Forgotten Prequels: Dominion- Prequel to the Exorcist

 You can put off reviewing an Exorcist Film, but don't put off an actual Exorcism!

This is Dominion- Prequel to the Exorcist, the 2005 Film with a past that is a bit confusing.  If you know the story I shared in my Exorcist: The Beginning Review, see it.  If not, here's the simplest version...

WB wanted an Exorcist Prequel and hired a Director.
That Director quit and they got John Frankenheimer.
He died and then they got Paul Schrader.
$30 million later and they got this Film...which they hated.
After two Cuts for the Studio, they decided to spend another $50 million on Renny Harlin's Version with a new(ish) Script.

That Film did not do amazing in Theaters- barely recouping the Budget- and the Studio was curious enough to make some money on the still-strong DVD Market with this Film.  $35,000 later (which seems low), they got a 2005 Film that was shot before the 2004-released Film which serves a Prequel to the 1973 Film...while ignoring the Prequel Plot explained in the 1977 Sequel.

Confused?

Basically, this is the original Film with its own Cast.  That Cast was excised- save for Stellan Skarsgard- for the Theatrical Film.  

Which parallel Film is better?  To find out, read on...

In 1944, the Village in which Father Merrin is working is attacked by some Nazis.  They kill many people and make him 'pick the victims' in lieu of them all dying.

In the Harlin Version, this footage is kept in, but spliced into a series of dreams over the course of the Film.  That's much worse, no?

Not Fun Fact: The Actor that plays the Nazi (who was Dutch) died in 2010.
Fun Fact: He did some of the Dutch Dubbing on Total Drama, a Cartoon Network Show.

Three years later, he's in East Africa- no, the Film is not more specific- and working on digging up antiquities for the Church.

He's understandably shaken in his faith by this...so here's a young, idealistic Priest to help him out.

I smell a Sitcom.

Weird stuff is happening in the Area as they dig up an old Church.

For instance, these genuinely-terrible-looking CGI Hyenas.

I mean, I get that you can't go to 'a guy' and hire some Trained Hyenas...but still...

Two Soldiers are killed (off-camera) while trying to loot the place, so it raises the tensions between the Villagers (aka the People whose home this is) and the Soldiers (who just showed up with guns).

This can't end well.

While this is happening, a young man named Cheche (not to be confused with Cheech or Chi-Chi) is taken in by Merrin and a Nurse (who was replaced with a Doctor in The Beginning).

As time goes on, his disfigurement seems to fade away while things get worse.

It all comes to a head when he is fully possessed by Pazuzu (voiced by Schrader's Wife Mary Beth Hurt) and calls himself/itself perfection.

This stands in contrast to The Beginning, where the Doctor is possessed and becomes, well, Regan.
How?  Is the Demon's face just like the girl's or what?

Can Merrin save the young man's soul?
Can he contain Pazuzu?
Will I need a Sequel to this Prequel to cover what happened with Merrin between this and the other Film?

To find out, watch or stream the Film now.  If nothing else, you can see that I did not, in fact, Photoshop this...

A much better experience than Renny Harlin's Film- no question.  Was it necessary? I mean, for all of the bad in The Exorcist 2 (and there was plenty), it basically gave us this Story- albeit in a dumber way.

It is weird that they made 2 parallel Prequels, and BOTH contradict that Film?!?  No summoning of a Locust Swarm or a giant Pazuzu Statue out in the open.  Is Cheche supposed to be a replacement for the (future) James Earl Jones Character?

On its own, the Film is fine.  The direction is nice and most of the Characters get an Arc.  It is one of those Films that doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but it tells a far better story in standalone fashion than The Beginning does.

That one was full of 'wink, wink nudge, nudge' moments that just felt too knowing.  This one isn't nearly so blatant about it and is better for it.

So, weird qualifier coming, if you're going to see one Prequel to The Exorcist, make it this one.  Just don't mind the CGI.  It's...something truly evil.

Next up, let's see if I can squeeze one more old Film in before 2023 begins.  I know just the thing.  Stay tuned...