MovieChat Forums > Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005) Discussion > I just saw Dominion for the first time-M...

I just saw Dominion for the first time-My Definitive Review

posted 15 years ago by Clemens21R
5 replies | jump to latest

...okay guys, I just saw "Dominion" for the first time last night. Here is my definitive take.

The Good: For the MOST part, solid acting. Skarsgaard (sic) was pretty effective, as was the actors who played Father Francis, Chuma. Some of the female doctor's acting seemed wooden at times, but at other times she was okay. The kid who played Cheche was pretty good as well.

I also enjoyed the low key "atmosphere" of the movie. It is refreshing to see an intelligent, philosophical horror film that is not chock full o' cheap thrills, mindless gore (blood for the sake of blood) and horror film cliches. I enjoyed the slow pace, and the fact that the film, as Roger Ebert stated, "took the notion of evil seriously."

With that having been said...

The Bad/The Ugly: Those CGI effects were just atrocious...seriously, they looked like something produced by a high school AV club. The scene depicting the cattle eating the hyenas?!...heck, any scene involving the hyenas was laughable...when will directors/studios realize that 9 times out of 10, CGI effects are abominable?

The Opening scene depicting the Nazi massacre could have been soooo much more effective. Was it just me, or was the Nazi Commander speaking with both a mild German accent and a mild British accent? WTF? At times, he spoke as if he didn't have any accent. His dialogue could have also been improved somewhat....overall, I was slightly disappointed in the scene. It could have been much more effective.

The climax was also a major disappointment. The Doctor walking around like the Bride of Frankenstein, holding a knife to her throat (when you knew damn well she wasn't going to kill herself in the end).....all of that crazy ass crap happening in the sky, as if a space ship was about to land, etc. Waaaaaay over the top. That is something I would expect from the "typical Hollywood Sci-Fi/Horror" film, not from Paul Schrader. Schrader established a quiet, reflective tone throughout the film, and then he went completely bonkers at the end. Was anybody else thinking "WTF?!" during the film's final 10-15 minutes?

Overall, it was a decent film, which was admirable in certain aspects, yet which left the truly cultured film buff wanting more. *** out of 5.

[–] gentlegiant783 15 years ago

as far as the Cgi goes, it would have helped if the studio had actually put a little money into finishing the movie, This movie gets alot of *beep* talked about the CGI, and it's true that it looks pretty bad, bud the Truth is this Movie was not intended, it was dumped during Post production and completely remade into a differnt film, this movie finally was able to see the light of day, but only intended as a DVD release, So it did not get the proper post Production most movies get, I wish people would look into the bacground of this films production, then it would become more obvious why the CG looks like *beep*

about the crazy crap in the sky, Those are the Northern lights, something that is real, but it dosent happen over Africa, the fact that it is in this film is A Manifestation of the Supernatural battle taking place.

[–] Clemens21R 15 years ago

gentlegiant, thanks for the reply. I am familiar with the film's history and IMHO, it is a shame that the studio had so little faith in Schrader, that they decided to commission another version of the film. With that having been said, I am glad that you agree that the CGI was laughable. It detracted from the film IMO, and that is a shame.

I am also familiar with the Northern lights, however, I felt that their inclusion in this film was a tad bit hokey. I mean all along, Schrader presented us with a subtle, philosophical film on the nature of evil...no spinning heads, no green vomit, etc. To include the Northern lights at the end, was a tad bit over the top, and not in line with the film that I had been watching. Kinda like Scorsese including the infamous "rat scurrying across the balcony scene" at the very end of The Departed. Too obvious, and kind of lame IMO.

[–] kurt7825 10 years ago

idiot. you've never acted so quit commenting on it

[–] Tsavo 9 years ago

I have, and I mostly agree, though I disagree with the pacing, while it was slow, it was also not scary. I really cannot think of any point where I genuinely got any kind of vibe that said "creepy" and the exorcism at the end was too philosophical. Interesting perhaps, but not fitting an entry into the exorcist series.

[–] kurt7825 8 years ago

your soul is mine