Title: The Rite
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Mikael Håfström
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O Donogue, Alice Braga
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins

What It Is?  Michael Kovak (O’ Donogue) is the son of a prominent funeral home director. Now his life being as such  Michael has seen things no child should,  including helping in the preparation of his mother as a young boy. Now as an adult he is a student of the clothe. His studies going as well as they have he’s been invited to study the art of exorcism at the Vatican under the tutelage of Father Lucas Trevant (Hopkins). Trevant is a legend in the Catholic Church whose performed thousands of exorcisms. Michael must not only exorcise through the demons he’ll meet with Trevant, but he must also deal with those that he is struggling with internally.

What We Think? The Rite does not reinvent the wheel, though did anyone really expect it too? The Rite is by far one of the worst movies about exorcism in existence.  Aside for Hopkins devouring of scenery in every corner of this film this is a forgettable piece of celluloid that will neither scare you nor entertain you in the least. O’ Donogue is drab and listless as Micheal, and brings neither the emotional connection needed for the character nor the acting chops to remain the focus while Hopkins is on screen. Aside from that there are the bland screenplay, and ridiculous “demonic” effects. These things perhaps would have been overlooked if not for the shortcomings of the previously mentioned faults.

Our Grade: F, There’s no redeeming quality to this film aside from Hopkins performance, which despite the ugly source material maintains a strong presence. Alice Braga is also featured in a confusing and nonsensical pseudo-love interest. There’s also several scenes that intercut the narrative to stop and tell a completely different story about Michael that we don’t care enough about him to care about. An altogether mess of a film that runs on 3 flat tires, and a makeshift engine.

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