| Overall Grade: |
C+ |
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| Story: |
C+ |
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| Acting: |
C+ |
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| Direction: |
N/A |
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| Visuals: |
N/A |
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Not what you'd expect...
by MelG (movies profile)
Mar 28, 2008
24
of
32 people found this review helpful
Okay, so it is not about the politics of the Church... I was under the impression from the trailors that I would be seeing the usual plot of beurocratic "good" priests not wanting to aknowledge a "evil" sect and the good-boy rougue priest mixing it up.
When I realized that the movie was not about that, I just sat back and paid attention to what the film folk were trying to do.
Warning: This did not raise a stink with the Catholic church--objected or supported. This means that the Church doesn't think it worth the notice. The workings of the church is just a shadowbox where the story takes place.
This movie is pulp fiction, pure and simple. And that means quirks of irrationality, cheap plot devices, and handy props that are right at hand--the Black Pope just happens to have a piece of vellum nearby, right when it was needed to move the pace.
Friends, there are no big gun-fights, no head-spinning demons, not much conspiracy, very little "real faith" symbolism, and no cool cinematic effects. Not the usual ADD-enriched fare. I would expect this to be based on a comic put out by Dark Horse. The filmmakers had fun, strictly on a "what-if" basis.
There are, however, malevolent creatures (human and other), eye-candy characters that do not just hand you their persona--you leave the theater wondering about them. The film reminded me more of Stigmata, but it didn't take itself so seriously. I left the theater chuckling and shaking my head, but woke up the next day, playing with it in my head.
And that is what I call a frivilous but worthwhile movie. If it stays with me, and is something that sparks interesting conversation with my friends, not like Spiderman or many others that have played this summer, where you consume it, then move along. |
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