MovieChat Forums > Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005) Discussion > Am I the only person to genuinely enjoy ...

Am I the only person to genuinely enjoy this film? (SPOILERS)


To quote William Peter Blatty it's a handsome, classy, elegant piece of work. I cared about the characters, the performances were mostly excellent, Storaro's cinematography is exquisite. Rather than relying on silly and predictable jump scares and over-the-top gore (like "The Beginning" does) "Dominion" builds it's atmosphere and sense of dread slowly and quietly. It's perfectly paced (slow and pensive) so that when something truly horrific happens it really makes an effect. The English aren't merely cartoon villains in it either like in Harlin's preposterous cattle-prod horror film. The ending is somewhat disappointing but not to the film's major detriment (and it's far better than the vulgar, violent and silly ending to "The Beginning" with Merrin head-butting the Matrix contorting demon). The scares in "Dominion" are psychological without demons jumping out behind corners to loud musical cues. "Dominion" is a smart, disturbing and stylish horror film that provokes dread and philosophical discussion rather than macabre entertainment and mindless jumping in seats like the film that unjustly took its place. Also I found myself more invested in the characters of the doctor and the priest played by Gabriel Mann and Clara Bellar then their Izabella Scorupco and James D'Arcy counterparts that seemed to lack any soul or consistent personality. To understand why "Dominion" is a far superior film just compare these two scenes:

1. Major Granville killing the girl in "Dominion" (a truly tense and disturbing sequence reminiscent of the Nazi sequence in the beginning, excellently played by Julian Wadham) vs. Major Granville goose-stepping into town wielding a gun and then shooting an angry man in "The Beginning" (a silly, dutch-angle shot, sequence that is neither disturbing nor tense, rendering the Nazi flashbacks pointless).
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2. Major Granville's suicide in "Dominion" (a quiet, startling sequence between two excellent actors) and Major Granville's suicide in "The Beginning" (a hilarious would-be horror sequence that is neither startling, nor touching, nor disturbing. An entirely pointless death scene of a character rendered entirely pointless by removing both his symbolic worth and the threat he poses to Merrin).

And I swear if I hear anymore of Trevor Rabin's pretentious, dramatic, stringy score I'll bring the whole edifice down on Harlin's unworthy head.

Really to count, a woman must have either goodness or brains.

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a smart, disturbing and stylish horror film that provokes dread and philosophical discussion rather than macabre entertainment and mindless jumping in seats like the film that unjustly took its place

I agree... the difference between the two films is quite evident on their respective DVD covers - Beginning with its garish "scary" Scorupco demon face - advertising it as a monster movie; and Dominion with its shadowy profile of Merrin kissing his Rosary (so typical of the Merrin we know from the Blatty book and the Friedkin film) - advertising it as a spiritual story...

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I'm a big fan of Dominion. Too bad it wasn't given a proper release.

"Just enjoy the movie, it has Tom Berenger." - Seymour Skinner

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Agreed!

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You are not. I agree with your assessment. Even when you don't compare it to the ridiculous trash of 'Beginning', Dominion is a meaningful film that dares to veer away from exorcism film tropes and offers a unique vision of both demon possession and the social ills that it calls out.

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