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Exorcist II: The Heretic review

Posted : 4 years, 9 months ago on 21 June 2019 07:53

Failing his duty as an exorcist, a spiritually shaken Father Lamont is tasked with the duty of validating Father Merrin's work in light of a progressive Church's attempts to discredit it and call him a heretic. In the process he uncovers why Regan MacNeil was targeted and meaning of Merrin's work in light of the larger scale plot of the demon Pazuzu.

This follow up to one of the perennial classics of film was destined to fall short of the mark. After all, how do you live up to something so universally lauded and feared? The answer is, you don't. This, however, doesn't bar you from making a good film despite living in the shadow of a greater predecessor. Unfortunately, "The Exorcist II: The Heretic" doesn't quite achieve that goal either.

Oft maligned and ignored in favor of the vastly superior "The Exorcist III", part two has a pretty awful reputation. Ripped apart by critics and audiences alike, it tends to be treated worse than the red-headed stepchild. Truth be told, It's earned a lot of that criticism but that's not to say that it deserves all of it. No, in fact, upon reviewing the film shows an admirable bit of ambition and, at times, it even manages to stir up something of the response it was aiming for but, first, we must get the negatives out of the way.

Its foremost sin is that it quickly undoes the deep character work that was established in the first movie, relegating Father Karras and his role to a virtual non-issue by choosing to solely focus on Father Merrin's legacy. Given the heft of Karras' sacrifice and the fact that the story arc of the first depended so much on his journey from doubtful and apathetic to willing martyr, it almost feels like an intentional blow below the belt when he's not even cursorily mentioned.

You almost forgive this as the introduction to Father Lamont and his assignment is engaging enough a start but once the concepts of science and religion cross paths the movie asks far too much of its audience. It's quite the remarkable shift as the tone goes from acceptably somber and ominous to downright incredulous as a "mental synchronizer" is used in a hypno-therapy session to essentially link the minds of the priest and the now "normal" Regan MacNeil. Were this intended to be a b-movie (or if it followed one) then the concept could be shrugged off as a silly piece of deus ex machina but since it's not it stands out like a sore thumb. That bit of incredulity really mars the entire affair, as from that point forward you begin to ask too many questions.

Another huge blow to the original comes subsequently as we find out that the demon was never really cast out of Regan but that she remains somewhat susceptible to it (how much so being determine by the needs of the movie, no less). This revelation sets Lamont on a mission to find the source of Merrin's first encounter with the demon, seemingly a means to help Regan. What follows is a long and convoluted second act that feels burdensome and clumsy at times and visually adventurous at others. Limitations of either budget or effects manage to hobble most of these attempts and plunge them deep into laughably bad territory.

The movie seems hellbent on explaining science with religion and vice versa but does so in such an incompetent fashion that the science comes off as more hokey than any piece of dubious doctrine. The ultimate revelation that Pazuzu is targeting people that are essentially supposed to be a step forward in evolution would of been far more interesting, and credible, if it had been cast entirely in a mystic light. There's an intriguing nugget of an idea there, for sure. That the increasingly evil world, symbolically represented by the habits of locusts (both as beings of nature and as an avatar of Pazuzu), could be changed by those that bring healing and light to it (the "good locusts" trained to change the course of the hive mind and people like Regan). A phenomenal concept but it feels half-formed in the movie and hindered by the psuedo-science.

The final confrontation between good and evil in this movie is the nail in the coffin. The demon attempts to destroy Regan one more time via other means because, apparently its hold on her wasn't as strong as it boasted, and, well, it just this harebrained, huge set piece that serves more to confuse than to give you something conclusive or satisfactory. I feel that Boorman's earlier approach to showing the influence of evil with juxtaposed images and other camera tricks would of worked far better than to have a priest beating on somebody like an enraged chimp.

Other notable faults include: Laughable dialogue at times, some confoundingly bad or uneven acting from otherwise good actors, and an unruly pace. Most notable is the razor thin character arc for Father Lamont. One of the strongest points of the original is here turned into a something best inferred than actually felt or seen. Lamont (Richard Burton) basically goes from doubtful of his abilities to determined to help to driven by demons and he rarely looks or acts any different between these stages.

All those grievous faults aside, there are interesting portions of this movie. The director uses an interesting array of visual tactics to communicate large ideas that, at times, are pretty admirable. It is, as aforementioned, quite ambitious in the scope and breadth of what it's trying to do, even if it doesn't quite achieve that most times. Ennio Morricone provides an exceptional score that actually lends a lot of atmosphere to the events even when they don't deserve that honor. There are some beautiful sets and locations and some interesting work with lighting to be acknowledged. Likewise, the intro to the film and the buildup to the finale are actually pretty decent.

In the end, however, the bad FAR outweighs any good. The film depends so much on its predecessor that you can't even watch it on its few merits. I can see where this idea was going and it could of been great. Alas, it turns out to be more of curious failed experiment more than anything else. However, strange things do warrant a peek every now and then and I think that is where this one stands. A weird item that on occasion can be revisited if only to see what could have been behind all the incompetence. 4/10


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