12A – Action / Horror / Science Fiction – May 6, 2011
The only interesting thing about vampire movies these days is trying to figure out what kind of vampire you’re going to have and what rules have been thought of to rule them in the world. Priest’s vampires are hideous monsters with sharp claws and fangs that make a difference from normal humans with slightly larger incisors. That said, they exist as humans turned vampires in slaves to their true vampire masters.
Based on Hyung Min-Woo’s Korean graphic novel, Priest takes place in a world where humans and vampires were at war. Realizing they were losing, the humans invested in training a group of elite warriors who could fight the vampires and turn the battle in their favor. Really interesting since the original comic did not involve vampires but fallen angels and demons, therefore the name of this movie does not fully fit the content.
The church decides that once the war is won they no longer need their team of first class assassins and, therefore, fearing what they might do, they are disbanded and sent to live a normal life with the authorities and society rejecting them. (I got the impression that this was at least in part an attempt to match today’s war veterans, but it was an issue that was only briefly overlooked.) When the priest (Paul Bettany) discovers that his family has been attacked by vampires and his niece (Lily Collins) taken, he goes against the word of the church and teams up with his niece Hicks’s (Cam Gigandet) boyfriend, the sheriff. local to retrieve it.
Then follow some fights, more CGI and special effects (which are all good) and an attempt to create a story out of the situation. I just felt like this movie didn’t have much to offer with the rather disappointing acting, the ‘scary’ parts didn’t get my heart racing let alone make me jump out of my seat and I started to lose interest midway, never good sign. Watch the trailer and save yourself a trip to the movies and a few pounds.
The movie also didn’t know in which direction it was heading. By this I mean that he fused a western theme with horror and action and a slight attempt at romance and threw it into a post-apocalyptic Mad Max-type world. Maybe this could have worked in the graphic novel where you can imagine a more God-fearing western cowboy world, but it just didn’t suit the big screen.
Although I did not see the 3D version, the general consensus is that I made the right decision by opting for the 2D. This is likely due to the fact that it was post-converted to 3D rather than filmed in 3D and with much of the movie set in the dark (guess why) the addition of 3D glasses won’t help your viewing experience. .
Finally, I like that you are surprised to find that it is only a 12A rating. If I’d ever seen some of the things in this movie when I was under 12, I wouldn’t have slept for weeks, but maybe kids today are made of tougher things!
So I wasn’t the biggest fan of this movie and I have a feeling that I won’t be the only one. If it weren’t for the cross-shaped tattoo on her forehead, she would have had trouble distinguishing Bettany from her role in this and the equally disappointing Legion. One word sums this up and that word is garbage.
Rating: 3.9 / 10
