The Rite

Mikael Håfström should not have bothered with the below-average psychological stuff and should have instead focused on the horror elements that work well in the film. This way, many of the motifs (frogs, hooves) are repeated unnecessarily and lose their effectiveness. Despite the attractiveness of the theme, The Rite remains an average spectacle, saved by the excellent Anthony Hopkins and the terrifying exorcism scenes. (12/03/2011)

"What did you expect? A spinning head and vomit?" Mikael Håfström hinted at it with 1408, and with The Rite he confirmed it - the guy is hugely talented and his next film should definitely be a horror again. Give us more of it. The Rite is has a great atmosphere, which is all the more pleasing because it doesn't just rely on the flawlessly excellent Hopkins, but relies on skillful direction, cinematography and unobtrusive, but impressive music. There simply hasn't been a better exorcism movie since The Exorcist. Four pure stars.__P.S. Only Anthony Hopkins can really afford to answer his mobile phone during the ceremony (although maybe it's because in Max von Sydow's time there were only landlines). A great scene. (28/04/2011)

The most average from the averagely average. Mikael Håfström is not a bad director, but this time he got a not very good script. It’s not that it’s stupid, illogical or chaotic, but the story never escalates and doesn’t have any higher ambitions. Anthony Hopkins shines in the climax, but it’s a pity that he is not given more space than the bland apprentice (meaning the “likeable” hero we are supposed to root for). Otherwise, a couple of the jump-scares did scare me, the images of Rome were nice, so, considering that I had free time at the cinema, I don’t regret going :-D If you are not too anti-Catholic, The Rite won’t offend you. A more important question, however, is who it is trying to appeal to. Nobody, I’m afraid. (18/03/2011)

Mikael Hafström is a skilled craftsman. With good actors, he always knows how to turn a promising script into a decent thriller (albeit one that doesn’t invite rewatching). However, the script for The Rite, whose blandness would put to sleep even a red-eyed horse high on amphetamines, made that impossible. It seems that the producers bet that casting Anthony Hopkins covered in impressive makeup and energetically flashing all kinds of Hannibal-like grins would elevate this boring affair to a scary thrill ride. That didn’t happen, and the unremarkable Colin O’Donoghue is no help at all. The Rite doesn’t have a single powerful moment and brings absolutely nothing new to the exorcism sub-genre, which began with the brilliant The Exorcist and has recently been interestingly brushed up by The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Even An American Haunting was more interesting thanks to its historical setting and some juicy visual tricks. The Rite is weak, bland and unnecessary. The whole time it seems to be heading toward something bigger, but it never quite gets there. (11/03/2011)

Incredibly dull and clichéd, with an unimaginative and utterly boring script and an atmosphere that wouldn't scare even a five-year-old afraid of thunderstorms and the dark. A completely useless film that tries to impress only with the terrifying idea of exorcism, while somehow neglecting the basic elements of horror, such as thick suspense, stunts or the horrific appearance and speech of the possessed. The only ting The Rite offers is a priest muttering something in Latin while furiously waving a crucifix. That one star is only for Hopkins, whom I respect immensely and have him in my top list, and whose acting potential is unworthy of this ugly piece of shit, which only devalues his career. (24/08/2011)