Review of The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) by Forrest P — 18 Oct 2010

The Exorcism Of Emily Rose is a somewhat decent film on the surface, but the farther it goes into its story, the harder it is to swallow what's happening on screen.

I did not enjoy The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. I thought it was an incredibly mediocre film, especially when laid next to such films as The Exorcist. I did not find this movie frightening and I did not find it the least bit plausible. In The Exorcist, the film is set up in a way that everything seems plausible as we move deeper into the story. The audience starts to buy everything that happens because it's so brilliantly shot and executed. That doesn't happen at all with The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. Ironically, it's the film that's "based on a true story" that I find less credible.

This film stars Tom Wilkinson as the priest who's on trial for negligent homicide for the death of Emily Rose. Believe it or not, while a lot of people may see these trial scenes as the highlights of the picture, this is where I felt the movie was at its weakest. I think some of it has to do with the character of the priest's lawyer who doesn't really seem to know what she's doing.

I also found these actors to be a little bad. These aren't terrible actors at all, but none of them really give great performances. I can't even say which one would be the best performance. I was just unimpressed with everyone on screen as a whole.

The dialogue can be okay at times, but it's nowhere near good enough for me to enjoy this picture. It's not a terrible film, but it's simply mediocre on every level, and that's what made it so rotten for me.

4/10.