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Hola amigos, buenas vibras para todos.
**Hello friends, good vibes to all.
Back in 1973 a film was released that would revolutionize the history of cinema and the horror genre forever, it would be one that to this day is considered one of the best ever made and a totally cult film. Fifty years later who would have thought that we would see a sequel to that classic, one that they have tried to imitate hundreds of times but has not been possible, we are talking about a film where Linda Blair herself was left with certain "marks" internally given how strong and demanding was the experience of recording that film. But yes, in the middle of 2023 comes The Exorcist with an already known story that seeks to revive past glories.
When I found out that this film would be released, I didn't really know what to feel, if it was fear for thinking that they could damage what was already done, expectation for wanting to see what would make it different from the many others, or simply indifference for the fact that horror is very complicated to achieve. If you saw that movie you will know more or less what to expect from this one, that was my thought, I knew what I was going to find. Did it end up being what I expected? - The truth is yes, I couldn't believe that this movie, while I was watching it, wasn't being as bad as I thought it would be. The mistake is in comparing, don't do it, I'm telling you. Let's go then and talk a little bit about this new release.
As I already told you this story is set some fifty years after the events of Regan MacNeil. The first thing to know is that we have Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr.) a happily married man but that misfortune comes soon to his life because in that earthquake in Haiti in 2010 he lost his wife who was pregnant with his daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett). Time has passed and although the ghosts of the past still haunt their lives, it seems that they have moved on, Angela is a happy young woman with an excellent relationship with her father. One day Angela and Katherine (Olivia O'Neill), her best friend, decide to go to a forest to experience things that are beyond their understanding, being that moment the beginning of the nightmare.
When they were missing for three days and then returned nothing was the same, something in them changed. As the days passed, inexplicable and terrifying things began to happen, something in these young women had emerged to bring evil to their families. Before the desperation and not knowing what to do, Victor goes to the only person who had experienced something like this, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), Regan's mother. From here begins a struggle between good and evil, we will see how faith and the union between people can be the answer and solution to stop these forces of evil. If you have ever seen a movie where the main theme is demonic possessions and this kind of themes I think you will know what to expect, the difference here is that according to me, this one is moderately well done.
The plot of this film didn't strike me as anything special, in fact I'd say it's about as cliché as you're going to see. What happens? - In spite of that I think it's not relevant, what really matters is the connection with MacNeil, for me that's the real hook of the film, what makes it a little more "interesting" and what can differentiate it from the others. Is it better because of this? - No, but it creates an added value, a connection in terms of nostalgia. The raison d'être of this film is none other than to keep forcing and lengthening a story that has already been asked for a lot and that I think should be left alone. It is true that in the air there is a certain whiff of revenge between this demon and MacNeil that may be transferred to the story of these girls; this is perhaps the most interesting thing of all.
As far as horror scenes go, I think this department, in my opinion, was well done. It's hard to get anything to convince me, but in all honesty, everything that has to do with makeup and staging was not as terrible as one might expect. The look of the girls being possessed for me is vital because that's what you're left with, it's the face of evil looking you in the eye and if that's done poorly or unconvincingly it loses everything. I feel like they sought to emulate Linda Blair's face a lot back in the day, Katherine's resemblance to Regan is remarkable and that was on purpose, it's looking for the connection I was talking about earlier. This time there was no pea soup vomit like that time but there were its shady moments that go hand in hand with the symptoms of a possessed person that can be a bit graphic.
The film lasts a little less than two hours, personally I was not bored at any time, I did not lose interest even though one more or less knows the path of the plot, in fact at the beginning of the film there is an atmosphere of tense calm that can generate some suspense and expectation. So, is it scary? - I didn't feel fear, it's difficult to be scared of something, I'm not saying this because I think I'm untouchable but because it really is. If you are a person sensitive to these things you will probably be scared by a couple of things you see, there is no relevant jumpscare but there is a kind of uncomfortable aura at times. As a horror film it's fine, it's not over the top, which is another thing that can damage the experience, I think they took good care of themselves in that sense.
The characters. The leads are the two girls, I think these roles are demanding, if not ask Linda Blair, and the way they handled it I thought it was more than fine. I didn't see anything overacted or fake, I think these girls took the interpretation seriously and did their best. The rest I don't single out anyone else, they are all average and typical. I liked seeing Ann Dowd who is the famous Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale, a great actress with a character that goes from being secondary to an almost main character. I repeat, nothing remarkable in this department beyond the two young men.
I give it a 6/10 for the attempt. It could have been lower but I really think the end of the film was interesting, that's where the points went up a bit. I think it's worth seeing just for the fact that it's part of a great reference of the genre and for popular culture and to have a topic of conversation. I leave the trailer below so you can take a look at it.
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Bueno mi gente por hoy es todo, espero que les haya gustado. ¡Un abrazo a todos, nos vemos en la próxima!
***Well my people that's all for today, I hope you liked it. ¡A hug to everyone, see you next time!