The Pope's Exorcist (2023) User Reviews

Russell Crowe immersed me into the character.

[LovesCinematography · 7/10 · 20 August 2023]

It's a double edged sword when an actor becomes super famous. On one side, they are extremely marketable and gain great roles. However, on the other side, we tend to see the actor in the movie and not the character which distracts from the experience of the story.

This was not the case with this film. I'm not an accent specialist nor a native Italian speaker, but Russell's portrayable had me convinced.

The story itself was exciting and intriguing. There were some nonsensical aspects of course. Its a very fictional film with its own share of contradictions that are noticeable. The authenticity of the Vatican traditions and language barriers might have been compromised, but as a normal viewer, none of it was recognizable thus not bothered.

Overall I give this a 7. It's not going to leave a lasting impression on me, but It was a good to watch.

Russel Crowe makes an otherwise passable by the numbers Exorcism film far more enticing.

[tresm87 · 7/10 · 9 April 2023]

Like clockwork we have at least 2 possession films each year around the same time. Easter and Halloween it seems. They're usually hit or miss with the same cliches strewn about with maybe some attempts at being slightly innovative. While this doesn't break away too much from the plot formula, Crowe's powerhouse performance does and amplifies the overall film to enticing levels. He has clearly found his late career niche with thrillers/horrors of late and it works extremely well. The scares are serviceable and the story is as well. Visually it's one of the best possession films I've seen in quite sometime with fantastic settings and terrific practical and cgi features. This doesn't mean the cliches don't hinder it at times but overall a very welcome film for the genre.

Better than expected!

[hillman_mcfc · 7/10 · 8 April 2023]

I honestly went in their with really low expectations. I walked out of The Devil in Me as we've seen it all before it's the same formula and nothing ever will live up to the original Exorcist. I think I can name 3 good exorcism movies. The Exorcist, Exorcist 3 and the Exorcism of Emily Rose. The plot really gets moving fast! There's no real character building but what I will say is Russell Crowe really does play the part well. It's a mixture of a great performance and a parody..whatever it is it works! It doesn't really do anything new, we've seen it all before but for some reason or another this was better than expected. Give it a watch.

Generic, but Fun!

[nathangoffnett · 6/10 · 16 May 2023]

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed The Pope's Exorcist. After initially seeing the trailers, I wrote this movie off as a standard possession film that I have seen time and time again, and while most of that is still true, there is something about this film that made it a joy to watch.

The film does not attempt to do anything particularly new or groundbreaking in the genre, but everything it has is handled with care and precision. The direction is fantastic, with a very quick pace that makes each scene have a sense of urgency as our characters attempt to perform the exorcism. There is particularly deep lore that is established within the church structure, with different factions and politics at play that add a slightly different dimension rather than just your run-of-the-mill "insert random priest here."

My favorite aspect of the film is the acting. I think all of the adult characters do a tremendous job here. Russell Crowe kills it in every scene he is in and definitely gives an entirely different take on the exorcist character. Where most are intensely serious and melodramatic, Crowe adds a bit of whimsicalness and youth to the character that creates a calming presence to every intense scene. His rapport with Daniel Zovatto is excellent. The two really play off each other well and carried the film in many ways. Alex Essoe was great, although underutilized. The two children were okay. The boy gave a very stereotypical portrayal of a possessed child, and the daughter was flat in many ways.

My only complaint about the entire film is its lack of originality and the story. Every single beat is something that we have seen before; there were no new or fresh ideas that were interjected into the story. The tension was fine, but nothing was particularly scary. Overall, if not for the film's fantastic director and cast, it would have been a bomb.

Score: 63% 👍 Verdict: Decent.

I'M MAD AT THE BOY!

[honeybloggs-69648 · 6/10 · 21 May 2023]

Critics said that Russell Crowe's performance as an Italian was dismal . I strongly disagree . He captured the essence of an Italian man . His accent was excellent I liked the way he delivered his lines and the way he showed his sense of humour . He was fantastic !

The other actors were great too ! . The Set was brilliant

This film could have been spectacular .

However it was marred by the boy. The little boy over acted his role . It looked ridiculous and laughable . It is not the child's fault . It was the casting director's fault and the film directors fault . The little boy had the 'stage school presence' about him . These kids who go to stage schools over emphasise everything as they are taught to . They are trained for roles in the Theatre where everything is over dramatised . So when these kids appear in films , it doesn't work . UNLESS the film director can obliterate that stage school training and give these kids a fresh approach and train them in a totally different way so they can act well in films .

Also the voice the boy had as a demon was not synched properly ! It looked pathetic! . He looked like he was playing a joke on the Priests and would burst into a fit of giggles at any time . How could anyone involved in the film think that sounded scary and authentic! It made the film into a comedy horror ! I was laughing .

If the Casting Director had chosen the right boy to play the part the film would have been fantastic . It is still a good movie and worth watching The twist at the End is great and unexpected . Loved that! .

Some people in this review section said it's been done before . Well it's very hard to get new concept in horror films. I don't care if it was done before as long as it's done well !

A good movie

[eoinpgeary · 7/10 · 11 April 2023]

Finally, I am sick to death of horror movies that solely rely on jump scares to call it a horror, this story had a bit of weight to it and I was happy overall.

So it's your average story, the chief exorcist is sent to do an exorcism, what changes this movie is that it has a nice to to the Vatican and the church dating way back and many hidden secrets.

Russel Crowe was fantastic, having an actor that can bring a certain charm to a role like this is definitely drawing.

The "scenes" were all good and it took a route I wasn't expecting. The CG was good along worth an effective score and good prosthetics. The supporting cast were good and i especially enjoyed father Thomas.

There were some times that felt a little unnecessary BUT the good outweighs the bad in this one and I can honestly see a sequel if it does well. I'd recommend going out to see it in cinema !

Gladiator vs. Satan

[Eric266 · 6/10 · 21 August 2023]

Russell Crowe plays the real life Pope's exorcist, Gabriele Amorth. Father Amorth passed away in 2006 and its probably a good thing. While this movie is spooky and entertaining, its a big, exaggerated, and I assume highly fictionalized, version of a time in Father Amorth's life.

The Pope (Franco Nero) assigns Father Amorth to look into a potential demonic possession of a young boy in Spain. The boy, Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney), his mother Julia (Alex Essoe) and his sister Amy (Laurel Marsden) are Americans who move to Spain after the death of Henry's father in a car accident. They are living in an old Spanish abbey that is the only think Julia's husband left them when he died in a car accident the year before. A local priest, Father Esquible (Daniel Zovatto) is out of his element, but is enlisted by Amorth to assist in the exorcism.

The possession tropes are all here. Contortions, scary voices, lights going on and off, crosses turning upside down, people getting thrown around, possessed people spewing fluids and cursing, climbing walls and crawling around like spiders. There is a mystery about the origin of the abbey dealing with the church's role in the Inquisition.

There is some gratuitous nudity that just felt out of place in this movie. I mean, I like naked breasts as much as the next guy, but it just felt a bit uneccessary.

Crowe does a really good job as Father Amorth. He has the right balance of faith, weariness and conviction for someone who faces evil of all kinds. Zovatto's performance as Father Esquibel, to me, was the highlight of the film. He keeps everything grounded, despite the bizarre happenings. All three of the actors playing the family members are cookie-cutter performances and don't really add or subtract from the proceedings. There are some genuine chills in this move and a few scary moments. I enjoyed it and its crisp runtime kept it from getting boring. Still, I was hoping for a bit more story and less stunt work. I mean how many times do we need to see someone get thrown across a room into a mirrored wall and get right back up? One character, while wrestling with a possessed child, gets their head smashed through a ceramic sink with no effect. I might have tapped out and sought some aspirin.

Enjoy it for what it is. Then go watch the Exorcist again.

Nah

[RachelMary2 · 5/10 · 14 April 2023]

Oh dear. I'm not sure if the makers of this movie were going for comedy horror or something else but it didn't really work. It was basically a film of silly voices. There wasn't enough tension to hold my engagement or enough story to keep me interested.

Some of the effects were good but nothing I haven't seen before. Russell Crowe was enjoyable to watch but it was difficult to take his character seriously and I'm not sure as a viewer I was supposed to. It was all just a bit too silly for my taste. I didn't believe the setting, it was too fantastical and the family characters were more like caricatures. It sort of hinted at a story for them but that didn't really go anywhere. So, superfluous and silly but not awful.

The Pope's Exorcist (2023)

[xxmisssvxx · 7/10 · 20 April 2023]

As someone that loves movies in general and often reviews films as they are, I saw this film last week and it was surprisingly better than expected. Is it golden globe worthy? Not at all but it is worthy enough to deliver what it was supposed to do? Yes. I love exorcism based films for the stories they tell and the types of demons we learn about through the stories. Exorcism films generally focus more on a storyline rather than the adrenaline of scare that differs (and separates) from the elements of creepiness. The Pope's Exorcist does just that - focuses on the story without much of the scare factor, which is exactly what this film should be, and is. That's what I wanted and got - a story. The only creepy elements are the castle, the grounds of the home itself. That's it. The cinematography was beautiful and the demon/possessions revealed in this film was solid; the aggressiveness of the demon. Russell Crowe delivers a strong performance with a pinch of sarcasm that compliments his character.

. .

The only element I didn't care for was the family, specifically the actors that were cast for their characters didn't fit the film in my opinion. Especially the actor cast as the daughter-who looked and felt disconnected. She was not the best choice for this role in my opinion; she just didn't fit in. This film is worth seeing but it won't be your first choice.

. .

Cinematography & Film Setting: 9 Characters: 7.5 Storyline: 7 Overall Rating: 7.5.

Crowe makes for an interesting exorcist, but the film doesn't hold up! [+42%]

[arungeorge13 · 4/10 · 6 May 2023]

Julius Avery's films Overlord and Samaritan have offered differing outputs and satisfaction levels, but one thing that made them both stand out is their unique visual signature. So, when he ventures into an exorcism film set in Spain with Russell Crowe starrring, there's always a sense of "oh let's see how that turns out." That's just natural excitement! But the plot, the house-with-dark-secrets setting, the Vatican connection, the generic exorcism scenes - everything comes with a seen-that-before stamp. There's also some excessive CGI which is off-putting in horror films, further dissolving the overall impact.

I'll give credit to Avery for some of the wider, panoramic shots. However, most of the interior scenes not only lack the basic horror ingredient (i.e. The element of surprise) but also the decision to juxtapose humour in critical situations takes the whole damn wind out of the sails. It works only when the humour is situationally dark and organic (like in, say Evil Dead Rise) but here, everyone except for Crowe's character is shown to be pissing their pants. And that includes the Pope himself. Also, the supporting cast is pretty hit-and-miss. Ultimately, this film does nothing for the exorcism sub-genre. It ends up being just another exorcism flick with very little redeemable qualities.

Strong performance by Crowe

[skyhawk747 · 8/10 · 9 April 2023]

Having not seen a decent horror surface for a long time, I was quite excited to go along and see Crowe's first horror flick.

It says "inspired by Vatican files" so I'm not quite sure how much of this film is factual but It's your typical possession story. However, Russell Crowe plays a solid and strong performance which makes his character very likeable and most importantly believable. I also liked his characters sense of humour which Crowe played very well..

Lot's of cliches, although it was a good watch but not very scary. The special effects and CGI for the most of the movie were very good but it did struggle during certain moments. The depth to the plot was good but I feel the other characters could have been stronger.

Overall, this is a good movie and Crowe carried it very well. I'd recommend that you go if you like this genre.

The devils in the details

[Howling_at_the_Moon_Reviews · 7/10 · 23 August 2023]

So I will say that this was better than I expected it to be. While the story wasn't anything crazy original or innovative, it was still thoroughly entertaining with solid and engaging pacing and decent acting across the board.

Despite some wavering with the accent, and some cliche humor, I thought Crowe did a good job and I enjoyed his character. The mother also did a solid job, I am a fan of Alex Essoe. The only acting that stuck out negatively to me was that of Cardinal Sullivan.

While I think this story would have been a bit more successful with something different than every other exorcism tale... it was very atmospheric, awesome locations and some really cool CGI/special effects. I don't think this will blow you away by any means but it is most certainly an entertaining, spooky experience.

Despite its biggest downfall being lack of originality and recycling of clichés and tropes, I think a lot of other positives took up for that. 6.5 rounding to a 7, would recommend.

totally overrated, predictable, laughable

[ajikude · 2/10 · 6 May 2023]

I didn't have high expectations but it was more boring than I thought. Russell does his part acting but the script is simple, sophomoreish and the dialogue is predictable and simple The costume is not realistic, too new, the acting of the kids are too woody. The special effects are laughable. The most scary scenes I found myself laughing out loud...The scare scenes are too predictable and not scary...the cinemato6is sometimes good and sometimes very bad, the music is over dramatic, they rely too much on using the music to make it dramatic...I would not recommend watching this unless you were stoned at home or if there was nothing else on TV. I certainly would not pay to watch it.

fine

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 14 May 2023]

It's 1987. Father Gabriel Amorth (Russell Crowe) is the Chief Exorcist appointed by the Pope (Franco Nero). He faces skeptism from some in the church. He refers 98% of his cases to the medical professionals. He is called to Spain for a dangerous case. Widower Julia (Alex Essoe) and her two kids, Henry and Amy, moved into an old Abbey inherited from her late husband. Henry becomes possessed. Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto) is the local priest.

This suffers from the standard horror problem. The family would never stay in the house especially after the gas problem. Sure, the fireballs are fun, but no reasonable family would stay in a place that could blow up at any time. Amorth gives the mom a reason to stay, but the hot teen has to stay for completely different non-story reasons. Aside from that, this is a fine possession horror. It's not great. Russell Crowe gives this movie some heft. I would definitely play up the 'based on real story' aspect even if it's not true. The movie seems to end with sequels in mind. I don't see any of that coming.

Pretty good

[UniqueParticle · 7/10 · 4 October 2023]

A nice modern take on chilling demon terror and great soundtrack! I was skeptical to see months back glad I waited despite having a regal subscription it is quite good, I don't agree with the person that had a lot to say about the boy he's good enough. The cinematography, lighting, pacing, and acting is quite good! My issue is to much subtitles to keep up with otherwise not to bad. I think it's goofy the priest uses a moped as transportation for a serious movie it does have a bit of goofiness. Pope's Exorcist is awesome for what it is and gets better as better as it goes on, I definitely don't understand bashing the boy he's great!

The Pope's Exorcist

[allmoviesfan · 6/10 · 24 July 2023]

Not the best Italian accent from Australia's own Russell Crowe, but an interesting if dark and violent film based on a true story of Father Gabriele Amorth, apparently a somewhat cantankerous Vatican priest, and his attempts to try and free a possessed boy in Spain.

What follows is, to be frank, fairly grim (there is not much in the way of sunshine and warm feelings in this one), and tests Amorth's faith. Crowe is pretty good in the role, a hulking sort of man with a weathered face who seems fairly implacable, even in the face of pure evil. The exorcism uncovers some awkward truths for the Catholic church. The finale was very well done, everything building to a crescendo.

Not a religious person by any stretch, but I nonetheless found this darkly entertaining. Other than the accent issues, I thought Russell Crowe did a good job.

An updated Exorcist movie

[True_Reviews · 7/10 · 27 September 2023]

This is a decent movie. Entertaining and basically a new adaptation of the old Exorcist movie from 1973. While based on a real character the story is completely made up but at least entertaining. If you like horror type movies this may be ideal for you. Any while it is not a great movie, it is heads and shoulders above much of the awful PC garbage that Hollywood produces these days. Russell Crowe is quite good as Father Gabriel Amorth as is Franco Nero who plays the Pope in this movie. While I can live without some of the silliness like a possessed person crawling around like a spider, the movie is still entertaining, which is the reason we watch movies in the first place.

Was it meant to be a comedy? Cheesey, predictable, poor CGI, unconvincing cast. Pointless.

[Jester222 · 3/10 · 5 May 2023]

SPOILERS.

Predictable and cheesey "You're all going to die" (delivered with zero menace by a child actor, they should have looked harder because he's unconvincing or maybe its the direction) and some scenes are unintentionally hilarious. "Wrong Priest" 😁 and the "Panty Sniffer " priest who is totally useless and his acting b movie level. Is it meant to be a dark comedy? Also would you seriously leave a young boy alone with a Catholic priest!?.

The films desperation to add shocking dialogue from a child fails and it all still pales in comparison to The Exorcist even now after all these years. Some very poor cgi throughout.

The Demon sounds like one of the Orcs from Lord of the Rings. Like a London Taxi Driver with a sore throat. Ha ha.

Its cliche after cliche. Crowes accent isn't as annoying as I thought from Trailer and his acting is strong considering the turd he is in.

Who the hell directed this? Is it their first Horror film? It fails to have any genuine The location is magnificent though love that place. 😍 and some impressive sets. But its full fat cheese.

The fact they try to pass off all the child sex abuse of the Catholic Church because of Satan is insulting to all those who were abused.

Despite all these negatives. I am still kinda enjoyed parts of it as a comedy. Things try best pick up once they enter the Catacomb but its a mess at the end of the day.

Decent Exorcist Movie

[dadbodmedicnate · 7/10 · 27 August 2023]

Movie was pretty good. I enjoyed it overall.

There were some parts that were a bit odd and unlikely. There was a couple moments that seemed cheesy.

Overall I thought the actors did well and it told a good story. Definitely some good visuals and decent character building.

I like most of what I have seen of Russel Crowe with this movie being no different. I thought he did a pretty decent job with his Italian accent and his jests towards the other languages. Seemed realistic enough to make the movie.

They definitely left an open ending for sequels to this movie. I haven't checked to see if they are making a sequel yet but I do hope so. I would like to see more of this story.

Absolute trash

[officialallthingsmetal · 1/10 · 2 July 2023]

I actually can't believe Russell Crowe would have accepted a role like this. After seeing an interview with him how he dived deep into the role and really studied the "real" pope's exorcist I was expecting something a bit more should I say "realistic"

But this is absolute non believable trash. With every cliche you would expect from a "B" grade horror movie.

How anyone could rate this as high as some of the reviews on here is beyond me. Did we watch the same film?

There is an hour and a half or so of my life I'll never get back.

Seriously if you are wanting to sit down and watch a good movie then this is not it!!!

So much more than I was expecting.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 25 April 2023]

Father Gabriele Amorth is dispatched by The Vatican to assist a family, who's youngest member has become possessed by a powerful Demon, Amorth unearths all manner of secrets, some of which The Vatican would prefer stayed secret.

I'll be honest, I had low expectations for this film, let's be honest, how many possession films have been released in recent years, some low budget some high, one or two pretty good, the majority not white. The Pope's Exorcist actually rates quite highly.

There are the moments and sequences that you'd expect, the jump scares, the dialogues, the explosions, they're all there, but there is so much more, the characters are all well developed and have more depth than you'd expect, it delivers scares and emotional kicks in equal measure.

Father Amorth is the coolest Priest I've seen on the big screen, Russell Crowe was brilliant, he was tough, he was funny, he drove a Vespa, on my book, be rocked.

This film gave me back some faith in a genre that I thought had long since run its course.

8/10.

Sometimes it feels like watching a youtube video.....

[miuragikenuser · 6/10 · 31 May 2023]

It is just interesting that Russell Crowe is the star of this movie. So far, I dont remember watching Mr Crowe in a Horror movie. I remember Gladiator and Beautiful Mind... both are drama movies.

The movie has a basic storyline. A boy is possesed and A priest must come to save him. To be honest, this movie is not scary enough. I dont like movies that jump scare the audience. But it lacks the suspense that other horror movies have.

The ending is so predictable and the dialogue is not interesting. Mr Crowe did OK but the other characters are not. Sometimes it feels like watching a youtube video with some kids going into a haunted house. Yeah I mean the Jokes..... Dry Jokes. Not necessary for creating the creepy situations in the movie.

Thank you for reading....

Russell Crowe is'a the Pope's Exorcist

[scootm16 · 3/10 · 14 April 2023]

Wow what a boring, bland piece of demonic trash! Almost nothing happens this entire movie that takes place in basically one setting. Every trope ever conceived in an exorcism movie is on full display, but in the most bland way possible. It's as if the director doesn't know how to orchestrate tension because there was ZERO.

The demon was an absolute joke with little to no power. All the demon would do was stay tied to the bed and yell terribly wirtten expletives that you would hear a 9 year-old yell in an Xbox Live lobby.

The only somewhat redeeming/entertaining factor of this movie was Russell Crowe in an extremely random role. Still, they didn't let Crowe chew the scenery enough because the director probably wanted to keep the vibe of the movie "dark and horrifying", though it was most definitely neither.

There was also a terrible part during the finale where Crowe and his sidekick pull out their crosses for one last chance at beating the demon. I kid you not, when they pulled out the crosses, they made a high-pitched "power-up" noise, as if the crosses were charging up a power attack. What an absolute joke!

I can't believe all the people giving this dumpster fire a 9 or 10. Thats just complete disrespect to cinema and you should be thrown to the depths of Hell for such blasphemy.

3.5/10.

entertaining enough

[soriencybb · 7/10 · 23 August 2023]

The movie is quite entertaining.

It has some parts that are funny and that made me actually laugh.

Some parts of the movie are scary (not that much).

But for me it is definitely worth watching because even though it is a bit cliche it still has unexpected parts.

Especially Russel Crowe's acting was great, and the part of father Gabriele was fun to see for a priest.

Not all parts made complete sense but all in all it was still a good enough movie to keep my attention till the absolute end.

If they made a part 2 of this movie with both fathers I would definitely watch it as I had a good time watching this one. I would not expect it to be the best movie but for sure it would be entertaining.

The Pope's Exorcist

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 13 April 2023]

Based on a real character from the murkier side of quite recent Vatican operations, Russell Crowe dons his cassock and travels to a remote abbey in Spain where his meets with "Fr. Esquibel" (Daniel Zovatto). Why? Well it seems that a young boy is being possessed by a singularly nasty demon. Now Fr. Amorth is not unused to these scenarios and is also aware that the vast majority of these situations have nothing to do with satanic practices and more to do with mental health issues. Quickly, though, he realises that this is a serious and potentially deadly demonisation and both he and his colleague must discover what went on at this place and just who their violent foe is, before they can have any hope of casting it back into the shadows. That's the plot, and to be fair Crowe actually plays his character with a bit of charisma, but the rest of this is the same old loudly scored, visual effects feast with plenty of routine dramatic scenes: screaming, eye-popping, ceiling climbing, bodies and holy water thrown about the place and this one even has a bit of the Spanish Inquisition thrown in for added authenticity. It's not that is terrible - it isn't; it is just all so very derivative. Just because the exorcist was real doesn't actually make this film any different from an whole spate of other similar films that have the same beginning, middle, and end... It will do fine on the television around Halloween, but the cinema adds little to the presentation. It's nice to see that Franco Nero is still making films, but otherwise this is adequate, but nothing more.