The Exorcist Dominion - the atmosphere builds (Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (DVD))

Member Name: tangoman84

Product:	Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (DVD)
Date:	14/06/09 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great story, excellent atmosphere throughout the film, great script, fantastic cast

Disadvantages: None

The Exorcist the Beginning was a film that was decided upon because of the numerous people who were always asking questions about where Father Merrin (Max von Sydow in the first film) first began his battle with the evil demonic possession battles.

This film sees Father Merrin (Stellan Skarsgard) in the post World War 2 world having lost his faith and so decide to take a long term sabbatical in order to try his hardest to rekindle his faith. His sabbatical takes him to East Africa where archaelogists have just discoverd a Byzantine-era church which has no signs of decay. As bloody and brutal events begin to break out Merrin must battle against an evil pressence in order to save all those souls at risk but with his faith in doubt does he have the ability to battle against this pressence?

This film is the one that Warner Brothers studios first set out to have made with Paul Schrader as director but they decided they didn't like this film and so got in Renny Harlin who re-shot the entire movie but after a short think Warner Brothers decided to release the original Shrader movie under the title Dominion.
I love Dominion above and beyond Renny Harlin's offering thanks to this film being a slow build up atmospheric film rather than an over the top action packed movie. For me the Exorcist was a film know mainly for its atmospheric feel and so for me the feel of the Dominion stays within what you would expect from an Exorcist movie.

If you are a fan of the Exorcist and want to see what happened before the original movie then this is the one I would advise you to go for over Renny Harlin's offering.

Summary: This film is for me the true prequel to the Exorcist