THE EXORCIST
Captain Howdy rides again…
Take, arguably, the scariest film ever made and continue the tale as it develops into an apocalyptic threat to mankind as a whole? That's ambitious, no? And they succeeded, all while maintaining the focus on the corruption of the individual soul. And that’s harder to do.
In the first season of THE EXORCIST, a mother (Geena Davis) is worried about one of her two daughters as her behavior is altered, she hears strange things in her home and she feels a “presence” there. So she goes to her parish’s priest, Father Tomas Ortega, a compassionate, ambitious and progressive of the more modern church and asks for help. Asks specifically for an Exorcism.
Because the mainstream of the church refuses, Ortega goes to Father Marcus Keane, who has been excommunicated and is a former Templar Knight, an orphan who was raised to battle the enemies of the church since childhood. He is relentless, confrontational and absolutely sure of his mission. Together, they agree to perform the rite.
Meanwhile, there are a series of mass murders committed by multiple assailants as a celebrated Papal visit looms ever closer. The demons, it seems, are collaborating. In fact, this twist is what makes the show so creepy… the fact that, beyond the kin of men, dark forces are culminating a massive plan centuries in the making.
So, beyond the intimate portrait of a family battling a personal evil, there is the epic technothriller that unfolds as the larger plot develops. It’s ambition impressed me and even proved worthy of the title “The Exorcist”, which says it all.
Well, almost all.
I won’t detail it, but there is a twist so perfect and ballsy that I was impressed they even attempted it, let alone pulled it off.
The show is available on Hulu and, IIRC, the FoxNow app. The second season has begun, but it seems to be going in quite a different direction.
No comments:
Post a Comment