The Last Rite is a different kind of exorcism film. The film is about a woman named Lucy (Bethan Waller) who has moved into a new house with her partner Ben (Johnny Fleming). Soon, problems with her relationship begin to appear while Lucy seems to be attacked by darker forces. Can he find the help he is looking for?
The rhythm for the film is unlike any other in the genre. He is patient and deliberate as if he is building his characters and the relationship between Lucy and Ben. It’s not a bad idea and it is actually a refreshing change in exorcism movies. It seems that The Last Rite he is going to eliminate internal strife in the church and gross scenes and work to create a world.
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Things never go that way.
His first ninety minutes The Last Rite it actually focuses on Lucy and Ben, but it also somehow manages to move very slowly and quickly at the same time. It is a careful trick that can be seen almost immediately. Things start quite formally. The couple has moved to a new place, is in love and is financially comfortable. It resembles the calm that is often observed before a storm.
It does not take long to prove that Ben has what can be generously described as matters of anger. He will suddenly erupt in rage that since then seems unjustified The Last Rite has not shown any previous problems between the two. Even when things go well, Ben appears to be a bad person as opposed to someone under the pressure of work. Making things more complicated is that it is constantly changing from trembling to abusive – sometimes in the same scene. He can become a coward and then a hero in a matter of seconds.
Sounds like normal character development, albeit to an extreme degree. The thing is The Last Rite he never does anything to make it appear that this is happening. The film takes its time in a series of scenes with Lucy and Ben, but they are not given depth. Lucy is anxious and upset while Ben is just confused. In other words, the film spends a lot of time spinning its wheels.
This is really a pity, as it is a very interesting setup. While it is an exorcism film, the actual bodily transgression and religious shame take place only during the last fifteen minutes or so. The Last Rite. Everything slowly leads to the real exorcism, before the final confrontation between good and evil. Theoretically, humans take center stage over demons.
It is sad that he never succeeds. As with the rest The Last Rite, rhythm takes things away. While trying to be different, the story is still very productive. Everything a person would expect can be found. The only difference is that instead of splitting over an entire movie, it compresses to a time that is less than the average for a TV comedy series. The rush to get it all undermines the horror and small character development.
The final act involves a pair of exposure dumps, an anti-escalation battle and a crawl at the end that manages to be silly, funny and offensive at the same time. (The film is one of those “inspired by true events.”) The Last Rite had some good ideas. It really could have been an example of a different way to make a very popular subspecies. Unfortunately, it does end up being a non-original downhill time.
The Last Rite is scheduled for release on November 26th
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