Actor Anthony Miller, also known as Tony (Russell Crowe), is preparing for an upcoming audition for a dramatic horror film. At the same time, his daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), returns home after being suspended from school. Tony hopes that succeeding in the new acting role may bring balance to his life and make his daughter proud of him. The loss of his wife to cancer and spending time in rehab has weighed him down and has given him a negative view of life itself.
After a challenging audition, Tony successfully lands the leading role in the film. As Lee is suspended, she is appointed his assistant while Tony works on set. However, the role is unlike anything Tony has done before, and the pressure to do well is immense. Tony’s dark and mysterious past also begins to resurface, and the film set appears to have an unexplainable, lingering supernatural aspect. Tony’s behaviour worsens, and Lee questions whether Tony is still taking his medication to keep control of himself. Is working on this new film causing Tony to revert to his dark days and change his behaviour, or is something more sinister happening on set?
The Exorcism was directed by Joshua John Miller, whose only previous directing credit is for the film The Mao Game, released in 1999. Joshua is better known as an actor with multiple film credits for his work in many horror hits such as Halloween III, Near Dark, and Communion. Interestingly, according to IMDb, Joshua’s father, John Miller, starred in another film that also focused on exorcisms – The Exorcist from 1973- playing the character Father Damien Karras.
The characters are effectively set up, and we discover that Tony and his daughter, Lee, have a somewhat distant relationship. Crowe’s performance throughout the film is enjoyable, and the actor’s commitment to the role is evident. The movie provides some fun, particularly relating to moviemaking and movie magic, such as set design. The storyline, to begin with, is great. Additionally, the film poses an intriguing question: What’s scarier: watching a horror movie or working on it, especially if you’re an actor in a heavy role?
However, I had many issues with the film, especially once the story moved into the second and final acts. The editing leaves gaps in the story, making it difficult to understand what was happening fully. The second act seems rushed, and one of the characters makes a choice I found strange and hard to accept. The progression of the storyline becomes profoundly bland, slow, and tedious throughout the second act into the third act. What’s worse is the film’s climax and conclusion, which left me praying for the credits to appear. By the end, I felt unrewarded and baffled.
Overall, The Exorcism starts strong by introducing the leading characters, and there’s a great setup with its plot and mystery. However, from the film’s second act onwards, I’m disappointed that The Exorcism is an absolute disaster. Poor edits between scenes and gaps within the film’s plot and story made it difficult to understand what was happening, leaving me dumbfounded. Additionally, the film dwindles into an uninteresting, dull, and slow story for most of acts two and three. However, it was great to see Russell Crowe once again fully committing to a role, which I’ll say is commendable. There are some enjoyable aspects related to movie making and sound effects in the first act, but apart from this, the story feels like a shattered mirror falling to a floor- please stay clear for the safety of others.
2.4/10
★
13th June 2024
Written by Peter Walkden
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