the abrupt cuts to the next scene that can be jarring. Then in the second act of the movie Chris McNeil is introduced and its a great build up to what could be an epic battle between old enemies. Its the 3rd act that falls flat. While the special effects through out are very good. Plenty of frightening visual elements, the story starts to fall apart. ****SPOILER ALERTS YOUVE BEEN WARNED** When Chris goes to the mental hospital to see Angela, one of the possessed children, Angela is scratching the name Reagan into the wood frame of the window. The first clue its Pazuzu. Once Chris McNeil actually talks to Angela, she says that they know each other, and the demon says he also has Reagan with them. Again meaning Pazuzu. This is also in the trailer. At this point however, Chris is terribly injured and basically an after thought the rest of the way. Pazuzus name is never actually used, and all ties to the origianl abruptly stop, except for few quick moments and a reunion at the end.( more on that in a minute). From here the excocism its self feels very hokey to put it mildly. At this point you find yourself rolling you eyes and saying "really?". Still plenty of scary visual effects, yet the premise and story feel rushed and cliche. Its almost like they had to make a deadline and slapped an ending on it. Now with that being said, the one element that was suprising and deeply unsettling is one child is killed during the exocism and you see her soul dragged to hell. This does give you the "I didnt see that coming" feel which leaves you thinking about for a bit after and feeling uneasy. Back to the reunion i mentioned. At the end Reagan visits Chris in the hospital for a very brief scene. (Earlier Chris states Reagan has nevwr forgiven her for wriiting the book, and she doesnt know where she is). While its a touching reunion, this is where i had extreme disappointment. Reagan is actually in the damn movie and thats all you did with her?? What could have been a better reunion is Reagan and Pazuzu, especially since he was referencing her. Reagan and her estranged mom reuniting to battle the demon that wrecked their lives. I feel this was a huge missed opportunity. This is what the trailer kind of implied, adding to the disappointment. Oh well such is life. With all that being said (i apologize, i didnt intend to be so long winded) it is still a good watch. Fans of the the original, and horror fans in general will find plenty to give you chills. I so badly wanted it to be a 5 or even 4 star movie, but i just can't. What could have made it special just wasnt there.