The Pope’s Exorcist movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Pope’s Exorcist

This religious horror is now playing in theaters.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 43 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: C+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The dark, religious drama was directed by Julius Avery, leading the team of screenwriters: Michael Petroni, Evan Spiliotopoulos, R. Dean McCreary, and Chester Hastings. The movie is loosely based on the life of Gabrielle Amorth, an Italian priest who was an exorcist of the Diocese of Rome. The story is based on files of the Catholic priest that revealed a secret the Vatican was trying to keep hidden.

I’ve always found movies like this to be super creepy because I DO believe in the devil. Do you? Comment below!

When I was a little girl, I remember hearing people talk about the movie The Exorcist but it wasn’t something my parents would ever want to take me to, plus the thought of it scared me. I still have never seen it! Some are calling this movie The Da Vinci Code meets The Exorcist.

THINGS I LIKED:

Russell Crowe is great in this role. I love that he’s trying out his talents in different genres. We even get to hear him speak Italian, as well as English with an Italian accent. Despite the dark theme, he brings welcome humor to his character and the film. It was his idea to have Father Amorth ride a Vespa. Ha ha I got to ride a Vespa in Tuscany, Italy. I felt like such a local. 😊
The legendary Italian actor, Franco Nero, plays the Pope, although he’s not in many scenes.
The rest of the cast did a good job and includes Alex Essoe, Laurel Marsden, Ryan O’Grady, Cornell John, and more.
I don’t usually like horror movies and wouldn’t have seen this movie except I like Russell Crowe and was curious about his role. This is the first time he’s ever starred in a horror flick.
We get to visit Italy and Spain! I lived in Spain twice back in the 1980s. I left a piece of my heart there.
I thought the special effects were pretty good.
If you enjoy this, you’ll be happy to know that the ending allows for sequels to continue the story. In a weird way, I like watching Russell Crowe kick demon butt.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

I always worry about young children in horror movies and how the roles might emotionally harm them. Young Peter DeSouza-Feighoney did an excellent job. One thing I don’t like is watching young kids swear.
Some viewers have said they don’t think this movie is scary. I did but that’s probably because I’m not used to watching horror movies and don’t enjoy being scared.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

This movie is not appropriate for children’s viewing.
Some profanity, including F-bombs spoken by a young boy
Italian and Spanish are spoken with subtitles
We see two boys possessed by devils.
A priest drinks alcohol.
We see blood, gore, and skeletons.

THEMES:

Theology
Faith
God vs. Demons
Good vs. Evil
Catholic church hierarchy and Politics
Suffering
Guilt
Possession
Temptations
Sin
The Spanish Inquisition
Past burdens and repentance

FUNNY LINES:

“The devil does not like jokes.” – Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe)

INTERESTING LINES:

“We will only be judged by how much we love.” – Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe)
“My faith does not require defense.” – Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe)
“God is not here.” – Blasphemy/Nightmare “God is everywhere.” – Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe)
“A mother’s love is the closest thing we know to God’s love.” – Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe)